My past blog posts have been about recapping my previous months journey and although I will be always keeping you guys up the speed I also want to start writing blogs regarding my personal thoughts and perspective on life, love, music and over all this amazing journey that we’re all on! I love interaction and connection so I’m hoping this brings us all closer in perspective and positive influence. Its gonna be fun!

If you follow me on social media (which is the best place to keep up with my day to day life) you know that we have been working on releasing my new song “Dream Catcher”. You guys I am CRAZY excited about this one! A song about my story in pursuing my music career. I for so long was in the mindset of “catching my dream” and it wasn’t until last fall when we went to go release “Chasin’ The Ace” that I had this major AHA moment that you cant chase the dream forever, at some point you need to catch it and that’s exactly where I’m at right now. Thus “Dream Catcher” was born. With this song I hope to inspire everyone of you that no matter where you are in life and how far away your dream may seem, that it is always right within your reach and all you have to do is catch it to make it a reality.

So in this post I challenge you to sit back and think about what Dream you’ve been thinking about for so long. Is it to travel? To create a fashion line? To become an inspirational teacher? To graduate college with a degree? To be the most amazing mom and raise beautiful babies? To write a book? To write a song and travel the world?

You are given these dreams as a guide to bring your soul the ultimate happiness. It’s like your beacon for this life journey. I can guarantee that when you start to follow your heart and passion things will just make more sense and opportunity for life and love will present itself in beautiful ways. Now there will always be challenges but that’s the fun part. Tackle obstacles, climb those mountains and grow knowing that you didn’t just sit back and let your dream pass you by. At the very least you can look back and say “I tried. And I gave it the best friggin’ effort that I possibly could”

I am so excited to see how life unfolds for me and for everyone of you!

Have a beautiful rest of your day and remember that you are a Dream Catcher.

Love Mandy

The post Catching That Dream appeared first on Mandy McMillan.

But first off I want to thank each and every one of you for all your love, support and encouragement over the years. This journey has been an adventure and a half and you guys have always stuck by my side. This journey of mine isn’t all about me or my accomplishments but more about OUR success and OUR adventure so thank you from the bottom of my heart! So buckle up because the next 365 days are going to be a wild ride

Now to the recap excitement!

January started off with a fun filled first trip to the ACMAs (Alberta Country Music Awards) in Red Deer Alberta. I had an absolute blast with miss Lynn Tessari meeting fellow Albertans on the same musical journey that I am on. Made so many amazing new relationships, reconnected with so many musical friends from the past, heard some phenomenally talented artists and had a blast dancing at the after parties (my specialty haha). The trip was highlighted by one of my best friends Emily making the drive up and bringing her family to Billy Bobs to celebrate with me! After ACMAs I hopped in Ems jeep and we drove down to Calgary to enjoy some quality time together which included a workout at her brand new workout facility “Crush Camp” and a quick trip to Banff to go ice skating on Lake Louise.

In February I hosted my first ever “Mix and Mingle” at the beautiful Nashville Music Loft. Miss Lindsay Lawler helped me put on an awesome night with friends from all over dropping by to enjoy some wine and veggie “meat balls” (seriously *Gardein vegan products are fab!). We had a mix of different friends from Canada to ones here in Tennessee.

Lucy Angel, Greg Rider and Adam Gregory even stopped by to sing a few songs!

March was awesome as I played my first major House Concert in Loveland Ohio “Live in Loveland”. My friend Ajaye Jardine and I packed up our guitars and headed north first to play a show with our friend Timothy Paul in Newark and then headed south to the epic house concert put on my Al & Sue Kentrup. The house was packed and we set a new record for attendance that night! So thankful to Al and Sue for hosting these amazing events and giving independent artists a phenomenal spot to showcase their talents J March also brought an amazing road trip with my friend Rachel Bell as she relocated to Denver CO. We spent our first night in Kansas City Missouri which was a ton of fun and then hit our destination the next day. We hiked up to the famous Red Rocks amphitheater, ate some amazing vegan food and made some fabulous memories. I need to head out that direction ASAP and would love to play some house concerts or venues out there. If you happen to be in that area and have any leads please drop a girl a line and lets plan this thing!

April brought a fun filled month with me playing my hometown radio stations Birthday Bash in Leduc Alberta. From there my guitar player and good friend Cody Yost came down to visit Nashville and to see what this town is all about. I also started the process of recording Chasin The Ace and had a fab time co-producing it with my producer Simon Gugala.

May was filled with amazing memories such as opening up for American Young in Lousiville KY, opening for number one songwriter Chris DeStafano at the Country Music Hall of Fame and travelling to New Orleans for the first time to play a private show with one of my best friends Lindsay Lawler! We had an amazing trip and I got to experience the great city in style with the fire truck bar tour, staying in a haunted mansion, celebrating at the famous Pat O’Brians and dining at the oldest family owned restaurant in the country Antoine’s. May also brought the exciting trip to Cabo St Lucas for my sister Angeleena’s beautiful wedding! We had an amazing family trip and definitely one for the books

June was very exciting with a hometown show that brought number one songwriter Phillip White up to my hometown of Stony Plain to play an amazing writers round as we brought a little bit of Nashville to the north. It was a great Sold Out event and everyone had a fabulous time! My band played the hometown After Party for Farmers Days for the second year in a row which was another sell out. June was also filled with lots of CMA festivities, a surprise visit from my best friend Dalyce for my birthday and a week long tour in the north with miss Ajaye Jardine. We played in some amazing places, made some amazing friends and had a friggin blast on the road! From Ohio, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maryland and Kentucky we checked off some amazing places off the old venue list

In July I did a whole bunch of travelling first off playing my friends wedding with my good buddy Zack Dyer in Minneapolis then headed out early the next morning to fly to Calgary Alberta and play a private party which was a great warm up for my band playing the Calgary Stampede for the first time ever!! It was such a dream come true to play the big Coca Cola stage and I still get goose bumps thinking about it J After the Stampede I headed off to Jasper, Alberta with my friend and photographer miss Ali Matheson and did an amazing photo shoot in the Rocky Mountains.

August wasn’t as busy but there were still quite a few amazing times including a trip back home for our annual Family Reunion party where my band played until wee hours of the morning, a quick trip down to Camore Alberta to show James the mountains and then off to Calgary to visit my best friends Emily and Ross. Had a great time and on our way back to Nashville I snuck off and bought my dream purse … a vegan leather Mat & Nat light brown over the shoulder purse. Drool! I have to add that in there because I bought the purse with the positive intention that I had worked very hard this year and deserved something to remind me everyday that abundance is all around us and ready for us to grasp. Plus the purse wasn’t that expensive, not like a mortgage payment or anything haha

September took me up to Hamilton Ontario with my road trip partner Ajaye for the Canadian Country Music week where I had 3 showcases! We drove a beautiful 2019 Ford Mustang Convertible that Enterprise so generously upgraded us to and had the most amazing trip of our lives. So many amazing memories made, my showcases went fabulous and it turned out top be a very important trip because I made a connection with a super talented industry person whom I will be working with in 2019 so yay for the near future!!! Eee September was also filled with abundance as I added Blake Shelton’s Bar Ole Red to my venue list and was able to purchase a flight to Germany to have a once in a lifetime trip. More of that in October! In September I also had the honor of watching my first Alison Kraus concert thanks to my amazing friend Carrie and was able to meet miss Alison after the show. She is a huge influence in my music as it was her version of ‘When You Say Nothing at All” that won me a singing competition back when I lived in Canada that assisted me in getting my work visa to move to Nashville. I started working with an amazing publicist and friend Samantha Johnson who helped me with the promotion of Chasin The Ace which included a photoshoot with Jordan Merrigan.

Now comes end of Sept/ beginning of October with my amazing trip to Germany to visit my sister Angeleena and brother in law Ryan. Just so happens that our sister Karli was able to take a week and a half off work to join us which made for an epic trip! I could type it all in here but we’d be sitting here for years haha so make sure to check out my “Blog Post European Style” 1 & 2 for all those details!

When I got back from Germany we released Chasin The Ace which included live performances on Nashville radio 105 Nash FM “The Ty Kelly & Chuck Show” and an on air live band performance on WSMV “Today in Nashville”. The release went amazing and we’ve had a fabulous response from it so far. That weekend my buddy Zack Dyer, my assistant Carly Kahl and I headed up to Loveland to play the amazing “Live in Loveland” to promote the release!

November was a blast as I got approved for my new work visa and travelled up to Toronto Ontario for a few days to wait for my new entry date which just happened to be Nov 11 2018 – Which if you’ve read my last blog post works out to be 11-11-11 a magical number in the numerology world! I can feel the positive vibes already!! Had a blast in Toronto J My friend Tyson welcomed me into TO and toured me around which was a blast. Everything from watching Bohemian Rhapsody in the theatre to walking around downtown to shopping and trying out vegan food. I was able to convince Tyson (didn’t take much) to hop in the jeep and drive down to Nashville with me. He agreed and James and I had a blast hanging with Tyson at the CMA Awards and then the Big Machine Label Group After Party.

Now onto December which was so great to get ready for the holidays and o ya James and I moved into a new place… Never a dull moment in this life haha We are super happy for the change and look to be inspired all year long. We made a quick trip up to Michigan for the holidays to see James family and have some much needed rest and relaxation.

All in all this year was fabulous! I made my goals of hitting 5000 followers on Instagram, got my first brand ambassador team up with KNIX Wear and I recorded and released a new single J I’m sure I missed out on a few monumental moments but I’m already 5 pages deep and you guys are probably fast asleep by now haha

Again thank you for your support and I am so excited for the next 365 days! And a big thank you to my friend Tim Reynolds who helps keep these blog posts on track! Have a wonderful rest of your holiday season and I look forward to continuing this journey with you all throughout 2019

Lots of love

P.S. I’m super excited to be a part of the ambassador team for KNIX Wear in Canada. They have a fabulous line of womens bras and panties. Make sure to take a peek for yourself or to buy a nice little gift for someone special! And us my code MandyMcMillan10 to receive a $10 gift card off your purchase! 

The post 2018 in Review appeared first on Mandy McMillan.

Sept started out with an amazing trip up to Hamilton Ontario for CCMA week (Canadian Country Music Association and Awards). Headed up North with my friend miss Ajaye Jardine – in a 2019 Ford Mustang Convertible that Enterprise so generously upgraded us to! Our first stop was in Newark Ohio to play Barrel & Boar with our amazing friend Timothy Paul. Honestly never a dull moment playing there and we absolutely love all the new friends we’ve made up there.

The next day we drove the rest of the way to Hamilton and the CCMA adventures began! I played three showcases over the week and met so many amazingly talented people who I now considered fab friends. It was so great to see familiar faces and create awesome memories with new peeps – Already counting down the time until next year!

It was amazing playing the three showcases because they were all different and special. The Thurs night showcase for the Alberta Country Music Association kicked everything off and it was great to see all my friends that I had spent time with in Red Deer Alberta for the awards back in January. Friday night I was honored to be a part of the Diamonds in the Rough showcase and be able to hear the amazing talent spread far and wide across Canada.

I also took part in the Diamonds in the rough songwriters round where I showcased more of my songwriting side with tunes that I had written for other projects.

Of course every showcase included “Chasin the Ace” which was my theme for the whole trip! (More about CTA below!)

Heading back to Nashville I had so much of a clearer vision of my music career and goals that I am now setting along the way to launch it past my wildest dreams! I played shows in Nashville at Ole Red, Margaritaville and the Cambria Hotel True Venue. Had some phenomenal writes and demoed a few new tunes. I also built a team around me to help launch and release CHASIN’ THE ACE ….

Mark your calendars! The moment we’ve all been patiently waiting for … OCTOBER 19^TH 2018 “Chasin’ The Ace” will officially be released across all platforms!

I am so so so excited about this tune because I not only co-wrote it with my amazing friend Lynn Tessari but I also had the pleasure of Co-Producing it with my phenomenal producer Simon Gugala who produced my first album. You guys are going to be floored by the production here and we’ve had so many amazing compliments across the board on it already! Also… CTA made it into the top ten songwriting competition in Nashville and was reviewed by a major songwriter through Ole Publishing .. Not a bad start to this little tunes big future success

If you don’t already please make sure to follow me across social media platforms.

Instagram @mandymcmillanmusic

Facebook /MandyMcMillanMusic

And tell yo friends to sign up for this emailing list! *Bonus Blog coming up next week to tell you all the adventures of my Europe trip as I am currently writing this entry from a balcony in Munich Germany

Thank you for following along and keeping up with my shenanigans!

Love ya

The post September Makes Me Want to Sing! appeared first on Mandy McMillan.

I hope everyone is having a fabulous end to summer. So weird to say being that as it seems like just yesterday we were breaking out the bathing suits and soaking up the sun. Honestly tho… Fall is my favorite time of the year! It’s cooling off a little which means not so much humidity down here in Tennessee, we can drink our hot lattes and we get to finally wear our cute little denim jackets that we stored away. In Canada my family is dusting off the old snow shovels and preparing for the first sign of a snowflake … lol I’m kidding kidding.

August was a great month! A lot is going on and life is busy busy as always but I was able to sneak away to Alberta for a few weeks to relax and take some much needed time with my family which also included a family reunion that we hold every year called “Fram Jam”. James joined me for the last week of my stay and we got to visit with so many friends and family. Plus make a trip to Canmore Alberta for him to see the Rocky Mountains for the first time.

It was a little smoky due to the fires happening in British Columbia right now. My heart goes out to everyone affected by the fires right now on the west coast including California <3

I was also able to put on a very successful and rewarding Songwriting and Performing Workshop with my voice coach Laura Kaiser. It was so great to help up and coming songwriter and performers have a clearer vision to their dreams. And I love putting together the workshops because I learn so much about myself in the process.

Miss Ajaye Jardine and I are headed up for another fun adventure at the CCMA Week in Hamilton Ontario. On our way up we are stopping in to our fav Newark OH spot Barrel and Boar to sing some tunes and hang out with our friend Timothy Paul Sept 5th 7pm-10. Make sure to swing on by to celebrate with us and wish us luck!

Keep an eye out for my shows coming up in Sept at Ole Red, The Lookout (Ole Red Rooftop), Margaritaville and a Tuesday night slot at the Cambria Hotel “True” Venue

I hope you guys have an amazing day and make sure to check out my new YouTube Cover Videos that will be out mid September

Love,

The post August Adventures and more! appeared first on Mandy McMillan.

The month started out with my shows at Margaritaville back to back to back and then up to Minnesota with my buddy Zack Dyer for a few days to play a beautiful wedding for our friends Brian and Prentice. Zack and I were asked to sing the first three dances which was such an amazing opportunity. We also got to hang out with our good friend HISH who was the DJ that night. I have always loved playing weddings and being a part of such a special day. Plus I love to see how different people decorate, what special moments they have planned and of course DJ or band? I have been named the “Ultimate Wedding Crasher” a time or two ;

Straight from Minnesota, I flew right into Calgary Alberta on July 8^th to play a private party which kick started our Calgary Stampede weekend! Sunday Aug 8^th my band and I played our very first showcase at the Stampede on the Coca Cola Stage. Such a highlight and it was so fun to see fans from all over Alberta who came out to support!

Back to Nashville after the Stampede and I headed out to Knoxville Tn to play a private party for some friends that we have made through shows in Nashville. Their place is right on the lake and we were able to enjoy a night of music, boating and some fireworks. Ended up being a slight “staycation” for James and I.

The last week of July James, Lucy and I drove up to Michigan to spend some time with his family. It was a great time with us staying at the lake, enjoying a few corn hole tournaments, going for longboard and bike rides and just genuinely enjoying life!

On our way back down to Nashville we stopped in Louisville KY for me to play a show at the Bourbon Hall downtown Louisville. We had an amazing time and it was fun to learn that Miss Shania Twain played this location back in the 90’s when she was on tour with Toby Keith!

All in all July was a fun filled month and August has already been on the go! Currently up in Alberta where I hosted an Inspirational Songwriting and Performing Workshop with my Voice Coach Laura Kaiser. It was such a success and we had so many enquire who couldn’t be there last night so we’re opening up our schedules to host another workshop next Wed Aug 22^nd in Stony Plain. If you or anybody you know may be interested in this event make sure to reach out to either Laura or myself to book your spot!

Thank you guys for keeping up with my music journey and being such great supports! If you don’t already make sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram at @mandymcmillanmusic

Have a Fabulous Day!

The post July was Funnnnnn! appeared first on Mandy McMillan.

The reason why I am just getting the Blog posts for the past few months out now is because I have had opportunities popping up all around me! Amazing places to travel to such as – New Orleans to play a private party with my friend Lindsay Lawler, Cabo San Lucas for my sisters wedding, my hometown of Stony Plain to play a few Sold Out shows which included playing a writers round with Nashville Number One songwriter Phillip White! Playing quite a few shows in Louisville Kentucky at Bearno’s Pizza and also adding Country Clubs and University Golf courses to my venue list.

I also had an amazing time this last week of June travelling up North to tour and play shows with my friend miss Ajaye Jardine! We were busy little bees with back to back shows for 7 days in a row which included Newark Ohio (with our friend Timothy Paul), Keene New Hampshire, Springfield Vermont, Richmond Maryland, Chestertown Maryland and to cap it all off we hit up Tin Roof in Louisville on our way back down to Nashville. No rest for the wicked haha

It’s been an amazing few months and again all that self love has been the main reason on keeping me focused! A little yoga, meditation and journaling in the morning really makes a difference on setting the intentions and pace for the rest of the day.

I am also so excited to now have the mastered copy of Chasin’ the Ace in my hands! I have been working with my publicist on the exact way to launch my new single and we are aiming for a release date at the end of August so keep your eyes and ears peeled for that.

Also getting super excited that Zack Dyer and I will be heading up to Minneapolis the first week of July to sing at our friends Brian and Prentice’s wedding. I am the ultimate wedding crasher and love taking in all the decorations, music and all the little details J

Right from Minneapolis I will be travelling to Calgary Alberta to showcase at the Calgary Stampede on Sunday July 8^th! Such an honor to be playing the Coca Cola stage. If you’re in the area make sure to stop by as we hit the stage at 1:30pm – https://www.calgarystampede.com/mandy-mcmillan

Thank you guys again so much for following along! You can also keep posted on all my updates via Facebook and Instagram at @MandyMcMillanMusic

Keep enjoying the summer sun (with sunscreen lol)

Love

The post It was a whirlwind Spring! appeared first on Mandy McMillan.

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it before but I took a track class with my amazing producer Simon Gugala. Every Thursday night for 7 weeks I got to learn amazing skills in how to record and produce music ..Which I loved! Track class wrapped up on March 1^stand I’m excited to say that Simon is producing my next project and I will be co-producing it with him.  Exciting times y’all!

My good friend (who also happens to be Canadian as well) Ajaye Jardine and I made a little tour up to Ohio to play a few shows. First stop was Newark OH with our buddy Timothy Paul. We had a fabulous time and the next day were off to Loveland OH for a House Concert series called “Live in Loveland” hosted by Al and Sue Kentrup. It was an amazing night full of fab music, lots of laughs and new friends and fans from the OH/ Northern Kentucky region!

Then it was back to Nashville the next morning with a quick stop in Bowling Green Kentucky for lunch and an amazing Reiki session… It was truly a fabulous trip and what a refreshing start back to Nashville!

March was the beginning of releasing my new videos on YouTube! If you haven’t checked them out yet make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel

www.youtube.com/mandymcmillan

We started off by releasing my upcoming single “Chasin The Ace” then a heartfelt song called “Haven’t We All Been” co-written with musical genius Christopher Roberts and topped it all off with a cover of Fleetwood Mac “Dreams”.

Big thank you to Tim Pasley (guitar), Wesley Bourque (cajon), Zack Dyer (videographer) and James Walton (photographer). You guys all made it a fabulous experience and I’m so thankful for ya!

The last week of March I joined my friends Lucy Angel for their Jammie Jam which was a blast! The Lucy Angel family is the sweetest most inviting people I have met and I had an absolute blast hanging out with the girls and being in the middle of, what I call Heaven, because their harmonies sound like you’re floating on a cloud. If you weren’t able to catch it you can check out my Facebook page and scroll back on the videos to find it!

A lot of other great moments happened in March such as writing with Adam Gregory and hanging out with my Porch Swing Entertainment friends at their Nashville showcase. I also started writing with the amazing Phillip White. Phillip has written songs for some of the top artists in Nashville including “I’m Moving On” Rascal Flatts, “I’m A Survivor” Reba McEntire and “Nobody But Me” Blake Shelton .. just to name a few! I feel so blessed to be able to work with one of Nashville’s best and I’m learning so much about the songwriting craft.

March also brought a lot of fun including my friend Michaela Clarkes bachelorette party and then wedding on March 31^st. Michaela is a fellow Alberta girl living down in Nashville. Crazy thing… we grew up 30 mins down the road from each other but met in Nashville last fall during a trip to visit the St Judes hospital.

Thank you guys for being fans and interacting with me via blog newsletter and social media. I have a trip back home coming up which includes a show at Leducs station 93.1 The One in Nisku AB. Check out their website for details

www.931theone.ca

I hope you guys are having a fabulous April so far!

The post March Madness! appeared first on Mandy McMillan.

I had a great time putting on and hosting my Mandy Monday Mix & Mingle at the beautiful Nashville Music Loft downtown at the beginning of the month! Thank you to miss Lindsay Lawler for helping me put on such an amazing event.

So many great friends (new and old) joined us at the Mix & Mingle! Even Mr Adam Gregory, one of Canada’s best, showed up and sang a few tunes.

I was like a kid in a candy store as he sang his hit “Horseshoes” and then treated us to his newest single “Dirt Road Therapy”.

I took a track class for producing music over the months of January and February! Had such an amazing time learning all about Logic Pro and it’s been a fun adventure now to record some demos of the music I’ve written. Definitely hoping to get good enough to be able to release some demos on my own over the next year or so!

I’ve been asked to play at a few new venues in and around Nashville including Alley Taps (Located in Printers Alley in Nashville) and booked to play a full band gig at a venue called True in the Cambria hotel on March 30th. Make sure to keep an eye out on my website and Facebook for my show schedule. I would love to see you guys at one of my shows in the near future!

I am so excited to be releasing some videos for my Youtube channel! A few of my new originals and a cover from one of my all time favourite bands. Had a super fun time recording them and can’t wait to show you!! Make sure to subscribe to my youtube channel (www.youtube.com/mandymcmillan) to keep posted.

I’m up in Ohio this weekend (March 9 & 10th) Playing shows with my friend Ajaye Jardine. We’ll be up in Newark on Fri March 9th with our buddy Timothy Paul at the Barrel & Boar from 7-9pm. And then off to Loveland Ohio on Sat March 10th for a house concert. If you’d like to join us at the house concert you can reach out to the host, Al, via email to reserve your spot at wakent@zoomtown.com

Thank you guys for hanging out with me on my Mandy Mondays and continuing to join me on this journey of mine It would not be possible without your support!

Hope you guys have a fabulous March

The post Lovin’ February! appeared first on Mandy McMillan.

My year has already started off in the fast lane as I have been playing new writers rounds, lots of shows in Tennessee and Kentucky, my parents visiting Nashville and had the honor of attending the Alberta Country Music Awards in Red Deer Canada while also squeezing in a quick trip to the beautiful Mountains in Banff.

I am so grateful for all these opportunities and what being in the fast lane has taught me is learning how to slow down and pull over to the slow lane now and then to give myself some self love and peace in order to be able to fully give to my creative side and music. I’m telling ya, catching on to this new balance is only going to mean great things for this year!

My parents visited Nashville for a week in January and it was so awesome for them to see the new apartment and add a little decor here and there. No matter how old you get, mama will always add a homey touch.  We took them to Pinewood Social here in Nashville for dinner which was a great experience! If you haven’t been yet make sure to add it on to your to do list for your next trip… They’ve got a beautiful bar in the middle of the room where they make specialty cocktails, a barista style coffee shop in one of the corners, bocce ball in the back yard, a pool and indoor bowling lanes. It just equals a great time!

I was in Alberta for less than 24hrs when I jumped on stage at Shotz Lounge in Spruce Grove on Jan 26th for an all ages SOLD OUT show with my fab guitar player Cody Yost! Thank you to everyone who made it out. It was so great to see the kiddos singing and dancing along!

Now the ACMAs were AWESOME! It was my first trip up for the awards weekend and I am so thankful I went. Met a lot of amazing talent up in that neck of the woods and made lasting friendships. I also had the honor of getting to jump up on stage with my friend Lynn Tessari to sing our song “Chasing the Ace” during the songwriting showcase.

The next day I got dressed up in my brand new black pant suit, strapped on my sparkly pumps and had a blast at the awards gala.

After networking and hanging out with everyone in Red Deer, it was off on to another #adventuresofmemily roadtrip to Calgary where I got to take in an awesome class at my besties new fitness studio Crush Camp.

I am so proud of Emily and all the hard work she put in to her dream facility! I encourage everyone in the Calgary area to stop by and try out her state of the art workout. I felt so recharged after the hour!

We also decided to take a quick trip out to the beautiful Lake Louise in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. We skated on the frozen lake, had a hot coffee and admired the beautiful mountains

(they were a little clouded over at Lake Louise but beautiful when we drove through Canmore so I’ll attach some of those photos as well)

I’m really looking forward to February and keeping you guys posted on all these adventures as they unfold.

Keep smiling!

The post Hello New Year! appeared first on Mandy McMillan.

The past year was filled with its fair shares of ups and downs. And just to be a little deep for one minute, I always find that when the New Year comes around people are so ready to get the previous year over and done with and mention all the negatives that happened and then magically the new year is upon us and people are so anxious as if “this is the year that everything will work out”. It’s kind of like in December we get this chance to look back and tally up all the goals that didn’t happen and the wacky stuff that went on just to wish better hope for the next 365 days.

Now I am not typing this to sound like a negative Nancy so here’s my take on it: There are going to be great times, there are going to be hard times … there are 365 days to open our eyes and go at those goals again. Don’t look back and feel like you need to forget a whole year or just “be done with it”. Instead embrace all that those 12 months taught you. Realize that you are 365 days stronger, wiser, tougher than you were on Jan 1st 2017. Be thankful for the highs but be very thankful for the lows. Life doesn’t get easier, you just get stronger.

Now that that’s off my chest (And I feel like I needed to type that for my own sake as well) I am so excited for this next chapter of my life and music. I have set up new goals I would love to accomplish, new venues I’d love to play, more people I would love to work with and around. A lot of inspirational people and events are happening around me and I’m happy to be learning and growing. This means brand new music and a brand new EP! I can’t wait for you guys to hear what I’ve been working on… I’m finally zoning in on who Mandy is and what direction I want to go for music. I am also allowing space for myself to grow and not be afraid to take crazy chances (almost as crazy as dying my hair pink this time last year)

December was a chill month although having Nashville lean on the side of ghost town  always makes me anxious to start working again. Time to reboot, recharge and revamp.

I would love your feedback either via email or on my Facebook page as to what you’d like to see in future blog posts and such. Videos, life stories, music adventures, recipes .. you name it!

Also James and I put our Christmas money together and bought a professional camera to start on a photography journey and also have higher quality of videos so keep an eye out for that adventure! If you have any tips and tidbits on the photography world please send them my way!

Keep posted on Mandy Mondays!

Love y’all

The post The New Year in a Nutshell: appeared first on Mandy McMillan.

I waited a little longer to write this blog post because I wanted to be able to recap my trip to Alberta and tell you all about the amazing showcase at Moonshiners on Dec 2nd!

First thing… It was a packed house with a Sold Out crowd! This just melts my heart, all the hometown support has been amazing these past few years and you guys just proved it again last Saturday. Thank you to everyone who came out!!

Thank you to my amazing band: Tyson Goodvin, Cody Yost, and as a last minute switch up we had Chad Melchart on the drums … a 4 time Canadian Country Music Award Drummer of the Year! It was such an honour to play with these phenomenal musicians and I am so looking forward to next year’s gigs.

Thank you to my voice coach Laura Kaiser for helping with scanning tickets at the door and being so much more to me as a best friend and support system.

Thank you to my two cousins Jeff and Alex for being the best bodyguards a girl could ask for.. No joke these boys promised me when we were little that they would be my bodyguards for life and they quite appropriately have grown into 6’3″ young men so they fit the bill just right!

Thank you Lynn Tessari for helping me write “Chasing the Ace” … Such great things to come out of this tune! I can feel it already.

Thank you Lindsay Lawler for taking me under your wing and mentoring me in this crazy career! You have brightened up this past year for me and made me a better performer and singer which I definitely brought to the stage at Moonshiners that night!

Big Thank You to one of my best friends and support systems down in Nashville Mr Tim Reynolds who put together the show on Eventbrite, managed my social media marketing, and all around has kept me on the straight and narrow for the past few years.

Mom, Dad, Angeleena & Karli, Mike, Carmen and Scoot.. Thank you for your never ending love and support! Thank you for dancing all night and showing everyone a fab time!

Thank you to my boyfriend James for being an amazing support system and helping me stay focused and sane these past few months while we planned and prepared for the show haha thank you for being amazing and taking time out of your busy schedule to fly up to Canada with me and be by my side all through the ride! We also got to take in a little snowboarding while back home in Alberta and I’m pleased to say that James kept up quite well.

November was also filled with adventure which came in a form of attending the CMAs at Bridgestone arena on Nov 8th. What an amazing show to see behind the scenes and watch the performers up close and personal!

Really looking forward to what December has in store and taking in our new apartment just mins away from downtown Nashville! Loving it so far and so thankful we found a place so close! Just putting a little Feng Shui in the apartment as we decorate – so that’s always fun!

I hope everyone has an amazing start to your holiday season and we’ll see you in a few weeks with the December blog!

The post Where has the time gone!? appeared first on Mandy McMillan.

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What a month!! September was incredible and I am so thankful for the many blessings that have happened, new friendships that have blossomed and growth in both my personal life and music. On the personal end, my best friend had her first baby Aug 30th and I was able to fly back to Canada to surprise her just in time! Its been such an amazing journey so far to be an “aunty” and see my beautiful friend hold her little baby boy

While I was back home in Alberta I was able to meet up with my friend Ali Matheson and we set out to take some urban photos around downtown Edmonton. If anyone in the Edmonton area is looking for a fabulous photographer make sure to check out her site www.blondyphotography.com

I had the great opportunity to perform at the Katavallo Entertainment Group Showcase during CCMA  week in Saskatoon Sask. A big shout out to my buddy Cody Yost from Stony Plain for making the road trip with me and doing a fab job backing me up on guitar!

I’ve also been working hard on designing new merch which includes wrap bracelets with the signature “heart mandy” charm. Keep an eye out for those which will be available on my website.

Make sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep posted about giveaways and contests coming up.

Again thank you so much for all the love and support.

Really looking forward to see what the next few months have in store!

The post What a month! appeared first on Mandy McMillan.

Speaking of gigs… I had a blast in Canada a few weeks ago with my good buddy Andrew Beason while we toured around and played a few gigs including my first time playing in Calgary Alberta! It was so great to see everyone and making some new fans across the great province of Alberta. Of course I had to show off those great Canadian Rocky Mountains to Andrew (who is a good ol’ Texas boy) and we spent a few hours travelling through Banff – If you haven’t been you have to put this little gem on your bucket list.. Absolutely beautiful! We also had a super successful songwriting workshop on July 24th with some amazingly talented friends in Stony Plain.

Thank you to my dearest friend Laura Kaiser for helping us put it on!

As soon as I got back to Nashville it was on the road to Newark Ohio for the first time to play some gigs with my buddy Tim Paul! Had a fab time and made some new friends and fans. Cannot wait to be back and take in another Final Friday Farmers Market … seriously the cutest thing ever!

Now its full steam ahead with gigs and writing which has been so much fun and preparing for the new EP which I’m so excited for!

Thank you guys so much for keeping posted on my musical journey and I’m so happy to be bringing y’all along!

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