04 Watcha Gonna Do Baby

03 Treat You Like That

02 Desperate

01 Miserable Girl

Makenzie Raye, a 16-year-old from Tampa, Florida, firmly believes “you can't learn to love music; you're born with the love for it.” An appropriate mantra that serves as the backing track to her goal of becoming a country singer, Makenzie’s path to stardom includes regular trips to Nashville, various modeling assignments to gain exposure, and partaking in the many activities fitting a high school student who plays soccer and earns exceptional grades. 

Working to be a standout talent, Makenzie’s four-song, self-titled EP was released by FarmBoy Entertainment on June 10th. Produced by Grammy-winner Adrian David Payne, and featuring the talents of hitmakers Dallas Davidson, Hillary Lindsey, Catherine Britt, Brett James and more, the collection is relatable and original. Taut with raw emotion, and captured by Makenzie’s moving vocal, listeners journey into an age-defying look at relationships on this expertly crafted production.

“I really enjoyed being in the studio with such an accomplished producer” Makenzie stated. “He was motivating and easy going, and since I thrive in that kind of educational atmosphere, Adrian got through to me that a performance is much more than just singing the lyrics on a piece of paper. I learned how to literally feel the song and then sing it in such a way that the message really reaches the listener.” 

Inspired by strong and empowered females like Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood, who have “heartfelt” down to a science, Makenzie’s singing style is traditional yet edgy. As evidenced by song choices for the EP, Makenzie is true to form on material which features brave young ladies making wise decisions (“Miserable Girl”), reflecting on dreams and goals for life and love (“Desperate”), learning from mistakes that led to losing a good man (“Treat You Like That”), and letting loose at just the right time (“Whatcha Gonna Do”).

Like many before her, Makenzie began singing at a very young age and had an upbringing in a musical home where she learned to play the guitar in addition to honing her singing and songwriting skills. “I’ve been singing since I started talking,” she says with a smile. “My entire family was raised on music and I happily followed in their footsteps. I’m lucky enough to know at such a young age what I want to do and I’m prepared to work as hard as I can to be successful.”

Working hard comes naturally to Makenzie and it has paid off; she is celebrating songwriting success as “Boys Like You,” a song she co-wrote with label-mate Chris Rogers and David Gibson, is being cut by fellow artist Courtney Lee Price. Makenzie, who writes regularly with natural skill, has written with the likes of Jay Brunswick, Patricia Summers, Chris Rogers, Rick Murphy, Josh Dunne, Michael Howard, and Nicole Bellare.

Knowing that a great song is key to capturing the attention of fans, Makenzie also excels at performing and connecting in a personal way. In this age of social media, an outgoing personality is a must and Makenzie has that in spades! Online and on stage she sparkles, singing and engaging the crowd as she grooves to the beat. 

“I absolutely love being on the stage, I would rather be there instead of anywhere else,” says Makenzie. “I love making connections with the audience and I hope everyone can see that. I love working the stage and moving around and bringing the crowd into it.”

Makenzie relies on training she received as a soccer player to handle the competitiveness of the music industry as she moves forward with promoting her new EP. Using the discipline and leadership skills learned from being a varsity player, she has built a solid team and, under their expert guidance and direction, continues to create music that, while reflective of her individuality and youthful demeanor, appeals to a wide audience. 

“I’ve learned that to succeed in almost anything, I have to be me. Knowing who I am and having that confidence allows me to be able to take criticism well,” she states. “In order for me to be different, I have to stick to who I am so that I can appear genuine and real to my fans.”

