Posted: Thursday, January 12, 2012 10:06 am
By REBECCA BENNETT | 0 comments
At 14 years old, Macy Medford, a freshman at Seven Lakes High School, leads an unusually glamorous life. Yet even with jetting between Katy and L.A. to record her first album, she still has to do her homework at the end of the day.
“It was hard with the schoolwork and it was different, but it was really exciting,” Macy said, of her tendency to fly off to Los Angeles for three months at a time to work on her professional music career.
Macy, a straight-A honors student who was born and raised in Katy, will release her debut album, Crazy ‘Bout You, on Feb. 7. The pop songs are laced with hints of jazz, inspired by the likes of Adele and Norah Jones, two of the teen’s favorite musical artists. It’s the product of 18 months of long work and a life-long love of singing.
“Really, at the second grade talent show at [Alexander Elementary], that’s when I really noticed she had a talent,” said Stacy Medford, Macy’s mother. “I really could just tell the difference, so then she kind of started singing and competing around in a lot of different places.”
Thus began Macy’s journey through vocal lessons, choir practices and performances, eventually leading her to meet Jonathan George, CEO and president of JG Entertainment in L.A., who now serves as her manager. George has worked with many aspiring young artists, including Victoria Justice and the Pussycat Dolls.
“[Macy’s] sound is really different. It’s very fresh,” George said. “Another thing is just her personality. She’s so bubbly and energetic and sweet. She’s such a deep thinker as well … she’s young, but her music also fits an older crowd. Anyone can enjoy it.” Macy and George co-wrote the songs on Crazy ‘Bout You during intermittent meetings over the past year and a half.
Macy finds inspiration for her lyrics throughout her life, through her experiences with guys, friends and school. She also gets a little motivation from English class. “I like writing the songs because I’m really into English and poetry, so I really like that. And it’s such a cool way to express yourself and who you are,” she said. “Song lyrics are poetry because you’re not writing just a simple story. You use symbols and all the other things you learn about in English.”
Although she describes herself as mature for her age, her ability to come across as a typical teenage girl with an atypically enchanting voice seems to have struck a right chord with listeners and the music industry.
Her first single, “Just Me and You,” hit international radio in its first week and went to No. 1 on the Top 40 chart of Tween Pop Radio in its first week. She was also nominated Pop Artist of the Year at the 21st L.A. Music Awards, which took place this past November in Hollywood, Calif.
“She’s a really, really hard worker, but I would say her singing is really kind of her gift. She kind of just gets it,” Stacy said. “She works very hard. She puts in a lot of time and effort into school and everything like that.”
When she’s not making appearances on the West Coast, Macy is involved with both choir and theater at school. Whenever she finds the time, she enjoys reading the Harry Potter series or Nicholas Sparks novels. She also has a knack for memorizing history trivia about King Henry VIII and the Tudor Period of England.
She might have filmed her first music video, “Me and You,” at Marilyn Monroe’s old house and on the beaches near Malibu — and have appeared in a Disney Channel commercial at age 12 — but to her friends, she’s just Macy, doing her musical thing.
“They’re really supportive. One time I had a show and we had some cards to pass out for it, and my friends passed them out all around the school. They get up on stage with me,” Macy said. “They’re really cool with it.” Macy’s friends will most likely show their support for her — and walk the red carpet — at her special album release party Jan. 28 at Stereo Live in downtown Houston. She’ll be performing live at the event with Jamison Strain, another Katy-based musician.
It won’t be her first time on stage by any means, but it is another opportunity for Macy to beam her spotlight into what she hopes will be a very bright future. “I’d like to sing at the Hollywood Bowl, and I want to have a world tour,” Macy said. “I have a lot of goals.”