R&B artist Mac Ayres has already carved a unique path for himself in the music industry. Since bursting into the music scene in 2016, the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has shown how prolific of a musician he is. Mac already has three-full length albums and two EPs under his belt and on top of it, he also headlined sold-out shows globally.
Yet, with his already thriving career, Mac still never forgets to look back at where he came from as he revisits his humble beginnings as an artist with his new mixtape, “cloudy.”
Released on November 8, this fifteen-track project consists of Mac’s earliest songs that were first released on SoundCloud, including “she just wanna see me rn,” “wrong,” “alone with you,” and “blue skies.”
“[The album] is a little bit of paying tribute to the fact that these songs were originally uploaded on SoundCloud back in the day when I was a college student,” Mac explained in an exclusive chat with POP!, adding that the songs in the album were the first ones he had written and produced and served as his foundation as the musician he is now.
“[“cloudy”] is also a little bit of a metaphor for what was happening at the time. I was really uncertain about my future and I wasn’t sure if I was gonna make it as a musician. When I looked at the sky, I saw that it was a little bit cloudy,” he said as he described how the atmosphere at the time fit the way he was feeling about his path in life.
The mixtape offers a rare glimpse of Mac’s personal experiences back when he was still contemplating dropping out at Berkeley College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. In it, the album explores themes of love, self-transformation, and grief.
With its smooth melodies and heartfelt lyricism, Mac’s newest project indulges his listeners in his journey of life and evolution, putting a spotlight on his vulnerability which makes “cloudy” more passionate and relatable.
While the idea of putting your personal stories out to the world can be frightening, for Mac, however, telling these narratives to his audience is important to him.
“As an artist, it’s very important for me to make music that’s authentic to myself,” said the “Easy” hitmaker. “And I think that’s the most important thing to every artist that I like. They’re all vulnerable and honest in their music.”
Mac drew his inspiration from some of the greatest musicians, including D’Angelo and J Dilla among others. But perhaps, the one artist who very much inspired Mac to continue to work on his craft and be the best artist he can be is none other than Grammy Award-winning artist Stevie Wonder.
“[Stevie Wonder] is my favorite musician of all time and he sort of inspired me to get into the R&B genre,” Mac related before recounting how his voice teacher introduced Stevie to him at the ripe age of 10.
“I was teaching myself how to play piano at the time. He had very hard songs to figure out, so I was always very fascinated by his music. And actually, I still am after all these years… He plays so many instruments, and he sings and writes so well. I just want to be like him and it’s important to me to be good at a lot of things just like he is,” he went on to say.
“And just like him, I want all of my music to show the people a piece of who I am,” he beamingly said.
Indeed, Mac has been consistent with showing his authentic self in all of his songs. His dedication to making music the purest way and displaying his vulnerability and authenticity has paved the way for his career to elevate to new heights.
His 2017 single, “Easy,” catapulted him into the spotlight, which earned him his first-ever RIAA gold certification and later on helped him to establish himself in the R&B music scene.
Despite his successful trajectory, Mac remains humble and true to himself, and he wants to be remembered as someone who really cares about his music.
“If there’s one thing I want people to remember me for, I want it to be as someone who cared about their music. I still practice many hours even though I have a good bit of music out these days. I still want to improve and get better every time I get on stage,” Mac said. “Like I said, just like Stevie, it’s important for my artistry that I can be as good as a musician as I could be.”
Mac then added that he also wants everyone to remember him as someone authentic and honest. And likewise, this is also a piece of advice he wants up-and-rising artists to hold on to because by remaining true to themselves, they’re bringing something unique in the ever-changing and fast-evolving landscape of the music industry.
“I’d tell anybody who’s starting that even though it’s tempting to follow the trends, try not to do it. Put as much work and passion into your craft as you can. Don’t forget to be just you because that’s the most important thing as an artist,” Mac related.
“Honestly, I’d tell my younger self that—to be honest a little bit faster. It took me a little bit of time to learn that [honesty and authenticity] were important, and I want everyone to remember that,” he added.
As for the future direction of his career, Mac excitedly shared that he’s always working on new stuff and they’ll be out when they’re ready.
When asked about whether he could see himself making music in other genres, Mac said that he’s not closing his doors to that possibility.
“I just like to make honest music and from my heart. And you know, maybe tomorrow, I wake up and want to make a country or jazz album, I’ll definitely do that. I write whatever is in my heart, so I could see a genre switch one day,” Mac said.
Take a deep dive into Mac Ayres’ coming-of-age journey and listen to “cloudy” here.
