Music-News.com is proud to host the exclusive world premiere of 'Learn To Be' by Brian MacKey.
Brian Mackey commented:
“Learn To Be” is about a man that struggles with extreme dependence within his life and his relationships. He fights to find his muse, as each one that is presented to him offers something different. He tries to portray these within his work, but realizes that he is so dependent that it is to his detriment. We see his battle, and watch him unravel.
Brian's new single, “Learn to Be”, is the first of a series of singles off of his upcoming album - produced by award winning song-writer and producer Jon Levine (Rachel Platten, Andy Grammer), and mixed by multi-platnim engineer Brian Malouf (Parachute, Andy Grammer). Reaching #1 most added on the US FMQB A/C Radio Charts 3 weeks in a row, and is currently #10 on the A/C FMQB US charts.
The video was directed and shot by Caro Patlis, in Buenos Aires Argentina. She is a Travel & Lifestyle Photographer, Director and Cinematographer with most recent works for Reebok, Volkswagen, Herschel Supply and Billboard Magazine.
Brian Mackey was born in New Jersey and raised in Florida on a diet of 90's alt rock and 70’s folk music. From an early age, he had an ear for music. “I used to ‘steal’ albums from my family. I remember listening to Queen’s “Night at the Opera”, never getting sick of it. Having learned piano from his grandmother, and guitar from just a few lessons, Brian was eager to challenge himself by playing music he heard on the radio rather than what was assigned during lessons. “I’d find excuses to stay home from school so I could sit in my room and play the guitar. Something inside me was confident that I was on the right path.”
Wanting to experience four seasons, he moved to New York, where he played in bands until he had an epiphany: “I would be better off –and would grow more as an artist – if I wrote and composed my own music. I wanted to live to my full potential and felt being a solo artist was the best way for me to do that.” He moved around the country and lived in a Volvo 240 wagon washing dishes by day, bar gigging by night. Picking up the vibes from positively hopeless cases from the darkest places, he creates a sound uniquely his own - pop-infused rock mixed with a voice that is reminiscent of the late Jim Croce.
The first step of improvement was in Nashville with Producer Sam Ashworth (The Civil Wars, Switchfoot), where they recorded “Painted Red.” This track was on Brian’s first EP, Feng Shui for Slobs and became Brian’s very first commercial placement on the Disney Channel’s Naturally Sadie.
His second EP, Brian Mackey Red, was a very different period all together. Spurred from a lengthy management contract gone South, he returned to Nashville to work with Sam again, and their partnership took hold. Honest Love, his third EP, has been described by Brian as “My breaking away album, my independence flag.” The title track, “Honest Love,” was used in commercials for Arla Butter in Denmark and Unicef in the UK. Other songs from the EP had placements in movies, television and inflight radio channels.
Brian released his first full-length album with Broken Heartstrings, taking him through a very personal journey, spurred on by loss and then renewal. This album yielded the track, “Are you Listening,” which, after being featured on YouTube by gamer Gronkh about the PlayStation 4 game Until Dawn, became a runaway hit in Germany. The song charted on German iTunes, was on the ‘100 Most Sold’ chart on Amazon Germany, had over 530k streams on Spotify and resulted in sold out shows throughout the country. His other releases, “Honest Love,” “Color Blue,” “Out on the Road,” “Painted Red,” and “America” have all garnered features in TV, Film, and National and International Branding Campaigns. A few among them are CMT Edge, Disney Channel, A&E, Lifetime, Travel Channel, Arla Foods Demark, Unicef UK and Rebel One Pictures.
He is on tour in the US this Summer with David Bromberg, and in the Fall will be supporting Ron Pope on his Dancing Days UK + European Tour.
