Shelby Morgan is a singer-songwriter based out of Baltimore, Maryland, whose style is a combination of soul pop, dream pop, mainstream pop & alternative pop. We got to chat with her following the release of her debut album ‘Confessions of a Drama Queen’.
-Hey Shelby Morgan! Did you always know you wanted to be a singer?
“Yes! I knew from my earliest memory of being 2 years old singing in my car seat. My dad and his family all have amazing voices and anytime we would go on vacation somewhere I’d beg my dad to make sure there was a talent show or at least karaoke. When Hannah Montana came onto the scene, I was 10 years old and it heightened my love for writing and performing and I just knew that I wanted to be a pop star from that moment on.”
– Your debut album, “Confessions of a Drama Queen”, is described as a testament to your resilience and authenticity. Can you share more about the personal experiences and inspirations that led to the creation of this album?
“When I was younger, I was very emotional. My parents divorced when I was 8 and being the oldest of 2 kids it was really hard for me. I felt like I was the one to keep everything together and make everyone happy. I was bullied in school for being authentic and always speaking my mind. I felt so alone. When I was started doing inner child healing work, I wanted to create something to remind my younger self that she wasn’t alone. That everything would be okay in the future. That she could love hard, be honest, wear whatever she wanted and follow her dreams.”
– Can you share a specific song from the album that holds special significance?
“There are so many, but if I had to choose one I think it would be my song ‘CLOVER.’ It was the last song that I wrote for the album after a hard year of heartbreak. It was one of the easiest songs I have ever written and helped me heal much quicker than I had initially thought I would when my 2 year relationship with someone I loved ended. I decided to be completely honest in how I was feeling and thought to myself “what if I changed my perspective on the situation,” which made me look at the breakup as a blessing instead of something bad because in a lot of ways this person was holding me back from so much.”
– The delay in the record deal in 2020 due to the global pandemic could have been discouraging. How did you use this setback as an opportunity for personal and artistic growth?
“It definitely was discouraging in the moment, but as a naturally hopeful person I was optimistic with every month, but unfortunately as the months went on it wasn’t getting better. Before the pandemic, I met my co-writer Mike Manos at a random bar in Baltimore. We didn’t exchange information, but during the lockdown he found me on social media and we started writing music together remotely before finally getting together in person mid-summer. I had been told in September 2019 by Nile Rodgers manager, Merck Mercuriadis to find my Lennon to my McCartney and if the pandemic didn’t happen, then I wouldn’t have been able to work with someone who has elevated my music and helped me hone in on my sound. I definitely look at it as a blessing in disguise because looking back I don’t think I was actually ready to be in the industry without the discography that I have at this point in my career.”
– In the face of challenges, what advice would you give to aspiring musicians who may be dealing with similar setbacks in their careers?
“I would just say it is easy to give up, and harder to keep going, but don’t ever give up because the end result is incredibly rewarding. One of my favorite analogies is this: when driving in a car at night you can only see what is lit up ahead of you, but you know where you’re going, you have an end goal and it is scary not being able to see the few feet in front of you. But once you keep driving and the dark road becomes lit up by the light you know you are getting closer and closer to home. Following your dreams feels similar and you know that once you make it to where you are headed, it is the most rewarding and safe feeling to know you took that risk!”