The one to watch
Makayla Lynn to share songs, stories at intimate Truro performance
Teen sensation Makayla Lynn is a rising star and will take the stage at the Marigold with a few friends Friday.
The stage is set for teenage musician Makayla Lynn.
With two albums under her belt, numerous award nominations, and a shout-out from Rolling Stone, the Elmsdale singer/ songwriter has become a rising star in the county music scene.
“I grew up surrounded by music, so I was bound to be immersed by it since day one,” she said about her love of music.
“I think some of it came from my grandmother. She hosts a karaoke show for a living in Nova Scotia, and she really introduced me to music at a young age. She taught me my first three chords on the guitar, and it just snowballed from there.”
While she is often found performing live in front of huge music festival crowds with a full band at her back, she is taking some time to get back to her musical roots as she joins two other local musicians for an intimate performance at the Marigold Cultural Centre on Friday, Feb. 16, beginning at 7:30 p.m.
“I’m really excited for Friday’s show,” said Lynn.
“I think it will be a really intimate and relaxed writer’s circle type show, which I love. We were thinking about figuring out who is playing what so we could join in on a couple of each other’s songs.”
Lynn will be performing songs and sharing stories with fellow Elmsdale musician J. D. Clarke and Stewiacke singer/songwriter Casey May.
“Those guys are like family to me,” she said about her co-performers for the evening.
“I’ve known Casey for a while; we’ve written together a few times and he has a cut on my first record. I’ve never played a show before with J. D., but we know each other extremely well and came from the same town, so we are practically neighbours.”
The more intimate, toneddown performance may be a step away from her usual performances; it showcases the teen’s raw talent and Nova Scotia-influenced sound.
“I think my sound will always have that Nova Scotia element to it,” she said.
“My dad is from Cape Breton, so I’ve grown up around that whole kitchen party, bonfire music scene, and I think that element of sound and feel has always and will always be in my music, no matter where it goes.”
After Friday’s performance, Lynn’s time will be spent travelling between Nova Scotia, where she is still attending high school, and Nashville, the city she does most of her writing and now calls her second home.
Working in the Music City has given the young musician access to not only the best mentors in the music business, but also some of the best talent in the country music industry, which has helped her fine tune her sound as an artist — something she says is forever changing.
“As I grow, I’m still kind of finding my sound,” she said.
“I am still exploring so many different places and ways I can take music and make it my own. I think it will be really cool to see how it grows, because I still don’t know where it is going to go just yet.”