Mackenzie Carpenter grew up in Hull, Georgia, writing songs with her brothers and singing in church, and a good part of her early Nashville reputation came from other people's records: she co-wrote Megan Moroney's "I'm Not Pretty," "Indifferent" and "28th of June," plus "You Had To Be There," Moroney's duet with Kenny Chesney, which drew a CMA nomination. The Valory Music Co. signed her in 2022, she played the Opry for the first time on June 20, 2023, and CMT put her in its Next Women of Country class that year.
Hey Country Queen, her debut album, came out March 7, 2025, with 13 songs she co-wrote, among them the sardonic "Dozen Red Flags" and "I Wish You Would" with Midland. Holler listed it among the year's best country albums, and it has passed 85 million streams. She has opened for Moroney, toured with Jordan Davis, shared bills with Miranda Lambert and Parker McCollum, and carried on into 2026 on select dates of Riley Green's Cowboy As It Gets Tour.