Rising Stars: Meet Colleen McKenna of Nashville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Colleen McKenna

Hi Colleen, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Music has always been a part of my life. I was raised on classic country music, and artists including Dolly Parton, Lee Ann Womack, Alan Jackson and Randy Travis were the soundtrack to my childhood. So naturally, I love the sound, but the storytelling is what really captivated me. Country music is built on stories, and I was inspired to tell my own stories one day. I started writing songs when I was 9 years old, around the time I got my first guitar. I was blessed to be encouraged from a young age to keep singing and writing, so I did. My family started making trips a few times a year when I was 12 years old, and that’s how I learned to cowrite, and got comfortable in the studio recording some of my first songs. I’m so grateful to have met people in this town who believed in me, saw a gift, and wanted to help it grow at the right pace. When senior year of high school rolled around, it became very clear that the doors were opening for me to start building a career in music. I moved to Nashville in August of 2023, right after graduating high school. The past year and a half, I have been cowriting every day, and spending most weekends on the road playing shows. Last February, I released an EP titled “Broken Record”, and been consistently releasing singles since then. My music has evolved a lot in that time as well as I’ve honed my craft and found my sound. My first few songs were released in collaboration with a worship music collective, which has also been a beautiful thing to be a part of. My faith is the center of my life, so I always wanted to make music that glorifies God, but is also something people could relate to, whether they heard it in a church or a bar. Having released both country music and Christian music, it’s special to bring those two loves together, in a style of country music that meets people where they are, but also encourages them and points to something higher.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
If you had told me even a few years ago that I would move to a new city by myself at 18 and not go to college, I would have laughed. I was super academic, and did very well in school. I love learning, and am a high achiever, so college was the natural choice. Especially in my hometown, it’s viewed as the natural next step to success. While the dream of pursuing a music career is definitely glamorous, it can also seem “impractical” and “risky” when the culture around you is choosing a different path. Still, there were so many things that just fell into place as I prayed for clarity on what to do. And it became abundantly clear that there were ways to make a sustainable career doing what I loved. I didn’t move to Nashville blind – I knew plenty of people I had worked with previously. But that didn’t make it any easier to watch my college scholarships and acceptances expire on college decision day. Moving here taught me a new level of confidence in myself and what I have to offer as an artist, and has also deepened my faith as I’ve learned a new level of trust in God that He would provide each step of the way.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a songwriter and artist, whose mission and focus is to create art that reflects beauty and truth, while connecting people through shared experiences, such as love, heartbreak, and self growth. I love writing with and for other artists, and am always honored to be trusted with bringing someone else’s artistic vision to life. During my first year in Nashville, I’ve been blessed to have several songs I wrote released by other artists in all types of genres. I’ve cowritten everything from country/rock, mainstream pop music, indie singer/songwriter, classic 80s and 90s style country, to praise and worship. I love it all! While my personal sound falls between country and worship music, that doesn’t mean I write in that style every day. In fact, I like writing in different styles to expand myself as a writer.

As an artist, I play half of my shows in churches, and the other half in bars. I absolutely love bringing my music to both, and hope that whatever I sing can serve as a bridge between those spaces. This past October, I released my song “WWJD”, which talks about how Jesus meets us where we are, and how His own life on earth wasn’t much different than the average country music listener. I knew this song was special, so I waited for the “right time” to release it. I had the song recorded, and held onto it for about a year before finally releasing it in October. It immediately gained traction on TikTok from a viral video about hearing my Christian song on Country Radio. The response to this song organically finding an audience who wanted more of this Country/Christian crossover music felt like confirmation that this is where I’m supposed to be. My next several singles have a similar theme of faith told through country music. I recently released a song called “More Than a Man”, which is about experiencing the healing love of Jesus in the midst of heartbreak. This song is extra special to me because my sister Riley sang the harmonies on it. I’ve always wanted to have her record a song with me, and “More Than a Man” is powerful message I wanted her to be a part of telling. The song was released only recently, but it’s been beautiful to see people sharing their stories and what the lyrics mean to them. That’s really what it’s all about for me; making music that’s not only close to my heart, but personal for the listener as well.

Music has started to take me all over the country, and even internationally. This past summer, I routed my own tour and got to travel everywhere from Aspen Colorado for a songwriters festival, a Country Music Festival in the Carolinas, Honkey Tonk bars in Ohio, and even to Guadalajara Mexico for a worship conference. To me, there is nothing better than playing my songs live, and I feel so grateful for all the places I’ve been because of music. As an independent artist, it takes a lot of time and effort to book all these shows, but it is so worth it in the end. I truly believe this is just the beginning!

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
A value that has guided me in my career so far is to be authentic; of course through art but also in everyday life. Whether artists, or creatives, entrepreneurs or pursuing an entirely different profession – each one of us has a beautiful story to offer the world. Especially as a creative though, art is a reflection of the artist. No one else can see the exact vision for your work that you can, so trust that instinct. Take time to learn, and try things, and don’t be afraid to fail a few times along the way. Through failure, we learn what doesn’t work, and get closer and closer to the core of what does. I’ve also learned to embrace change, and it’s a really beautiful thing when your work evolves over time. So much of creativity is a discovery process, and as you grow and evolve, so will your work. The best advice I feel I can give is to have faith! You have to believe that what you are doing is going to work out, even before anybody else believes it. If you create authentic art, and present yourself with kindness, people will see that you have faith in what you do and want to come alongside and support you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://colleen-mckenna.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cd.mckenna
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100075694487971#
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkpccwuJrG2C4aS2MJGnEQg/featured
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0GD9UeRb2UFUzMSHBT21uR?si=wlZmkED3T3uFYhtwMeluwA