Meet McKenna Wallace | Musician & Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with McKenna Wallace and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi McKenna, why did you pursue a creative career?
I don’t think I’m the kind of person who was cut out to work a 9-5 job, which is partly what drove me to try to find a different option. Becoming a musician was definitely not my goal growing up – I hated performing with a passion and swore that becoming a singer was the one thing I would never do. I played piano and wrote songs through middle and high school, but would mainly just keep them to myself. But I think along the way, I realized that writing was my favorite thing to do, specifically songwriting. When I met my husband, Nate Wallace, who produces music professionally, I finally knew someone personally who was making a career out of music, and witnessing that forced me to reevaluate what I wanted my life to look like. Up until that point, I’d planned to become a teacher and potentially release some music as a side project, but when I really stopped and thought about it, I knew that wouldn’t be fulfilling for me long term. By the time I graduated from college, I’d played enough live shows to begin to overcome my performance anxiety, and I knew I wanted to do whatever it took to be able to write and play music for a living.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
In a lot of ways, my career is just getting started. We just made the move from Texas to Nashville, and it’s already been really exciting to be surrounded by more people who are also making music their profession. I hope that what has been and will continue to be unique about my music is the honesty in my writing. Like so many people these days, I’ve had depression for as long as I can remember. Although I’ve taken steps to deal with my mental health in the best ways possible, I’ve also written a lot in those dark moments. I’m thankful that mental health is being talked about more openly now, but I hope to be a voice added to the conversation, giving people language and comfort for those really heavy times in life.

I have an EP and a couple of singles released under my artist name, Sylvie, and I’m really looking forward to the release of my upcoming debut album, which speaks a lot about the issue of depression but also of the emotional roller coaster it is to live through the growing up years. I’m also excited to share a couple of projects for licensing and pop that I have in the works separate from my band. This year has been so difficult for everyone in the music industry, myself included, but I’m also really looking forward to being able to tour again and share my music with new audiences.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Forth Worth has become a much different city than when I was growing up there, but I love going back to visit. There are so many new restaurants and bars and places to hang out now. When I’m back home, my parents and siblings are always showing me new spots. I love hanging out in the Magnolia area – Craftwork coffee is a must whenever I’m in town, and we love walking up and down that street when it’s nice outside. Velvet Taco has some of my favorite tacos (and queso) ever, and it’s always fun to grab some food and then walk along the Trinity River. Cane Rosso is another stop we always make for some amazing pizza. My parents live on a farm in south Fort Worth, so when I’m visiting, I usually spend most of my time at their house, watching the sheep and chickens run around or hanging out with my younger siblings.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I owe a lot to my parents. Our home growing up wasn’t necessarily musical (although my mom is a great singer), but they’ve always been so supportive of my music. I remember every year for Christmas or my birthday, my dad would buy me some kind of gear – my first keyboard, first guitar, first mic, first audio interface. I know he probably had no idea what some of it was even used for, but he would figure out what people were using to record music at home and get it for me anyway. I also remember how in high school, I would show my latest songs to my mom first, inviting her in my room at night and turning off the lights because I was embarrassed. If a song made her cry, I always took that as a good sign.

There were so many other people growing up who encouraged me, too. Whenever I got the courage to show someone a song or perform at an event, there were always friends and relatives and even strangers who told me I should actually pursue music and continue writing. I think all of those little comments over the years really stuck with me and made the decision to make this my career a lot easier.

I also wouldn’t be where I am without my partner, Nate. As cheesy as it sounds, he really has always believed in me in the moments I’ve wanted to quit. He challenges me more than anyone, always being honest about whether something is good or not and always pushing me to do things in my career that are out of my comfort zone. I’m definitely not a natural risk taker – I’m an introvert and would almost always choose to say no to something that scares me. But having Nate around makes it impossible to stay static, in a good way. He’s my biggest fan and I’m really grateful to have him in my life.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sylvie.music/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tisl88FApks

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0hzTNYWxxHg18ngMfdBAvw?si=v7WQrEjcRZW1_Q3WUl9osA

Image Credits
Corey O’Connell, Laura Lee Washington, Eden Guild