Biography

ANGELA MCKENZIE brings a compassionate and universal scope to her music, whether via her sojourn at the United Nations or through her involvement in feeding the hungry, this talented Canadian artist knows something about combining music and humane pursuits.

McKenzie doesn’t know the meaning of the word impossible. She managed to gain admission into The Toronto School of the Performing Arts on a partial scholarship, traveled with a play about the Underground Railroad and worked with the Ebony Fashion Fair raising money for the Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation and other charities. Eventually, Angela left Toronto and made a brave move to New York City with only $300.00 in her pocket. Starvation soon hit. Never having forgotten the pangs of hunger, Angela was prompted to launch a foundation sponsoring food drives that earned the praise of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who became aware of her through her association with the Mayor's Office of Film, Theater, and Broadcasting.

The evidence that Angela McKenzie is a consummate and skillful vocalist is unmistakable. If you doubt it, just listen to her CD “9.” The ten tracks of “9” allow an intimate glimpse into McKenzie who sets no boundaries to her art. The quiet soul contained within her vocal offering is a reflection of her shy nature and exquisite musical styling. Yet, her music is far from reticent. Her repertoire is filled with smoky jazz, poetry, and even country music. Is it any wonder that Angela, who cites Loretta Lynn, Dan Fogelberg, and Bobby "Blue" Bland, as her most cherished influences, brings the power of their influence to life in a most breathtaking tribute via her CD “9.” Always aware of the need to give back, Angela donates the proceeds from her CD to charity. “9” is Angela’s gift of love. She calls the songs on her CD “Practical Love Songs.” Songs such as "I Know You By Heart" and "Time Is a Healer," were popularized by the late soul chanteuse Eva Cassidy. McKenzie is hoping that sales from “9” will enable her to help reduce global hunger by half by the year 2015.

Angela’s fearlessness is translated in the universal scope of her music and the power of her dedication to her art and her humanitarian bent; a sway that has enabled her to beat the odds time and again. A child of multicultural heritage, Angela was raised by a single mother and had to overcome a speech impediment early on, one that kept her isolated. Singing opened doors for her and helped diminish her shyness. Eventually talking her way into a contract position at the United Nations, where she was surrounded by Ph.Ds and diplomats, she carved out a place for herself in the Sustainable Energy and Environmental Development Program. A free spirit, inevitably Angela's independence chafed against the UN's bureaucracy. Undaunted she offset that by staging food drives through shows at clubs around the city.

In 2002, McKenzie left the UN and founded her own organization, the AMcK Initiative (www.TheAMcKInitiaive.org). Under its auspices she has continued to organize and headline concerts including The Village Voice, WB Mason, CdM Sound Studios, and Ben & Jerry's among her co-sponsors. The AMcK Initiative has channeled most of its earnings toward anti-hunger and anti-poverty programs, most notably America's Second Harvest (www.secondharvest.org), the largest charitable hunger relief organization in the U.S.

Look for Angela McKenzie to carve out inroads in music and in the world. She is a powerful artist with a hunger in her soul to sing and a desire to diminish hunger. In that quest, Angela McKenzie is unstoppable.