ABOUT

Singer-Songwriter, Brian Mackey, voices what often goes unsaid with warmth and vulnerability - that is reminiscent yet new. With a voice uniquely his own, he's often been told, that he has a sound that is considered “alternative new folk” combining a healthy balance of Pop, Folk, Rock and Americana.

Brian has most recently released several new singles, off of his upcoming album, “Good Morning Ireland” releasing June 21st. This album reflects on the tragic loss of his son Brian in 2018 to a heroin overdose, and the internally transformative journey towards awakening with the birth of his daughter, Marigold, in 2022. He partnered with MusiCares®, the Recording Academy's charity, to donate 100% of the proceeds from the track, “Saturday Night Sleeping” which will be featured on the album. As well, last year Mackey recorded several one-take live tracks at Layman’s Drug Co., Nashville, TN which will be also included on the album.

A writing project with his friend Jeff King (Reba McEntire/Brooks & Dunn) sparked several tracks, “My Only Friend” and “Six Strings” on this forthcoming album, as well as Mackey’s stand outs, “Saturday Night Sleeping,” “Even Though I Try,” “Count The Stars” and “You Are Amazing.” Other credits on the upcoming album include, Steve Brewster, Drums (Jewel), Mark Hill, Bass (Brooks & Dunn), Jason Webb, Piano, Tammy King, Violin (Steel Drivers), and was produced jointly by Brian Mackey and Jim Kimball (Reba McEntire).

Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, Brian released his single “Keep the World Alive," written and recorded remotely as an anthem for 2020 and how the world as we knew it has changed - simultaneously with the loss of his brother. In a time when the pandemic has also changed the landscape of the music and live entertainment industry in its entirety, it was featured in American Songwriter Magazine, the video garnered over 2 Million Views on Facebook, and sparked much coverage across numerous press outlets.

The album comes after a period of touring and single releases. Brian toured with Kate Voegele + Tyler Hilton on their joint European tour, Howie Day, Tyler Hilton and American Idol Winner Taylor Hicks. The tours supported a collection of singles, "Promise Me", "Don't Own Much", "Underwater" and "Learn to Be" produced in Los Angeles by Jon Levine (Rachel Platten, Andy Grammer). "Learn to Be" charted #1 most added for 3 weeks in a row tied with John Mayer on the US A/C Charts. This single, poppy and bold, reflects on the life lessons of learning to live without a crutch, and the liberation of breaking free. The music video for "Underwater" premiered on the Huffington Post, boasting the headline "Sublimely Gorgeous Music From Brian Mackey". It was also officially nominated for an HMMA award for "Best Independent Music Video”, along with his video for, “Don’t Own Much. During this timeframe, he has also toured with David Bromberg in the US, with Ron Pope in Europe, and Jon McLaughlin for select dates.

In 2015, Brian released his first full-length album Broken Heartstrings, a collection of pop infused American folk-rock, also in Nashville. The music took him through a very personal journey, spurred by loss and then renewal and signified a new beginning for Brian. He assembled a talented team: Producer Sam Ashworth, Engineer Richie Biggs (Tom Petty, The Civil Wars), bassist Mark Hill (Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban) and guitarist Jeff King, (Reba McEntyre/Brooks & Dunn).

Broken Heartstrings yielded his hit single, “Are You Listening,” which, after being featured on YouTube by gamer Gronkh about the PlayStation 4 game Until Dawn, became a runaway hit in Germany. The song peaked at #8 on the A/C Radio Charts in the US, charted top 25 on German iTunes, was on the ‘100 Most Sold’ chart on Amazon Germany, had over 400k streams on Spotify and resulted in sold out shows throughout the country. He returned to Germany in May of 2016, debuting in the UK, and toured with Camplified in Summer of 2016 in the Northeast region.

EARLY LIFE

From a very early age, the youngest of three had an ear for music. His grandmother played piano, sitting in at local clubs, and his mother dabbled in song writing. There was nothing Brian liked more than music. “I used to ‘steal’ albums from my brothers and parents. I remember listening to Queen’s “Night at the Opera” over and over and over. I never got sick of it, never got sick of listening to the radio or hearing new music. I liked everything, it didn’t matter what it was as long as the musicians played instruments!”

While schoolwork didn’t really grab Brian, the attention he got from being good at music did. “When I was 7, my music teacher asked me to sing the 'Star Spangled Banner' for the class. Everyone was so complimentary that it left me inspired and confident. I then went on to sing in church, plays and the school choir.” Having learned piano from his grandmother, and guitar from just a few lessons, Brian was really eager to challenge himself by playing music he heard on the radio rather than what was assigned during lessons. “I would find excuses to stay home from school so I could sit in my room and play the guitar. Something inside me was confident that I was on the right path. I didn’t follow the road that I was encouraged to take, but at the same time, the direction I was heading in felt natural to me.”

Brian tooled around with some bands in Florida, where he admits the warm weather and party atmosphere made it easy to score gigs. Wanting to experience four seasons, he moved around the country and lived in a Volvo 240 wagon – washing dishes by day, bar gigging by night. He landed in New York, where he continued to play in bands until he had an epiphany: “It dawned on me that I would be better off –and would grow more as an artist – if I wrote my own songs and composed my own music. I wanted to live to my full potential and felt like being a solo artist was the best way for me to do that.”

That fateful decision opened many doors for Brian, some leading to great things, some leading to frustration, but always ending with a learning experience that helped him develop. One of the first in a series of steps to improve came when Brian flew to Nashville for a meeting with producer Sam Ashworth (The Civil Wars, Switchfoot, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith), where they recorded “Painted Red.” This track ended up on Brian’s first EP, Feng Shui for Slobs (whose title came from his landlady who wanted Brian’s small 1-bedroom apartment to have “feng-shui”), and became Brian’s very first commercial placement, turning up on the Disney Channel’s Naturally Sadie.

His second EP, Brian Mackey Red, was a very different period all together. Brian was in a management contract with a successful producer, and although he flew Brian to Los Angeles to work with a lot of well-known musicians, Brian was ultimately unhappy with the music. He returned to Nashville, recording Honest Love, his third EP. It’s been described by Brian as “My breaking away album, my independence flag; I made the EP with my own money and did it exactly the way I wanted it.” The title track, “Honest Love,”  as well songs “Color Blue,” and “Out on the Road,” have garnered features in TV, Film, and National and International Branding Campaigns. A few among them are CMT Edge, A&E, Lifetime, Travel Channel, Arla Foods Demark, Unicef UK and Rebel One Pictures.