Many New Englanders know that feeling of adrenaline as they ski or snowboard down some of the ski mountains we have throughout the region. But for up-and-coming country artist, Morgan Myles, she gets that feeling when she goes on stage. The Pennsylvania native, and one-time Berklee College of Music student, released her brand new EP, titled ‘Miss Morgan Myles,’ today.
Fans of Morgan Myles may have heard some of her music that she previously released on her album in 2009 or her EP in 2013. And while those projects were part of the journey in discovering her sound and who she is as an artist, Morgan feels that her ‘Miss Morgan Myles’ EP is truly her first official EP. Since that first music was released, there has been a change not only in Morgan as an artist, but country music as a whole. The sounds are different, the songwriting is different; but through it all, Morgan has stayed true to herself with what she calls ‘country-soul’ – and that’s exactly what you hear in Morgan’s voice. She is more than just country, but she has too much twang in her to not be in country music. And with artists like Maren Morris and Chris Stapleton breaking through as they did in 2015, Morgan is right in her wheelhouse and chomping at the bit for her chance at the reins of country music. She says, “Country music has gotten broader but right now soul-country is getting more attention. So I think the industry has come back to this cool country-soul sound because of songs like ‘Girl Crush’ and bands like ‘Brothers Osborne.’ They’ve opened the gates for music like mine. It’s really a positive shift.”
The EP features six songs, all of which Morgan co-wrote. And the EP has something for every country fan. From inspirational, girl-power songs to break-up songs, just a fun going out song and more. Morgan describes the lead track, ‘Whiskey Dreaming,’ as a “Girl power song. No matter what you do, you’re not going to get me back.” The song is all about empowerment and is written from the perspective of the female in the breakup, rather than from the guy drinking away his sorrows in losing her. ‘Queen of Hearts’ is a song that Morgan says is about “Letting your heart go and letting yourself be vulnerable, which is the most dangerous part in a relationship.” Want a fun song about going out, letting yourself go, and having fun? ‘We Won’t Go Home’ is for you. Morgan goes on to explain that ‘Adeline’ is a “Breakup, I’m going to kick your ass song,” as it’s written from the perspective of a girl whose boyfriend cheated and now she’s coming after him to get revenge. The EP closes out with love songs ‘What You Do To Me,’ (think butterflies in your stomach in the beginning of a relationship), and the very deep, soul mate, type of love that comes from ‘Nobody Better Than You.’
In creating the EP, Morgan worked with the multi-talented Rio who not only co-wrote four of the six songs but also produced the EP as well. Morgan tells us, “Really what he (Rio) brings is someone that brings in the R&B side. He has so much old soul from the R&B direction. So when we brought it together, it created a different fusion because of the two backgrounds that we had. He always wanted to back every song with a groove, which was something I never really put too much emphasis on while writing. But when I wrote with him, everything ended up having this feeling that you could dance to it. Whether it was a ballad or whatnot, he had this ability to put a really cool groove or a beat to it that put the song in a different direction that I didn’t think it could, which is cool.”
Rio further corroborates that fusion of different backgrounds into ‘Miss Morgan Myles,’ by saying, “When Morgan and I first started writing, we focused on a way to blend our two worlds. I’m more soul and R&B, while Morgan’s strength was in country and southern rock. We knew we had something special when we found ‘Queen of Hearts’ and that rolled into ‘Whiskey Dreaming’ and the rest of the EP. Producing and writing with a voice like Morgan Myles doesn’t happen every day. Her voice in the booth works great with this music.“
Whether you’ve been a fan of Morgan since her first album or a new listener, it’s not difficult to hear the strength and power in her voice. When Morgan is singing a song, she pulls her inspiration from the reason why she wrote the song in the first place. She goes back to the moment and the feeling and emotion of why she wrote it. “When I sing, it’s a natural high that I can’t explain. It’s like somebody who gets adrenaline from skiing down a mountain. I get adrenaline from getting on stage. My voice gives me this freedom that is hard to explain and when you get to go in front of people you get their energy from them and it’s this crazy, unimaginable feeling that I get every time and that’s probably why I’m still going after it. “
Late last year, Morgan released the video for ‘Whiskey Dreaming’ on CMT.com and the video is currently in rotation on CMT Pure as well. It is just one of the many opportunities that Morgan has been given and something that Morgan did not know was possible without the backing of a record label. Between that video, her live performances, and the EP, Morgan has been getting more and more attention and rightfully so. She has been named to multiple ‘Artists to Watch’ lists, including our own. But through it all, there’s one goal for 2016. “The goal at the end of the day is to finally get my music out there, everywhere, and hopefully they love it. Each year, I just want to continue to do what I love. Ultimately everybody just wants to be happy and this is what makes me happy.”
Purchase your copy of ‘Miss Morgan Myles‘ on iTunes here.