Maddy McKenzie is a country music girl at heart and comes from the small town of Oakland, ON. She has been sharing her talents at gigs and community events, most recently in London, ON where she’s the first student to study Nursing at Western University while living with macular dystrophy, a low vision condition.
As she was preparing for university, a thought glimmered in her mind: to become a Canadian country music star. It was at this point where Maddy needed the help of supporters like you and Shine to believe in her abilities and help her shine.
Thanks to you, this past summer, Maddy traveled to Hamilton, ON to record her first single titled Dreamer and begin the process for launching her song.
In the early fall, Maddy was invited to her favourite station, Country 104 Radio in London, ON to air her single for the first time. It was only the first of many new opportunities for Maddy.
Since her recording, Shine has had the privilege of getting to know Maddy even more at local events and as additional radio stations play her song and tell her story. She has been featured as a Top 30 Countdown Spotlight Artist on Woodstock’s Country 104 station and has interviewed with Windsor’s Country 95.9. You can download her song Dreamer on most music streaming services.
Maddy continues to be a champion for Shine and works to break countless barriers for young people living with low vision or blindness in the local music industry, post-secondary school, and in nursing. We look forward to seeing her continue to achieve in everything she sets her heart on.
“Shine has changed my life in so many ways. Through this opportunity, my music career has taken off. Without Shine and my song being put on the radio, I feel that this wouldn’t have happened for me. This experience helped me realize the Shine Dream is just the beginning.” - Maddy.
