At the world premiere of her music video, "Actin Like You Know," singer/songwriter Mackenzie Nicole confidently promoted her music.
"I hope it draws in more people who are going to take this journey with me, who are really experiencing this music and the love of music," said Mackenzie O'Guin, who goes by her stage name, Mackenzie Nicole.
Behind the scenes, however, the pressure is on for the 16-year-old. You see, Mackenzie Nicole is one of the faces of Strange Music's new sound as the Blue Springs-based record label dips its toes into more eclectic genres.
"It's so crazy because most people don't expect any music powerhouse to have been born in some suburban basement in Kansas City," she said. "[They don't expect] any artist really -- if they are going to make it big -- to be centered in Kansas City."
But with this new direction, both Mackenzie Nicole and Strange Music at large want to dispel that assumption.
"I think popular music is just something that feels right; we just care about good music," said Travis O'Guin. He's the president and CEO of Strange Music and runs the label with Kansas City rapper Tech N9ne. "That's what I want to be remembered for: music that mattered."
@MackenzieNicole signing posters and taking pictures with her fans after the #ALYKPremiere pic.twitter.com/RSQ1TiAQyD
— Mix 93.3 (@Mix933) May 25, 2016
"Yes, we're known for hip hop," said O'Guin. "That's not going to change. Nothing is going to change as far as our desire and our ability. However, we are venturing off into R&B, we're venturing off into more popular music and we even have more on the rock side, too. We are just trying to become more of a rounded label."
"It's not so much pressure as it is just this absolute privilege and this huge, daunting task that I am so terrified of and also in love with," said Mackenzie Nicole.
Upcoming concerts:
Tech N9ne
- Kansas City
- May 26 at 7 p.m.
- Kansas City Live @ Power and Light
- Wichita
- May 27 at 7 p.m.
- Cotillion Ballroom
- St. Louis
- May 28 at 7 p.m.
- The Pageant
Mackenzie Nicole
- Independence, Mo.
- June 17 at 4 p.m.
- Red, White and Boom at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena
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Terra Hall can be reached at terra.hall@kshb.com.
You can also follow her on Twitter.
