ABOUT MACY DOT.

Macy Dot Neal is an 18-year-old singer-songwriter living in Nashville, Tennessee. She’s an enthusiastic performer with her own unique sense of style. With confidence and abundant stage presence, this young rising artist takes the stage and her classic country voice and modern-day persona easily captivate the audience. Macy performed for the first time in public singing the national anthem when she was two… her dreams and aspirations have only grown since then. Macy grew up singing at local oprys and festivals and is proud to have grown up on artists like Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, and Reba McEntire. “After I heard songs like ‘Delta Dawn’ and ‘Walking after Midnight’ for the first time at my grandparent’s house... they quickly became my go-to performance songs,” says the promising young artist. Growing up, Macy was given many opportunities to perform including opening for artists such as Kacey Musgraves, Gary P. Nunn, Zane Williams, The Powell Brothers, Randy Rogers Band, Chris Colston, Craig Campbell, Chase McClanahan, Darrin Morris Band, Chrystal Yates, Wayland Hicks, Parmalee, Thompson Square, Riley Redding, Austin Layne, Brother Roscoe, and several others. Some of her musical influences include Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, Sheryl Crow, Lindsay Ell, Carly Pearce, Shania Twain, and Clare Dunn. “I love how each individual artist has their own unique style that truly makes them unforgettable”. Releasing music of her own has always been a goal of Macy’s. “It was very important to me that my first release was something that I wrote, and I felt was a good representation of who I am.” 

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SONGWRITING.

At the age of 10, Macy started taking lessons with John DeFoore—the former teacher of Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves. Although Macy had been penning lyrics for as long as she could remember, it was John who first encouraged her to start performing her original songs live. "I started developing a strong passion for writing after I began working with John. I had always loved writing, but he taught me to write songs that represented me and told a true story from various perspectives.” Macy originally met John Defoore through a mutual friend, Karleigh Paige. 

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WRITING ‘HOT MESS'.

Macy and Karleigh have written a few songs together through the years. They actually wrote ‘Hot Mess’ together over the course of two days on zoom. “Macy came to write that day with the title, ‘Hot Mess’. I immediately knew that it needed to be about a girl who owns the fact that she doesn’t have it all together in a world that tells her she needs to. It was important to encapsulate those everyday details that make her hilariously not-so-put-together. It's the girl who’s like ‘Yeah- I can’t be on time to save my life, I nervously pick the paint off my nails, I lose things, I fall when I wear high heels, and I constantly stick my foot in my mouth. But I’ve also tried covering all that up and, dang, it’s exhausting trying to chase perfection. So, here I am. This is me. Take it or leave it.’ It’s Macy. It’s me. It’s so many females. I love that it turned into this fun, light-hearted, mid-tempo thing that she’s proud to say,”  says co-writer Karleigh Paige. During the write, Macy and Karleigh brainstormed ‘Hot Mess’ material that they felt all women could relate to. “I live on coffee and a can of dry shampoo” is a line that almost everyone can relate to. “I admire Karleigh and I love how the song represents such a real-time in every girl/woman's life,” says Macy. She admits that she didn’t originally have plans of releasing ‘Hot Mess' in the beginning. “I had no intentions of releasing the song, but once it was finished, I loved it so much that I knew I wanted it to be my first release,” says the young energetic artist.

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THE RECORDING PROCESS.

Macy was asked to perform at ‘Cavs Zone’ a football pregame rally for her high school, where she met her producer, Ramy Antoun. “I was introduced to Ramy through a mutual friend, and he ended up playing drums for me at the event,” says the young, aspiring artist. Not long after they met, they started working together. Ramy continued to remind Macy of the importance of her first release, and that the meaning behind the song needed to be personal and authentic. After her co-write with Karleigh she eagerly told him the story behind the song and her thoughts of making it her debut single and without hesitation, he agreed. They quickly began working on recording the song but were abruptly stopped by a pandemic. “COVID caused many setbacks in the release process, but it honestly just made me more grateful for the experience,” claims Macy. While COVID caused many things to be different for her first release, Macy wants to give a huge thank you to the incredible artists and musicians that helped bring ‘Hot Mess’ to life. “Writing, creating, and recording ‘Hot Mess’ was a huge learning experience, but the song wouldn’t be what it is without Karleigh Paige (co-writer), Ramy Antoun (producer & drummer), Chris James (graphic designer), Julie Carda (photo editor), Jacob Hildebrand (guitar player), Eric Spille (photographer), Jake Holcomb (engineer), Courtney Meying (BGV’S), Sergio Andrade (bass player), and Clayton Corn (piano player),” states Macy.  “Macy is incredibly talented, has a very positive work ethic, and the drive to really make it in this industry! We worked really hard together to push for her best on ‘Hot Mess’, and she never backed down. Proof is in the pudding, a really great song with a message everyone can relate to! Looking forward to what’s ahead!” says Ramy (producer and owner of A & F drums). 

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THE RELEASE.

In anticipation of the release, Macy Dot posted ‘Hot Mess’ themed pictures with detailed captions leaking lyrics to her song to get her followers excited. ‘Hot Mess’ was released on October 10, 2020, and within the first two weeks, it gained 4,000+ streams on Spotify and within three months it was played in over 45 countries and on various radio stations across the world. 'Hot Mess' was even featured on legendary radio show host Bobby Bones’ Instagram, Macy says “One of my proudest moments was hearing it on the radio for the first time.” Not long after the release ‘Hot Mess’ was recognized as the number one song on Indie Country Radio. She has done various interviews since the release and even planned a giveaway for her followers as a thank you for their continued support. She reached out to several of her favorite businesses and asked if they would be interested in donating ‘Hot Mess’ themed items. The giveaway included a signature bag of coffee from Runaway Luna, the cutest socks & ombre pink nail polish from Embellish Nails and Boutique, ‘Mary Kay’ pink lipstick and lipgloss from Cindy Sheppa, $20 gas credit from Chadwin Barley, a ‘Wild at Heart’ coffee mug & coffee beans from Miranda Lambert's store ‘Pink Pistol’ (located in her hometown), a limited edition ‘Hot Mess’ cap from Brand Authority, a can of dry shampoo, and Macy Dot merch. This song is realistic, genuine, and relatable and has been a fan favorite from day one. Macy Dot’s debut single ‘Hot Mess’ is available on all music platforms.