When the Rain Falls: MaKayla Prew’s Resilient Rise at Old Washington Music Festival

by Dave Parsons

The skies above Guernsey County Fairgrounds hung thick with uncertainty on the early afternoon of Friday, July 18. 2025. Rain fell all night and most of the morning, soaking the grounds and the equipment, and threatening the rhythm of the Old Washington Music Festival. Schedules shifted, sets reshuffled, and tension crackled like unground wire.

For most emerging artists, a weather delay at a major festival would spell disaster. For MaKayla Prew, it became the perfect metaphor for her entire journey.

You know, no matter what the show throws at you, you always have to have your hat in the game, Prew tells me backstage, still buzzing with adrenaline from her performance just hours earlier. The 22-year-old country-pop singer-songwriter from Michigan had just navigated one of the most challenging days of her young career, and somehow emerged looking like she’d been doing this for decades.

The rain delay had cut her originally planned 90-minute set down significantly, forcing Prew and her band into an impromptu crisis mode backstage. When we found out, we immediately got to work and rearranged the set list and got our songs in, she explains, her voice carrying the kind of seasoned professionalism that belies her age. Definitely, when you have challenges like that thrown your way, you’ve got to learn how to work around them and get your head back in the show and in the moment.

It’s this kind of resilience that has defined Prew’s career trajectory since she first stepped onto a stage at age four. Now a songwriting major at Nashville’s prestigious Belmont University, she’s already accumulated an impressive resume that includes opening slots for major acts like Maddie & Tae, festival appearances across the Midwest, and even a stint as Miss Oakland County 2022 in Michigan. But perhaps most notably, she was part of Disney’s Dream Big Princess campaign, an experience that gave her early exposure to professional recording studios and national media attention.

That was really one of my first experiences in a recording studio, Prew recalls of her Disney collaboration. I went into the studio and I started singing for their campaign, and the guy goes, ‘Wow, you remind me a lot of Kelly Clarkson.’ What a compliment – she’s a powerhouse and she’s been a big inspiration of mine.

The Disney experience proved to be more than just a career milestone. It was a formative moment that helped shape her understanding of music as both art and business. Disney was a surreal experience. I’ve grown up watching Disney, and so being able to sit down in my house and watch Disney and hear my voice on the screen – it’s crazy.

But it’s Prew’s songwriting that truly sets her apart from the crowded field of young country-pop artists. Her catalog reveals a mature understanding of life’s complexities that seems almost impossible for someone who won’t turn 23 until next year. Take Fake Friends, her debut single released while still in high school. Originally written as a piano ballad that leaned more pop than country, the song has proven to have remarkable staying power.

Fake friends is looking back at my writing and seeing how much I’ve grown, she reflects. People still bring up fake friends to this day. They’re like, ‘I love that song.’ I’m like, ‘That’s so funny that you like it.’ But I feel like everyone has fake friends in their life, and that song is such a good way to know that you’re not alone and get through those feelings.

The song also served as preparation for the realities of the music business. It’s also to prep you for this business, which you can have a whole lot of fake friends in it and a whole lot of fake everything, Prew adds with a knowing smile that suggests she’s already learned some hard lessons about the industry.

Her songwriting process is deeply intuitive, with songs often dictating their own direction. I’ve always been a country girl, and I’ve always loved country music, and I was experimenting with my sound. I kind of let the songs choose for themselves, she explains. This organic approach has yielded tracks like Number One Fan, written on a plane returning from South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.

It’s the idea of you having feelings for somebody, and regardless of whether they have feelings for you or not, you’re always going to support them and all their endeavors, Prew explains. But the song has taken on a life of its own beyond romantic interpretation. That song has actually turned into a really big song with sports and is being it for edits. I see a lot of people on TikTok who use it for sports edits, for concerts. It’s been super cool to see people take their own interpretations of number one fan.

Perhaps her most emotionally complex work is Growing Pains, a track that emerged from one of life’s most difficult transitions. I wrote that when my childhood dog passed away, she revealed. That’s why the lyric ‘got my dog when I was four, he’s not around anymore. And the family video just closed down the road.’ When I turned 21, I don’t know if it’s like a girl thing, but it felt like my whole world was ending.

The song captures something universal about the transition to adulthood that many artists twice her age struggle to articulate. The transition into adulthood and feeling like, oh wow, I’m an adult now. And realizing how so many things around you that you’ve grown up with and that are familiar change. And there’s nothing you can do to stop it. There’s nothing you can do to slow it down. There’s nothing you can do to make the things that feel like home stay there.

This emotional depth extends to her exploration of mental health themes, particularly in songs like Freak Show and Pre-Show. The latter deals with the performative aspects of entertainment and life itself. “I wrote it about being a singer and being an entertainer and going on stage. You could be having the worst day in the world, but no one will ever know, she explains. I wrote it about not just me being an entertainer, but also other people. You never know what someone’s going through. You never know what’s going on in their lives.

Freak Show tackles similar themes from a different angle. It’s about mental health and kind of channeling it and realizing that people can put a smile on, but you never really know what’s going on, Prew says, demonstrating a psychological sophistication that’s remarkable for such a young artist.

Despite tackling heavy themes, Prew maintains an anchor that keeps her grounded. Music has always been my anchor, and I’m very fortunate I’ve developed this career in music and being able to use music asa catharsis for me – writing, singing, performing. I always love to be on stage, so that’s where I feel most myself. I feel like my job and what I do, and just singing itself keep me anchored.

Her commitment to making a difference extends beyond music. Through her involvement with Miss America since childhood, Prew advocates for food allergy awareness and education, a cause close to her heart due to her own nut allergy. Food allergies are very under-researched. There are a lot of issues with food labeling, and it causes a lot of issues in kids’ lives – bullying, stress, anxiety. It can cause eating disorders in young children because they’re afraid to eat.

She’s currently in the process of creating her own nonprofit to help people who need EpiPens but may not have insurance coverage. Just raising advocacy and awareness for food allergies and making those changes where things lack, she explains, showing the same kind of strategic thinking she applies to her music career.

But it was at Old Washington Music Festival where all these elements – her resilience, songwriting prowess, and performance skills – converged into something special. The rain delay that could have derailed her set instead became the backdrop for one of her most memorable performances to date. Most significantly, she chose this challenging day to debut Never Be Her, a brand-new track she’d just received from her producer the week before.

It was our first time ever performing it live, which was so much fun. I was very excited to debut it at this festival and see what the people’s reactions were. I literally just got the tracks from my producer last week, and he goes, ‘All right, let’s do it.’ So it was a blast.

It seemed like a lot of people in the audience liked it and they caught along and started singing, so it was great.

For an artist who’s still building her fanbase, having an audience immediately connect with brand-new material is the kind of validation that can’t be manufactured or bought. Her abbreviated performance also showcased her evolution as an artist. Where her earlier work, like Fake Friends, leaned heavily into pop territory, her recent material demonstrates a more embrace of her country roots while maintaining the elements that make her music broadly appealing. It’s a delicate balance that many artists struggle with throughout their entire careers, yet Prew seems to have found her sweet spot remarkably early.

I’ve always been a country girl and I’ve always loved country music, she reaffirms, but she’s not interested in being boxed into any single genre. I was experimenting with my sound, remains her philosophy, allowing each song to find its own voice rather than forcing them into predetermined categories.

This approach has served her well in Nashville’s competitive songwriting scene. As a student in Belmont’s highly selective songwriting program – it’s a separate major and a separate program that you have to audition for to get in – she’s not just learning to write for herself but developing skills that could sustain a long career in music regardless of her performance success.

I really want to obviously open for more tours and eventually start headlining my own – that is the ultimate goal, she says of her performing ambitions. I also write for myself, and I have written for other artists. I want to continue to do so and expand more in the Nashville space in that way.

It’s this multi-faceted approach to her career that suggests real longevity. Too many young artists pin everything on performance success alone, but Prew is building a skill set that positions her for various pathways within the music industry. Whether she becomes the next big country-pop crossover star or builds a successful career as a songwriter and occasional performer, she’s creating options for herself.

The Old Washington Music Festival performance also demonstrated her growth as a live performer. Despite the compressed set time and weather challenges, she managed to create moments of genuine connection with the audience. Her setlist, hastily rearranged backstage, flowed seamlessly from her earlier pop-leaning material through her more recent country work, showcasing an artist who understands pacing and knows how to take an audience on a journey.

I always love to be on stage, so that’s where I feel most myself,  she says, and it shows. There’s a natural confidence in her stage presence that can’t be taught, the kind of intangible quality that separates true performers from merely talented singers.

Looking ahead, Prew has a lot more music coming out very, very soon, including the official release of Never Be Her sometime this summer. Each new song seems to reveal another layer of her artistic development, and if her trajectory continues, she’s positioned to become a significant voice in country-pop music.

But perhaps what’s most impressive about MaKayla Prew isn’t her vocal ability, songwriting skills, or stage presence. It’s her maturity and perspective. At 22, she’s already learned lessons about resilience, authenticity, and the importance of staying true to yourself that many artists never master. She’s faced challenges head-on, from weather delays to industry politics to personal loss, and emerged stronger each time.

Definitely, when you have challenges like that thrown your way, you’ve got to learn how to work around them and get your head back in the show and in the moment,” she said of that rainy day at Old Washington Music Festival. But she could just as easily have been describing her entire approach to building a music career in an increasingly difficult industry.

As the rain finally stopped and festival-goers found their way to the muddy bowl in front of the stage, MaKayla Prew was already looking ahead to the next show, the next song, the next challenge. For an artist who’s been performing since age four and writing songs that resonate with audiences across demographic lines, the sky – cloudy or clear – isn’t the limit. It’s just the beginning.

The music industry needs artists like MaKayla Prew – young voices with old souls, writers who understand that the best songs come from real experience, performers who know that the show must go on regardless of what weather life throws at them. Based on what she accomplished on one challenging day in July, the forecast for her career looks remarkably bright.

In a business full of fake friends and artificial moments, MaKayla Prew represents something increasingly rare: authenticity backed by genuine talent and an unshakeable work ethic. Whether she’s debuting new material in less-than-ideal conditions or advocating for causes she believes in, she brings the same level of commitment and sincerity that makes her music resonate.

That’s the kind of artist who doesn’t just survive industry storms – they learn to dance in the rain.

McKayla Prew Setlist July 18, 2025

Growing Pains

Keep Your Eyes Open

Prince

Mine

Who Are You?

Kissing Frogs

Mama’s Broken Heart (Miranda Lambert cover – with a wink and a snarl)

Never Be Her (Live debut)

Jolene (Dolly Parton cover – stripped down and haunting)

The Fool

21st Century Hopeless Romantic