Medicine Hat product MacKenzie Porter was nominated for four awards, including Performer of the Year, at the 2021 Canadian Country Music Awards. -- SUBMITTED PHOTO
lthomson@medicinehatnews.com
MacKenzie Porter hasn’t let COVID stunt her career, but instead made big moves in the country music industry.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Porter and her husband, fellow singer/songwriter Jake Etheridge weren’t used to the time at home, but the newly married couple got to the point where they said to themselves, this is just “what the world is right now, so how do we create in this environment… how do you keep going in every situation?”
Porter certainly pushed through tough times, incorporating Zoom writing sessions with her team and solo performances from home. ‘Unlonely Me’ and ‘Heaven Heard Me’ were written over Zoom.
“‘Pickup’ was written in one of the first sessions back in person,” Porter said. “I definitely don’t want to go back to Zoom writing. I’m not a big fan of it, but at least we were able to do it.”
Porter ended 2021 on a high note with four nominations for the Canadian Country Music Awards, including Performer of the Year. She didn’t win but was still proud.
“It’s cool because I was the only female (nominated) so hopefully over the next couple years we can change that,” said Porter. “That was definitely the category that I was most pumped to be included in.”
Porter is the first female artist with three consecutive No. 1’s on Canadian Country Radio in 22 years, after Shania Twain.
“I feel silly being included in that sentence with her, but we’ve had a really good couple of years putting out music. I have the best team ever.”
Porter recently joined Dustin Lynch in a duet for his song ‘Thinking ‘Bout You’ which just spent six weeks at No. 1 on U.S. Country Radio. They have performed together on Jimmy Kimmel and at the CCMA’s and will debut the hit on Good Morning America on Jan. 18.
Porter also recently had her debut performance at the Grand Ole Opry.
“It was a pretty emotional day,” said Porter. “It’s definitely a rite of passage for anybody who wants to be a country artist and there’s just something different about that stage. It’s very welcoming.
“For me it was emotional because a lot of people have stood in that circle, and in my career it hasn’t been this straight line up. There’s been lots of hurdles and bumps along the way, but when I stood in that circle it was like, ‘Okay, maybe I am doing something right, maybe I’m on the right path, because a lot of people I love and respect stood here too.'”
Porter loves coming back to Medicine Hat.
“My life is kind of insane right now, in a good way, it’s just go go go, but when I come home I just get to chill and obviously hang out with my family who I’m so tight with,” Porter said. “It’s like I can breathe when I come home.”
Hatters can look forward to a hometown performance from Porter at some point in 2022.
“I do have a show lined up,” Porter told the News. “I can’t say details because it’s not announced yet, but I will be performing in Medicine Hat this year! God forbid something happens more with COVID, but we have it booked.”
Porter will appear on her first billboard in Times Square this week and is opening for Walker Hayes on his Fancy Like US Tour, beginning later this month.
