In the Country with Dave Woods:
Makinna Givens

This month, the spotlight is on Makinna Givens.

Northern Ontario’s Makinna Givens released her debut single, “If We Meet Again,” in 2024, and the song introduced the country music world to her undeniable talent & authenticity in her songwriting. CTV News said at the time: “Givens has already captured the hearts of many with her sound and sincerity.”

In 2025, Makinna built on that success by being named one of the Top 4 finalists in the national Country Rising Contest presented by Cottage Springs and Starseed Entertainment, which earned her the opportunity to open for Griffen Palmer and Nate Haller at a showcase event hosted by The Reklaws. She was also selected as a Field Pick for the Lucknow Music in the Fields Emerging Artist Showcase, landing her a coveted festival slot alongside some of Canada’s top country talent.

That momentum sparked widespread media attention, with features and interviews on CTV News, CP24/EBOSS Canada, Timmins Best Country 93.1 FM, the North Bay Nugget, BayToday, and more. As The Sudbury Star noted, “Makinna Givens is a rising star making waves on the national stage.”

In January of 2026, Makinna performed at the sold-out Winter Roots Music Festival held at the Rivoli in Toronto.

So much recognition already on her journey, which began at just 15 years old, when she performed for her entire student body only a week after picking up a guitar for the first time.

Welcome to the Spotlight, Makinna! Please share the story behind your debut single, “If We Meet Again,” which you released in 2024.

“If We Meet Again” is the most vulnerable and personal song I’ve ever written. It tells a story that’s been quietly unfolding since I was a kid — pieces falling into place over the years without me realizing how connected they were. Writing it made me see just how small the world really is, and how moments that feel separate can suddenly add up to something undeniable.

Everyone has someone who got away. When I ran into mine years later, it felt like I was fifteen again, like no time had passed at all. That moment brought everything rushing back—the feelings, the questions, the what-ifs.

So often we let moments slip by out of fear — of embarrassment, of ruining something fragile, or of confronting what we imagined might not be real. This song was my decision to stop living like that. It’s about choosing honesty over fear and saying the things you don’t want to regret leaving unsaid.

In 2025, you were named one of the Top 4 finalists in the national Country Rising Contest presented by Cottage Springs and Starseed Entertainment. The win gave you the opportunity to open for Griffen Palmer and Nate Haller at a showcase event hosted by The Reklaws. Tell us a bit about that experience.

Being named a Top 4 finalist in the Country Rising Contest became a turning point for me — though at the time, I almost talked myself out of applying altogether. I was a small-town artist from Northern Ontario with only one song released, and I fully assumed I’d be shouting into the void. I submitted at the last minute, lowered my expectations as a form of self-preservation, and tried not to think about it again. When the acceptance email came through, I reread it a few times just to make sure it was real.

Opening for Griffen Palmer and Nate Haller at a showcase hosted by The Reklaws was the moment something shifted. Not because it felt flashy or validating, but because it made the future feel tangible. It showed me that this isn’t a far-off fantasy — it’s a path you commit to step by step. That experience gave me permission to stop treating my dream like a long shot and start pursuing it fully, trusting that belief, consistency, and showing up can turn opportunity into momentum.

Is there an artist who has majorly influenced & inspired you?

There are honestly too many influences to count, but at the core of it all, songwriting is what matters most to me. I am a sucker for strong lyrics and songs that feel honest, specific, and emotionally lived in. That has always been what pulls me in first and what I try to chase in my own writing.

If I had to name one artist who planted the seed early on, it would be Justin Bieber. I remember sitting in a theatre as a kid, completely silent for the first time — not because I had to be, but because I was in awe. Watching someone from a small town in Canada go from an ordinary life to playing massive stages around the world made something click for me in a way it hadn’t before.

It didn’t give me a plan — it gave me permission to start dreaming, long before I ever said the dream out loud.

What have you learned about songwriting from the journey of writing your first songs to your latest songs?

The biggest thing I’ve learned is not to overthink songwriting to the point where you ruin a good thing. I started writing when I was 15, and honestly, some of my favourite songs I’ve ever written came from that time. Later on, especially during college, I got a little lost in comparison and started writing to compete instead of writing to feel, and the songs lost their depth because of it.

When COVID hit, it forced me to slow down and really take a look at myself as a writer. I stripped things back, stopped co-writing, and reconnected with my instincts. Sometimes there really are too many cooks in the kitchen, and you need space to find your footing again. I stopped worrying about whether something felt “cringe” and started trusting my gut. If it felt honest, it was worth writing. No matter the style or context, I’ve learned that the most important thing is to write with integrity.

If you could record a song with any artist from any genre, who would you choose and why?

Josh Ramsay from Marianas Trench would be a dream collaborator. I’ve seen them live 4 times. On paper, it feels like a strange genre blend, but I honestly think that is why it would work so well. Beyond the songwriting, Josh has been a huge inspiration to me from an audio engineering perspective. The attention to detail in his productions and the way emotion and arrangement work together have really shaped how I listen to music. He is a big part of what led me to pursue audio engineering and take more ownership of the technical side of my work.

What is the best piece of advice someone has given you?

“Find who you are and do it on purpose,” by the one and only Dolly Parton. One thing in life is for certain: time is finite — it is your job to figure out who you are, what you stand for, and what you’ve been put on this earth to do… and then have the nerve to live it out loud, even when it feels a little scary.

You just dropped your latest single, “Cheap Cigarettes”. Tell us a bit about the song.

I’ve been really looking forward to this release, and I’m incredibly proud of this song. It not only represents who I am as an artist but also highlights my role as a producer and audio engineer, which is something many people don’t know about me. Being able to showcase that side of my artistry is extremely important to me.

The song is about those little things you brush off at first, until they start piling up and you can’t ignore them anymore. It’s honest, a bit dramatic in the best way, and rooted in real moments. It felt like the right song to introduce this next chapter of my music.

What do you hope to accomplish in your music career in 2026?

My biggest goal for 2026 is to start building a small team. I love being an independent artist, but wearing so many hats can sometimes pull me away from why I started in the first place: making and sharing music.

I have a lot planned for 2026, even if I cannot share all the details just yet, but I am also sitting on more songs than I can realistically bring to life on my own, given how divided I am between roles. Having that kind of support would allow me to spend more time recording and performing and ultimately get more of that music out into the world, which is what excites me most!

Thanks so much for joining me here in the Spotlight, Makinna! All the best with your music this year!

Absolutely any time, Dave! Thank you so much for your dedication to Canadian country music. We can’t do it without you!