Thelma & James explained: MacKenzie Porter and Jake Etheridge on pen name and 'Happy Ever After You’

27 January 2025, 14:41 | Updated: 27 January 2025, 14:45

‘Happy Ever After You’ is the first song the couple have written together in ten years.

MacKenzie Porter and Jake Etheridge have been busy working on their own solo projects.

But after a decade-long break since they last penned a song together, they decided a collaboration was long overdue.

‘Happy Ever After You’ is the first song released as part of the husband-and-wife duo's new Thelma & James project.

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And if you were confused by the song's credits, don't worry – MacKenzie and Jake explained the new pen name to Smooth Country's Eamonn Kelly.

Watch the interview below.

MacKenzie Porter and Jake Etheridge explain Thelma & James, chat 'Happy Ever After You' and tease new music!

Who are Thelma & James?

MacKenzie Porter and Jake Etheridge have adopted the pen name Thelma & James for their latest joint musical endeavor, but where did it come from?

Well, they're not new names to the couple.

"My real name is James," Jake explains, "and Mackenzie, one of her middle names is Thelma."

At first, Porter and Etheridge weren't sure if the new project was a "temporary" thing, but when they realised that wasn't the case, they wanted to find the right name.

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"We thought of some cool names, but you don't wanna come up with a cool-sounding name that doesn't mean anything," Jake tells Eamonn.

So they opted for Thelma & James. "This way this is just our names, both of our grandparents. Her grandmother's name is Thelma, my grandfather was named James," Jake says. "So it's got a nice connection on a lot of levels."

Thelma & James (MacKenzie Porter and Jake Etheridge) - Happy Ever After You (Lyric Video)

How did MacKenzie Porter and Jake Etheridge write 'Happy Ever After You’?

Despite MacKenzie Porter and Jake Etheridge meeting at a songwriting session, the pair haven't put pen to paper as a couple for some time.

"Jake had his solo career and I had mine and we were just so, like, head down focused on our projects," MacKenzie tells Eamonn.

"We just kind of kept it separate. We would come home and share music with each other and cheer each other on, but never crossed that line."

But when MacKenzie faced changes in her career and management, she turned to husband Jake.

"It was just one night where I went into his studio and I was like, 'Will you write a song with me? I need to feel better tonight'. And that was the song we wrote."

MacKenzie Porter and Jake Etheridge on creating music as a couple

Mackenzie explains how the couples have different writing styles, but it works well when creating music.

"This sounds cheesy, but we complement each other really well. This balance between the two of us is really working, and I wish we would have found it sooner.

"We would probably be a lot more rich if we found it sooner!"

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For Jake, being a couple actually helps the writing process as they're not afraid to be honest with each other.

"When you're songwriting here in town, somebody will throw out an idea, and then you kind of have to dance around.

"But if I say something stupid, MacKenzie will just say, 'That's stupid'. And I'm like, okay. And that way it is like we're saving some time."

Jake adds: "There's an honesty that comes with writing with your wife."

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Are MacKenzie Porter and Jake Etheridge releasing more music as Thelma & James?

‘Happy Ever After You’ was the first release in MacKenzie Porter and Jake Etheridge's Thelma & James project – but hopefully it won't be the last.

"We have songs that we've been writing," MacKenzie teases. "So we're working on a full record that'll be out."