Jocelyn Mackenzie is a Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter, artist, and psychic medium. Her conviction to craft creates music, art, and messaging that is sensual, personal, and powerful. Holding intimate balance between vulnerability and strength, the self-taught songstress delicately constructs bold melodies that weave universal stories straight to the heart.
Her debut solo album PUSH is a chamber pop homage to healing through radical self love, to be released on Righteous Babe Records. Written entirely for string quartet in collaboration with five talented composers, each song on PUSH bravely shines light on dark spots of her past. The fearlessness in her songwriting combined with the orchestral arrangements of each song alchemizes her pain into a poultice, making the album itself a testimony to hope, heartbreak, and what it means to be human.
Likened to the sounds of tUnE-yArDs, Kate Bush, and Regina Spektor, her sonic world traverses diverse terrain, making no stranger of the pop earworm, the humble singalong, and the orchestral tearjerker. With a versatile library of influences including Sia, They Might Be Giants, and ambient soundscapes, her songs cure melody, meaning, and instrumentation into fine blends of the sacred and profane.
In 2007, Mackenzie co-founded indie-folk trio Pearl and the Beard, with whom she enjoyed a rich national and international touring history over the span of their eight year career. Their infectious blend of soaring instrumentation, soulful harmonies, and genuine lyricism anchored their songs into their listeners’ bones with depth and longevity. Musicians’ musicians, Pearl’s powerful stage presence shepherded them to perform alongside legacy artists such as Ani DiFranco, Neko Case, Bastille, Iron & Wine, Ingrid Michaelson, Lucius, Dar Williams, Lady Lamb, David Wax Museum, and Sharon Van Etten.
In the years since Pearl released their farewell album, Mackenzie continued to write and produce music independently, launching her solo career with 2016’s juicy pop offering the Unlovely EP. The release’s five songs, including “Centenarian,” co-written by Ani DiFranco, openly touched on intimate personal trials Mackenzie had endured. Her musical ability to reveal intimate emotional truths with an unwaveringly buoyant sound was the fertile ground in which PUSH was planted.
In addition to her own catalog, Mackenzie has been commissioned to write music for commercials and theater. She has blossomed in the theater world as a performer, writer, songwriter, and curator, collaborating with such established theater makers as The Trusty Sidekick Theater Company, Sinking Ship Productions, and The Bengsons. With the thread of music knitting her creativity together, she professionally pursued her passion for wearable art after graduating from MICA with a degree in Fiber (2005) and has worked as a production knitter, crocheter, jewelry maker, costume fabricator, performance artist, and stylist for fellow musicians and theatrical performances. Her knitwear creations have been seen on the likes of Martha Stewart, on screen on puppets for the Mr. Roger’s film “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” and on the runway for Helmut Lang, Calvin Klein, Edun, Yeezy, and more. Most recently, she has also tuned her senses to offer readings as a psychic medium. Familiar with utilizing channeling and clairaudience as a central facet of her songwriting, she connects the curious in the physical world to departed loved ones and spirit guides from other realms. She has also developed intuitive songwriting workshops that utilize deep listening, meditation, and improvisation to provide creative writing tools for musicians and non-musicians alike. All of her work in music, making, and mediumship is rooted in the core value that creativity is our universal birthright and that life is a song that must be played by all, for all. Her life’s work is to create harmony.
