IN Penn Hills Summer 2014 | Page 31

M ackenzie Ziegler’s life is pretty much a fairy tale dream these days, with a hit TV show and a hit album on iTunes. The youngest cast member on the popular show Dance Moms recently launched her singing career in a big way with her first album, Mack Z. The song, It’s a Girl Party, enjoyed a meteoric rise on the charts and is now gaining international attention. The music video was filmed right here in the area at her home. The nine-year-old’s effervescent personality comes across in full force on the video although she says she was a little nervous at first. “All my friends were there though, so that made it easier,” explains Mackenzie, whose castmates from Dance Moms appear in the video, including older sister and dancer Maddie. At the time of this writing, one version of the video had been viewed over 339,000 times! “I’m really excited that people like my music,” says Mackenzie. Her mom, Melissa, agrees. “We never dreamed in a million years that her video could reach #1. We are just so grateful to all the fans.” All the songs on the album were written by veteran songwriters Andrew Logan and Pam Reswick, who managed to capture Mackenzie’s energy and charm. Mackenzie was able to have a little creative input and suggested the songs Shine, which she says is about her sister Maddie, and ‘Cause You Believe, a tribute to her mother’s unwavering support and presence in her life. “I like the album because it’s really cute and age appropriate,” says Melissa. The “dance mom” also approves of Mackenzie’s new nickname, Mack Z. “I think it’s cute, but I always call her Kenzie anyway.” Mackenzie has surprising voice control for her age. She began voice lessons at five, but only in limited sessions due to her developing vocal chords. Melissa explains, “Her voice teacher felt she could handle it, but she was only allowed to take a 15-minute lesson, once a week.” At one time, Mackenzie’s ultimate goal was to sing on Broadway. She still wants to sing on Broadway, but she also wants a recording career and to be a professional dancer. “I want to do it all,” she says. For now, Mackenzie’s and Maddie’s careers are on the same track, although Melissa realizes it may become necessary at some point to relocate to New York or Los Angeles, if only seasonally, for t