EXCLUSIVE: Mandy McMillan Talks New Single ‘Dream Catcher’

Back in May of this year, fast-rising Canadian country-pop sensation Mandy McMillan released her impressive new single ‘Dream Catcher’ which was followed up later in the year by the official music video for the breakout track. The release signals an exciting new era for Mandy and showcases her stunning vocal prowess.

Here we chat exclusively to Mandy McMillan to discuss her new music further:

Congratulations on the release of your new single, how are you finding the response so far?

Thank you so much! The response to releasing Dream Catcher has been amazing. With this song, I haven’t been so much focused on numbers, charts, or anything like that – although the overall response has been great – but my focus has been about the people we are reaching who have felt inspired by it and those who have made it their anthem. It’s great to know that this song is inspiring others out there to catch their dreams as well.

Where did you look to for inspiration when creating this song?

The inspiration for Dream Catcher has come to me almost as a message from above. I was making dream catchers for a festival that I was playing a few years ago and got a moment of inspiration when I knew I needed to take the experience of going out and catching my dreams at whatever cost and put it into a song. Another fun fact about the inspiration for the bridge of the song was that I was meditating one morning and all of a sudden the words were flowing through my thoughts, so I opened my eyes, grabbed a pen and paper, and started writing down what was coming to me. It makes me believe that this song is ultimately for a higher purpose and being.

What are you hoping fans take away from the lyrical story?

I hope that overall, fans hear the words and feel the inspiration to catch their dreams and not just think about them. I also want them to realize that we’ve been saying it all wrong over these years. We can only “chase our dreams” for so long. It’s when we decide to catch them that they truly come to fruition.

Can you tell us a little about the writing and recording process for this track?

Yes! Right away, I knew that Dream Catcher needed to be written with Andrew Beason, one of my best friends in Nashville. Andrew has a fabulous way of writing that brings truth and sincerity without sounding cheesy. We had a blast writing it! The recording process was so much fun as well. My producer in Nashville, Simon Gugala, is amazing and has fully encouraged my love for producing in the studio, so he brought me in to co-produce this track. It has been such an incredible learning experience from the beginning!

How did you find the perfect team to work with to bring this vision to life?

I have so many amazingly talented people around me who support my vision and so I didn’t have to look too far to make it all happen! From writing the song with Andrew, producing with Simon, and then working with my friends Jenny and Blake Marvin with filming the video, it’s just an all-around full-on support system of friends who love to have a good time! My beautiful friend Angela Goedde styled me for the video shoot and even created a few custom pieces of jewelry to stand out. I also have a fabulous publicist, Jasper Anson, who has been one of the best cheerleaders in helping me get this song out to as many people as possible!

Along with sharing the official audio, you’ve also recently dropped the music video, how excited are you about sharing the visual?

We have been so excited to share the video! I have been drawn to the Arizona desert for all my life, so it was a dream to be able to work out there! The magic of the desert brought this whole concept to life. The idea with the video is that I have spent my whole life being drawn to Arizona and the viewers get to witness me catching a dream right in the video. The happiness that beams from me is genuine and authentic!

Who did you work with to create the treatment for the clip?

I worked with my super talented friends, Jenny and Blake Marvin. I have been friends with them for a few years in Nashville and they recently moved out to Colorado (another one of my favorite spots) to pursue their dreams out west. We connected about getting them to film the video, so I flew them down to Arizona. Jenny is the creative behind the visuals for the video and made it look phenomenal, while Blake worked the drone to get beautiful aerial shots of the Tucson desert. Blake also helped out big time in getting the Chinese lantern-lit and held up. There is definitely some hilarious footage out there of us attempting to get the perfect scene of me holding it while the wind was blowing and I was dodging the flame from landing on me! Haha! Maybe we’ll have to release a “behind the scenes” video and give everyone a good laugh!

How pleased are you with the finished video for the single?

So, so, so happy! It’s everything I could’ve dreamed of and more!

What are you hoping to achieve with this release?

I’m hoping to inspire more people with my music! I want this song to travel around the world and for me to create a following of fans who want to catch their dreams and also go out and inspire others as well.

Looking ahead, what else do you have in the pipeline for 2020?

In 2019, I recorded my album and we are so looking forward to releasing another single in the fall with the full album to follow! I can’t wait for my fans to hear all the new music and get a real taste of how my music and vibe have grown!

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Feature photography credit: Bethany Loates