Mackenzie Bourg – Falling Up

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) Organic pop mixed with the singer songwriter vibe that I started out on. My main focus has been creating music I genuinely love and blend all of the influences that I began my music career on. Take it back to the real music we all love.

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) Anywhere from John Mayer to Ray Charles, all the way around to Ed Sheeran. In today’s age of internet, there’s really so much good music that the trick is finding it! I listen to a lot, though, so it’s hard to narrow them down.

Q)  You’ll be releasing a new EP shortly called Falling Up. How did you come up with the name?

A) The first books I ever read as a kid were all of Shel Silverstein’s poem books. I remember many of his poems by heart to this day. I definitely note Shel as first sparking my creativeness at a young age and named the record Falling Up as sort of an ode to Shel. He was truly my first influence.

Q) Did you have any rituals you did before performing the songs in the studio?

A) I’m not too picky of a guy, but I need either lemonade or Dr. Pepper and some kind of candy; and more often than not, the candy is something kind of sour. That’s about all the rituals I have!

Q) What is your favorite song off Falling Up?

A) I’ve thought about this a lot lately and I really think that, as cliché as it sounds, they are all my favorite. “Ain’t No Way” is one that gets me going and it’s hard to go against the vibes of “Summertime Love” as well “Heartbeat.” This record is something I worked really hard on so I can honestly say I think they are all my favorite!

Q) How much hand did you have in the production of the EP?

A) I either wrote or co-wrote every song on the record and I take pride in the fact that not only am I an artist, but a songwriter, too. Starting out, my songs were all slow and maybe even a tad boring, but five years into crafting my art of songwriting and I think I can say I’m proud of the writer I have become.

Q) What do you hope fans take away from listening to your music?

A) Hopefully, fans see my potential and not only love the music, but want to spread it like wildfire. At the end of the day, I need my fans more than anything to make this career work! The power is in their hands.

Q) Your fans remember you from starring on “The Voice.” Have you kept in touch with any of your former competition?

A) I’ve kept up with a few friends from the show, as well as CeeLo [Green]. It’s cool being able to touch base with a guy like that and know that as much as he has going on with his life, he still cares enough to take the time to see how you’re doing and send his well wishes. It’s been a great motivator.

Q) What did working with mentor CeeLo Green teach you about yourself, your music and live performances?

A) Basically, he taught me that I could embrace being myself in every sense possible. Whether it be just going up on stage in front of millions and playing my guitar by myself, or changing songs how I wanted to play them, I was reinforced by CeeLo that being yourself is better than being anybody else.

Q) How do you plan to celebrate the release of your EP?

A) I haven’t officially planned it yet! I’m sure we will have a release here in Los Angeles and I’d love to make a trip home to Louisiana and do a release down there. My family has been just as big a part of this with their love and support for me this past year. I really owe everything to them.

Q) Are there any plans for an upcoming tour for Falling Up?

A) As of now, everything is still in the process of being scheduled, but there will definitely be some LA shows in the cards very soon!

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that an important way for you to connect with fans and promote your music?

A) It’s such an easy way to keep in touch and connect with the people who genuinely love and support what I’m doing. I want my fans to know that I appreciate them so much, and all I want to do is let them know I’m here for them just like they’re there for me!

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your music?

A) I’m indebted to you all for your patience over this process and I know I won’t let you down! Hopefully, once the record is out, you all will hear what love and hard work went into this to really spread it to the world!