Ever since Mackenzie Christopher (12) was little, she has found a love for using her voice. As of today, Mackenzie has been singing in many different choirs and has never stopped.
“I have been singing since I was literally born, from the day I walked and talked,” Christopher said. “Obviously I didn’t really sing in anything growing up, but I was always singing around the house, in the car or to movie soundtracks. I’ve just always been singing.”
Most people have their own happy place. For Christopher, her place of zen is in the risers, where singing and performing have shaped her
“Music has influenced my life in the way that I go about things, because no matter how hard your day is going or how bad things may seem, there is always music,” Christopher said. “It’s nice to just sit and relax and listen to your favorite song or even make music in choir or with my band friends…”
Although she’s been doing this all on her own, she couldn’t have gotten to where she is without a little inspiration.
“There are a lot of artists that have influenced me. I would say Adele is one of my favorites and she has just gone through a lot and has done so much to get to where she is now. No matter what happens, she always pushes forward and takes care of her kid and cares a lot about her fans,” Christopher said. “She is just so down to earth.”
Christpher hasalso gained inspiration from the trips the OHS choir program has gone on, with two of them standing out the most to the young singer.
“Going to Chicago and New York are my two favorite trips that I’ve been on. Especially in New York, when we got to sing in the Cathedral and the songs that we got to do were so hard. Because of the group of people, we just clicked…” Christopher said.
Her talent is something that some are in awe of, and the self-taught singer has made it to some of the hardest competitions in the state.
“Making it to All-State two years in a row is my favorite experience because I got to sing in a group of people that know what they’re actually doing, which was really cool. I also got a solo for All-Suburban, so the best out of the district. I was one of the best, which is such a great feeling,” Christopher said. “There’s other little things, like I won Oakville’s Got Talent two years in a row and I got a lead role in the musical because of my musical abilities, even though it was my first ever audition for a show – just little things like that.”
Singing can have its difficulties, however, and it’s completely normal for singers to have struggles.
“Singing by yourself is more difficult because you have to find your voice and your own style. You have to do this because you don’t wanna be pushed into the crowd of everybody else,” Christopher said. “That’s how you stand out – you just gotta do your own thing.”
Many students have something that makes them who they are as a person, and for Christopher, it’s obvious to her what her thing is.
Christopher said, “I don’t think I’d be who I am without singing…”
