MacKenzie Porter received her first No. 1 song at country radio in the United States with her 2021 Dustin Lynch collaboration, “Thinking ‘Bout You.” The song was originally recorded with Lauren Alaina for the Dustin’s 2020 album, Tullahoma, but MacKenzie stepped in to re-record Lauren’s part when the track officially became a single. Dustin chose MacKenzie as his new duet partner after a blind audition process.
“I was familiar with the song [before I recorded it],” MacKenzie told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “I’m a big fan of Lauren’s. She’s a girlfriend of mine. I knew I wanted to make it my own, but I also wanted to be true to the song and how they wrote it. So we kept a lot of the melodies similar and I switched up a bunch of the ad-lib kind of stuff. I think, too, vocally, her and I are totally different. She’s definitely more of a powerhouse kind of singer. I have a different tone, so no matter what, it was going to sound different just because her and I are so different.”
“Thinking ‘Bout You” absolutely blew up the charts at the end of 2021, and MacKenzie dished to us about why she thinks it was such a smash. “I think it’s a really relatable concept of looking back on a past relationship,” she explained. “Whether it ended good or bad, you kind of feel nostalgic about certain times of your life. That first kind of intense love, I know, for me, even though it didn’t work out and it wasn’t the right person, you just kind of think about it. I feel like everyone has felt that way and this song brings that feeling to life.”
On whether “Pickup” will be part of a bigger project: It’s definitely going to be part of an album! I’m actually going in next week to cut a couple more songs, so I definitely want it to be, and it will be, part of a bigger body of work.
On touring with Walker Hayes: He is so awesome. He’s such an amazing human. His family’s out on the road with him and it’s such a good, healthy environment. He’s super supportive. And his kids are truly the best behaved kids I’ve ever met. They’re so kind and generous. One of his sons always helps us set up our merch and they’ll watch my soundcheck. They’re really sweet kids. So I’ve just enjoyed getting to know him and his family.
I’ve been on tours where everyone’s doing shots before the show and obviously that’s fun, too, but this is so much more healthy. It also gives me, like, hey, when I have kids, I can take them out on the road. You can really have a beautiful life with your family on tour. And, of course, the concerts are crazy and the fans are so loud! It’s been a really amazing experience so far.
On the most surreal moment of her career so far: I think when Dustin and I did Jimmy Kimmel. Playing a late night show is every artist’s bucket list kind of thing. For me, it really was. That was such a cool day and moment, and I loved it. And the Good Morning America performance. I think those specific, fast performances really stick out in your mind. Your adrenaline is pumping all day long and it’s just a three minute song and it’s done, but it’s all over the world.