Mackenzie Ziegler Shares The Best Advice Maddie Gave Her After ‘Dance Moms’

Mackenzie Ziegler is much more than just a dancer. The “Dance Moms” alum is doing big things since leaving the Lifetime series over a year ago. At 13, Mackenzie is fresh off releasing a clothing line with Justice, a music video for her single “Teamwork” and is keeping her options open for a budding acting career.

Of course, she has a pretty good role model. Her sister Maddie Ziegler, 15, whom she co-starred with on six seasons of “Dance Moms,” isn’t bad when it comes to offering guidance about the world of entertainment.

“In the industry she’s always told me to always be confident with myself and stay humble,” Mackenzie told International Business Times of the best advice her sibling ever gave her. “I feel like I was always really scared to put myself out there and go on auditions and do all this good stuff and she’s really helped me through it. She’s really supportive, which is why she’s a great big sister.”

While Maddie has found success on the big screen with “Leap!” and “The Book of Henry,” Mackenzie is doing just fine on her own. Her team up with Justice for a dance-friendly clothing line, which she says perfectly emulates her “comfortable, casual and trendy” style, is just one example.

“I definitely think this line is great for kids that actually want to dance. There’s also other clothing pieces that you can wear on an everyday basis,” Mackenzie told IBT.

Alongside the clothing items debut is the release of Mackenzie’s music video “Teamwork” for Justice, which she says is all about girls sticking together. “I think we need that when there is so much hate on Instagram or school. I feel like everyone just needs to come together and work together,” Mackenzie explained of her inspiration.

And with musical inspirations like Ariana Grande, Hailee Steinfeld and Camila Cabello, it’s no wonder the pop video is already at 15.6 million views. Of course, Mackenzie already has quite the following on YouTube.

“I really love YouTube,” Mackenzie, currently at 1.5 million subscribers and counting, shared. “It’s easier to connect and interact with my fans because on Instagram it’s so hard because there’s just so many people [and] I really want to see my friends’ posts. On YouTube, I feel like I can really interact with [fans].”

Mackenzie’s supporters can always catch up with her on self-titled YouTube channel, but they shouldn’t expect to see her reality TV again anytime soon. One year after parting ways with coach Abby Lee Miller and “Dance Moms,” Mackenzie says she’s looking for a change.

But its not just reality that has taken a backseat for the Lifetime alum. With her music career in full swing, scripted roles have also been put by the wayside.

“I loved reality, I mean it was really fun getting to do it with my friends but I feel like now I would love to be on a scripted TV shows like Nickelodeon or Disney,” Mackenzie said. “Right now, I’ve been doing a lot more music so I haven’t really had time to go on auditions or anything but when I don’t have anything going on, I love to go on auditions and go to acting classes. Hopefully I’ll get more into acting.”

Fresh off the release of “Teamwork,” Mackenzie has more plans to release music but warns listeners they shouldn’t expect to hear singles like the ones she released during her “Dance Moms” days.

“I think my music now is definitely more mature and really fun to dance to. When I sang when I was a little younger I was thinking about ‘Girl Party’ or something like that and now I feel like its more my age.”

When “Dance Moms” fans are done soaking in Mackenzie’s new tunes and checking out her Justice line, they can anticipate on reading her first book next summer. “Kenzie’s Rules For Life” will include answers to fan’s most frequently asked questions.

“My book is all about the tips and tricks what I really use in my life,” Mackenzie said. “When I was little I always wanted to write my own books for some reason. I was in love with reading and when I had free time I was always just reading a book. I’m glad it finally happened!”