Kenzie says she doesn’t like therapy. Instead, she writes songs about breakups she didn’t even go through. “This one's about my friend. She got dumped on Christmas Eve,” she says, laughing but grimacing. “Horrible. But it gave me something to write about.”
That’s 100 Degrees, Kenzie’s latest single. And while the heartbreak isn’t hers, the song hits like it is—vivid, icy, and set on fire. It’s also part of a bigger shift for the 20-year-old multi-hyphenate, who’s been in the public eye since she was six but is only now figuring out what she wants to say.
“I had no idea what I was doing on Phases,” she admits. “Now, I’ve found people I love working with—mostly women—and it’s completely changed how I write.”
That all-female creative crew has been her musical coven, conjuring songs in two seconds flat, built on oversharing and caffeine. “They know everything about me,” Kenzie says. “It’s so empowering. I didn’t even think this was something I wanted to do for real until I found them.”
The music itself has shifted too. Less bubblegum, more indie-dyed heartbreak anthems. She calls it “left-of-pop”—somewhere between Spotify-core and actual personality. “I want to go more singer-songwriter,” she says. “I don’t want to be super super pop.”
Her collaboration with NOTD on “Worse Thing” was the first step back in, a glossy reintroduction that arrived with a Brooks remix and just the right amount of self-doubt. “I wasn’t even in the room when they produced it,” she says. “I was so scared. I’m really specific about production. But it came back and I was like, ‘Oh wait, this is great.’”
Still, it’s 100 Degrees that signals the new Kenzie. The video looks like a museum exhibit built by someone who hates their ex but still has taste—ice, heat, wardrobe changes, no love interest in sight. “I didn’t want to do the cliché breakup video,” she says. “We wanted it to be art.”
Even her new clothing line with Francesca’s has the same ethos: gender-fluid, vibe-heavy, made for anyone. “Some days I dress really feminine, some days I dress masculine. I wanted the clothes to work for both,” she says. “It’s about confidence.”
Confidence is the word. Her upcoming full-length album (yes, she’s working on one) is designed to bridge the gap between the kid fans grew up watching and the artist she’s becoming. “I want people to go, ‘Oh. Now I get who she is,’” she says. “I’ve always been in the public eye, but I don’t think anyone really knows me.”
She’s trying to change that. “I overshare a lot,” she admits. “But I just want everyone to know I’m normal. I sit in my room and play video games.”
That might be underselling it. Kenzie has already released music, books, starred in TV shows, launched a fashion line—and now she wants to ski. “Maybe I’ll be a really good skier next,” she says. “Why not?”
Why not, indeed.
Watch the interview above and then check out the video below.
