An Interview with the Pop Songstress and Now ABC’s Rising Star Contestant, Macy Kate!

All Access was lucky enough a few months ago to meet the very talented, Macy Kate at our offices in Malibu. I was instantly blown away by this young woman’s incredible voice! This 16 year-old can seriously belt it!

She has played for crowds as large as 10,000+, received a standing ovation at The Sprint Arena, and has performed at the world famous Roxy in Los Angeles, Webster Hall in New York City, House of Blues & Avalon Theatre in LA and many more. Aside from her songwriting and vocal talent, Macy is an impressive pianist and has competed in the American College of Musicians Guild auditions.

Take a listen to her music and you will hear a soulful, powerful heart wrenching believability like no other artist of her generation.

Don’t take my word for it though, check out her amazing videos on her YouTube page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/macykatemusic

Her social media exposure has been skyrocketing recently and it’s because she is now a contestant on the ABC singing competition show, Rising Star. Of course, Macy has been incredibly busy lately so I was so pleased that she was able to take some time to answer a few questions for me about her career so far and what’s it been like performing on the show.

Take me on your musical journey so far? What has got you to this point in life?

This whole music journey has been insanely incredible and has taught me a lot, not just about the business but about life in general. I’ve been in a lot of heart breaking/difficult situations that have kinda made me feel like quitting. That’s when I found this saying that I really really liked. It’s called “Fall down 7, Get up 8.” I write 7 and 8 on my hands almost every performance and event that I go to. It means whenever life gets hard or if you get knocked down just to always believe in yourself and know you were made to do whatever you are doing. and to keep going and chasing your dream no matter what happens. That’s the message I’m trying to get across to my teen fans as well.

What’s it like being a young teenager in this crazy music business? Are you having a blast? What about school? Dating life?

Oh my gosh its incredible! Experiencing these crazy things at such a young age is absolutely amazing! Its so fun. I am home schooled right now and am loving it. It gives me a lot more time to focus on music and also a little flexibility with school as well. I do have to miss Homecoming Dances & Prom, and the whole high school/dating scene, but I knew that I had to sacrifice a few things when walking into this.  I’m chasing a dream that I have been wanting my whole life and couldn’t be more grateful for the things I have experienced.

You’ve had the pleasure of meeting lots of talented people through your promotional tour lately. Anyone that you have learned a lot from and/or looked up to?

I have met a lot of amazingly talented people throughout this whole process. I definitely look up to a lot of people. Mostly my team. I having an amazing support system, first my mom. She is my current co-manager and she handles business stuff, me & my daily needs, supervises my schoolwork  and my media/press. Next, the wonderful Linda Lopez who is my band operations manager, social media manager & co-manager. I have known Linda my whole life and her son Nick Lopez is my drummer. Bob Kinkead is my booking agent with Paradigm Talent Agency and he has taken my whole game to a different level with tour bookings, shows and performances. Lastly, my attorney Joe Serling is super cool, he speaks with me directly and asks for my advice, totally cool.

Tell me about your songwriting process. Where do you get your inspiration from? Are you always trying to write new material?

I always try to write from a super SUPER relatable point of view. Usually when I get into the studio everything comes naturally. Everything I write about comes from a personal story of mine. I like being very personal and telling a story because who knows someone could have gone through the same thing.

You recently posted a video of your cover of Rixton’s song, “Me And My Broken Heart.” Tell me about doing that. What’s been your favorite cover to record so far?

I did! That was probably the most fun video I’ve done! I definitely brought my personality out in that one haha. During that time I had been getting a lot of tweets, specifically from girls, about how lonely they are and what they do and stuff! The crazy thing is I go through the same thing, so why not embrace the fact that we’re lonely and eat ice cream, popcorn, talk to stuffed animals, and watch romance movies?! I think I really connected to a lot of girls on that video and that’s what I love to do.

Who are some of your music influences? What are you listening to right now? Any new artists that you are currently loving?

I am listening to A LOT of Iggy Azaela! I am completely in love with her and her music. She’s so amazing a fierce and I love her. I really look up to her.

Tell me about the members in the Macy Kate Band. How did you all meet?

I love my band. The main centerpiece is Nick Lopez, my drummer. He handles all my backing tracks, picking songs/covers that fit my voice and is of course my drumma! My other band-mates change based on where I am playing, West Coast or East Coast.

Talk about how it was opening for Rick Springfield and Aaron Carter?

It was great! They are both so nice and I respect them and their music greatly! Aaron has a lot of great original music and is a touring pro & Rick Springfield is so nice and cool and took time to speak with all of us backstage and give us pointers for our originals.

Tell me why this lifestyle of performing and touring all over the world is one that you are willing to follow right now? Can you see yourself doing this 10 or 20 years from now?

I think so since I am only 16, I have to go for it now. I love touring and feel like it is what God’s plan is for me. I believe this is where I am supposed to be right now. One day I hope to be able to tour in a tour bus and perform for millions of people. I love what I am doing and hope I will be touring in 20 years.

What has your experience been like working with Radio Disney?

Performing at Radio Disney events has been an incredible experience for me and I am grateful that I was able to open for IM5 and get to part of the Disney Magic.  Radio Disney provides a young fresh relevant playlist of music aimed at tweens and I would one day love to have my original music in their radio rotation, alongside major acts like Becky G, Selena Gomez and Zendaya. I’m hoping dreams do come true!

What has been your favorite venue to perform at so far?

That would have to be The Roxy in LA. It is an  iconic venue and the sound guys are so good. They made me and my band feel really special and I will never forget that.

Between Britney, Christina, Miley and Demi, who do you feel you have the most in common with and how so? Or is there another female singer that you identify with more with then these women?

I love all of the women you mentioned and admire their music. I think the artists I have the most in common with would be Avril Lavigne for her pop/rock style & fashion sense, Haley Williams from Paramore for her sound & Demi for her big ballad sound.

How have social networks and sites such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram affected the way you promote your music and interact with your fans? Do you use all them actively? Can you explain the Tumble Unlocking Campaign that I’ve seen on your Facebook page recently?

YouTube has been very good to me. I work really hard at my YouTube channel and focus a lot on my subscriber base and have an incredible social media manager named Linda Lopez, who helps me so much. We work on consistency of my music video uploads, relevant charting singles to cover and promotion of my videos once they are ready to go. I film my own beauty channel videos myself & edit them.

A typical day right now consists of working at the ABC lot for Rising Star from 10am to 3pm, where I try to attend to my Twitter account with at least 5 posts a day then take a selfie for Instagram, then post on Facebook at least once a day, then ABC returns us home to our hotel, then dinner, then filming a make-up video or a shopping haul, editing it and uploading it for review by my YouTube Manager ( which takes about 4 hours for me to film, edit & add music), then off the bed.  My days right now are really long, but I love it. I have a saying that “You can’t cheat the grind.” Working hard when no one is looking is my lifestyle.

The Tumblr Unlock Campaign was really cool. Ryan Seacrest’s social media director reached out to our team and was kind enough to extend an offer to help us promote my music. So of course we jumped at the opportunity! Michael Murray came up with an idea to do a contest “Unlock Macy Kate Video”.  So if my fans signed up for a Tumblr account and Tumbled my video and I could get 100 Tumbles in 90 minutes, my premier video of Rixton’s “Me and My Broken Heart” would unlock for my fans to see. My fans are the best and unlocked it in like 60 minutes!! The fans controlled the release of that premier and I thought it was so cool.

If you had the opportunity to work with any act/artist from the past, present or future, who would it be? And why?

I would love to work with Christina Aguilera, Haley Williams, Imagine Dragons  & Dr. Luke.

Christina because I have been told there are tones in my voice that sound like her and I would love to work with her and perform with her. Dr. Luke because he produced a lot of Avril Lavigne material and I think he is incredible and I believe he is one of the most relevant producers in the business that understands teenage girls.

When you aren’t performing or writing new material, what do you enjoy doing for fun? How often do you get to go home and just be a teenager?

I love to wakeboard, skateboard, water ski, surf & swim. I have been on the road for 10 weeks out of the last 12 weeks and I do miss my family and my dog. When I am home, my friends know how limited my time is so we cram in a ton of stuff; exercising, tanning, yogurt stops, baking and just hanging out.

How do you cope being on the road so much lately? How understanding is your family? Or do they travel with you?

Sometimes my dad and brother can come see me on tour or on Rising Star and it makes me feel so good. The shows that they attend are usually my best performances. There is something about having my team around me….makes me feel awesome.

What is your favorite song to perform live?

“Still Into You” by Paramore is one of my favorite songs right now.

Do you have any great or interesting road stories you’d like to share?

One time my band and I were late for a flight and ran out of gas at the Orlando Airport Service Road on Thanksgiving Day as we were rushing to make our flight. We got out of the car, flagged down two cabs, loaded in all of our instruments and bodies into the cabs, gave the keys and 10 bucks to please get gas and put it in our car, asked them to drive the car to airport valet and barely made it to our flight. And yes our car was there when we got home and landed.

Do you have any advice for upcoming musicians?

If you want something bad enough, you have to work harder than anyone else, especially when  no one is looking. Also, no one should ever tell you that you cannot do something. Work hard, it won’t be easy and you will not have more no’s than yeses,  but it can be done.

Is there anything else that you want potential new fans to know about you and your music?

I just want them to know that my main goal in life is to make music that can help inspire, motivate, and encourage others to never give up on their dreams. I hope my music can be like a medicine to others and provide them with the strength to get through difficult situations, the drive to have thick skin and work hard, and the comfort of knowing that they are not going through this crazy life alone and that we are all in it together! I will always be there for my fans as they have been there to support me, and together we can conquer anything!

What’s the experience been like being on Rising Star?

It has been the most amazing experience of my life and something I will never forget!  I am so grateful for this incredible opportunity and I have met so many talented people along the way that I hope to have the opportunity to collaborate with in the future. I feel like I am in a dream and I don’t want to wake up!

What’s it like performing live on a TV show? Do you still get nervous?

I love performing live so this experience has been awesome! It is so crazy to think that there are millions of people watching at home and that is something I still can’t seem to wrap my head around! I always get a little nervous before any show, but I am loving this and the nerves kinda power me up!

To keep up with Rising Star, go to: http://abc.go.com/shows/rising-star

And for more info on this true rising star, Macy Kate, go to: https://www.facebook.com/MacyKateMusic/timeline