Although she’s been on the country scene since 2022, 2025 is set to be Mackenzie Carpenter’s biggest year yet.
She released her debut album ‘Hey Country Queen’ earlier this year, along with making her UK debut at C2C, and has spent the summer out on the road with Midland – who she recently released the duet ‘I Wish You Would’ with. Last weekend she was back over here to perform at The Long Road festival, bringing her brand of sassy pop-country to the Lutterworth crowd.
Before she hit the stage, Laura Cooney caught up with Mackenzie to chat about her Long Road experience, playing at C2C, the response to ‘Hey Country Queen’ and what’s next for her.
Welcome to The Long Road! How are you finding the festival?
Oh my goodness. Well, I just got here but I'm absolutely loving it. We're setting the vibes right now, but I can already feel them rising. I think it's gonna be a great night.
Last time you were in the UK was for C2C earlier this year – how was that?
Oh, I absolutely loved it. It got me like so excited to come back and play this festival because being like in the heart of London for that one and then being like a little off the beaten path for this one, I think it's great. It's literally the best of both worlds. And I get to like see this beautiful country while I'm here. It's a dream. And everyone is so sweet. They're so kind.
I had a look at your social media just before this interview and it feels like you’ve been super busy since your last trip over here. What have been your highlights?
Well, I have definitely been staying busy. Right when I got here for C2C, it was literally the week that my debut album came out. So I've been out promoting that, then playing all kinds of shows throughout the summer. I got to do a little bit of touring with Midland just this past weekend, we just got off the road together. Another beautiful part of the world in Montana. And then I'm gearing up for a fall tour with Jordan Davis. So we've been working on some new music, staying out on the road, promoting the album, just all the same old, same old.
As you’ve mentioned ‘Hey Country Queen’ has been out for a few months now – how have you found the reaction to the album has been?
You know, it's honestly been a dream. It's really cool. It's obviously something I've worked really hard on and I spent a lot of time picking those songs and making them sound just the way that I wanted them and telling their stories. So to see people like interact with them and connect with them, it's been really, really special.
Are there any songs where you’ve been surprised by people’s reactions, or that maybe you weren’t expecting them to respond to in the way that they have?
You know, one song that is like really having its own moment super organically is a song on the record called ‘Only Girl’. It's just like a big love song. And I mean, I felt like it was just classic and amazing but to find that people still believe in love out there and are really being drawn to it has been really special.
You mentioned being out on tour with Midland and so I wanted to ask about ‘I Wish You Would’. How was it getting to work with them?
Oh my goodness, they are honestly, just so cool. Their vibe… I call them the vibe kings. I just look up to them so much and I think they're just really talented. And that's one of the reasons that I wanted to work with them. I feel like they have such like classic souls. And their whole aura is just like true classic country. So I think they put a twist on this song that brought it right where I wanted it to be, and they've honestly been nothing but kind and supportive. We've gotten to play the song together and then we're here together and I think it's going to be a great night.
Are there any songs you’re particularly enjoying playing live at the moment?
Honestly, ‘I Wish You Would’ has been really special to play, and then the other one is called ‘A Dozen Red Flags’. That has been such a fun one that people have really connected with. And just to get to see everybody have a little bit of a… I don't know, it's more of a like sassy, but, like, aggressive sassy anthem [laughs]. It’s been fun.
You also recently collaborated with Hudson Westbrook. How did that come about?
Oh my goodness. He is such a nice guy, him and Stormie [Goldsmith] are the cutest couple. They've been so fun to get to know. We actually just got to do a show together in Nashville and we sang the song together. But honestly, it just meant a lot to me because I'm a big fan of his. And so to get to be the only feature on his debut album was just really special that he would ask me.
How do you find the experience of playing at a festival like this compared to your own shows?
I love festivals. I feel like it's festival season so it's really easy to switch back and forth. It definitely is a different vibe but as a concert lover and a fan myself, to get to go to one show and see all these people back to back to back, I feel like that is so special and so much fun. And so I love a festival.
Are there any songs that you’re particularly proud of that you’ve written or that you’ve got to work on?
Honestly, there are a lot. One song that I got to write was a song called ‘Hair Salon’ with Megan Moroney. We've gotten to write a lot of songs together, but that's just one that has always been a favourite of mine and feels really close to my heart. So yeah, that's definitely one I'm proud of.
And then on the opposite side to that – what’s the song you wish you could have written?
Ooh! That is such a tough question. You know, one of my favourite songs of all time is ‘Austin' by Blake Shelton. So that's gonna be probably a song. I wish I could have written.
I also wanted to ask – I know you’re from Hull, Georgia, but I didn’t know if you know that there’s also a Hull in the UK…
There’s a Hull! I know, I gotta go.
I was going to ask if you’d managed to get up there yet?
I don’t know where that is but I need to track it down and try to get there. That’s so fun. I feel like I need a moment up there [laughs].
What does the rest of 2025 look like for you? You mentioned the Jordan Davis tour and new music so will that be the focus?
100 per cent. We're gearing up with some new music I'm really excited about and then hitting the road in the fall with Jordan Davis. So if any of you all find yourselves over there come see us!
Is the new music going to be similar to ‘Hey Country Queen’ or will it be an evolution of that?
You know, I think we're always evolving and changing and growing but the heart of what I do and what I love is storytelling and songwriting, so that will just still be the core of it.
Is there anything still on your wish list in terms of where you’d want to play, people you’d want to work with and so on?
Oh, of course. We're hitting a couple of iconic venues this fall like Red Rocks in the States. There's definitely a lot to be done still. We have a lot to accomplish, a lot of mountains to climb, so I think there will be some more exciting stuff in the future.
And lastly – do you have plans to come back to the UK after this trip?
I hope so. Not currently, but we'll definitely need to make some. I can't stay away too long. I love it here.
Interview by Laura Cooney. Mackenzie Carpenter’s debut album, ‘Hey Country Queen’, is out now on Big Machine Label Group.
