Lakeport >> The first time McKenna Faith heard herself on the radio, she was eating a burrito. As she munched on guacamole and rice, the last thing she expected was to hear her voice drifting out of the stereo. She pulled out her phone and recorded a video of the moment, documenting a point in her career that she’ll probably never want to forget.
That was last summer, and in the past year Faith’s career has hit some exciting strides. In January she moved to Nashville, the heart of country music. She’s just spent the summer on a national tour that took her all the way to New York. In three and a half weeks she traveled through 27 states. And now she’s gearing up to record a new CD in October.
Out of the numerous shows she played, the festivals were a highlight, including a show in Oregon and another in Colorado, where Faith recalled watching as fans in the front row sang along to her songs. It’s a mark of her growing popularity, that people are beginning to recognize and memorize her music.
At 21-years-old, Faith is still going through something of a growing period with her music. She began as strictly country, drawing influence from the classic country sound, but for her last album, Seal It With Kiss, she adopted a pop country vibe. “It’s kind of cool to listen to my first album to where it is now, kind of just to hear me growing up as a person and growing with the music, figuring out my sound,” Faith said. “I feel like I’m still finding it and growing.”
She’s enjoying the new upbeat sound, but as for whether or not she’ll stick with it for her upcoming material, that’s still up in the air. “I haven’t recorded anything yet,” Faith said. “You never know what’s going to happen. It could come out as a funky sound.”
While Faith looks to Shania Twain in her career, it’s actually her family who have had the largest musical influence on her. Her dad was a member of her church’s praise team, playing guitar and singing. Faith grew up listening to him. And the rest of her family have also been musical as well. “I probably wouldn’t want to sing if it wasn’t for them,” she explained. “I’ve been singing since I was little. They always encouraged me.”
The move to Nashville back in January was a natural step. It’s where anyone who wants to be anyone in country music needs to go. And though her family had been her support system since she began pursuing music seriously at age 16, she packed up her bags and departed Ukiah — her hometown — alone. But she does get to fly home often. “I’d probably go crazy if I couldn’t,” Faith confessed.
She’s playing near home today for the Summer Concert Series at Library Park in Lakeport. Although it’s a smaller venue than some of the festivals she spent the summer hitting up, she enjoys the park for it’s family-friendly vibe. And being so close to home, she has a number of fans here in Lake County who can’t always travel far to see her.
McKenna Faith hits the gazebo stage at 6:30 p.m.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
