morgxn: “if you want the truth – it’s ok to let things be messy”

Los Angeles singer-songwriter morgxn released ‘PORCELAIN,’ off of a two-part EP. 

Self proclaimed as “awkwardly optimistic,’ this song is the “anthem for just showing up. and wanting to feel renewed in the process. as we start to ‘open up’ as a society there is a real stop/start and a chaotic nature to everything. like they expect us to just ‘resume’ and i’m like…. still in pajamas.“

We had a chance to speak with the artist and you can read the full interview below.

What are some ways to stay so upbeat during this pandemic? How do you continue producing upbeat and catchy songs through this time? honesty. connection. breath. these things kinda keep me centered. in the words of McCartney – ‘take a sad song and make it better’ i’ve honestly just been falling apart during this quarantine. but falling apart sounds differently to every person. and part of my healing is the music i make. so i think some of my most upbeat and uplifting songs (i’m currently thinking ‘harpoon’, ‘translucent’, ‘OMM!’ and ‘pump the break’) come from really intense ache. 

if you want the truth – it’s ok to let things be messy. it’s ok to take space. it’s ok to let it make sense later. music is my soundtrack.

What inspired your attire in ‘Pump the Brakes?’ i have been putting together this look for honestly years? it was a combination of i knew that i needed to work with my dear friend and conscious ecofriendly collaborator BOMME. it just needed to be the right moment. i wanted to create a look i could step into for this album. something that reflected me but also reflected others (light, mystery, conceptual).

something that was bright but also at times dark. i had fallen in love with this material and ordered it from an etsy shop and had to wait months for it to arrive. and then it was a process of pant first. wait a bit. jacket. wait a bit. face mask. i’m really loving the idea of trust right now. and trust for me looked like the process of this outfit coming to life. it was little by little and then all the sudden it just existed. and i can never take it off. 

Walk me through the inspiration behind your upcoming EP MERIDIAN? What is the overall message? so much of this EP is the journey between ‘vital’ to now. both losing myself in the pressures of touring and the label system to finding i can reframe the loneliness and heartache of this past year. MERIDIAN is a word that has always circled my life. there are these energy markers in the body that find their way through meridians – like pathways. these songs were like markers for me, holding space for me … helping me to process the heaviness of 2020 and the awkward optimism i feel happening in 2021.

Tell me about PORCELAIN. What is this single about? speaking of awkward optimism.. PORCELAIN is the anthem for just showing up. and wanting to feel renewed in the process. as we start to ‘open up’ as a society there is a real stop/start and a chaotic nature to everything. like they expect us to just ‘resume’ and i’m like…. still in pajamas. but PORCELAIN is like the memory you have of when you felt your best. it wasn’t because everything was perfect… sometimes it was that you showed up even when you felt like you might break. that’s what the song celebrates – feeling your best in any possible moment.

Tell me about a personal experience that has changed your approach with music. making this album. i watched everything crumble beneath me. label, management, covid, the world, etc. and yet from a streaming perspective my numbers were going through the roof (for me) and i started to realize that my job was just to show up to the magical mystery ride. structures will shift. but the heart of it is really the message. and that’s always been clear to me. it’s just becoming clearer and clearer that nothing else matters

Who would you love to collaborate on a song with? oh… i have such a list. but the best ones happen without planning. i’ve planted a few huge seeds this year and i’m honestly just curious how they will grow. i’ve had some idols reach out to me in my DMs which is wild. i would love to meet and sing with Stevie Wonder. 

Can you describe yourself as an artist and how your personality shines through your music? when i first read this i just saw the question ‘can you describe yourself as ‘an artist’’ and that made me think about how hard it has been to be able to say to myself ‘i am an artist’. i didn’t grow up in an artistic household or an environment where ‘the more artsy the better’. honestly every time i was expressing myself as a child is was more worry than acceptance. more in society – my family was always supportive. maybe confused… but supportive. but i think society has all these walls up and gatekeepers where they call some people ‘Artists’ and others they call ‘songwriters’ or ‘entertainers’ etc. to me we are all artists. every person in every level – artists. reclaiming that word and being comfortable with it – that’s part of my mission. i want people to be able to call themselves ‘artists’. i also think this is very evident in my music. 

Do you play any instruments, or would you like to learn a particular instrument? i play piano. and have seriously since i was 9 when i started taking voice. taking both at the same time was i think the best decision i made. i do wish i had learned guitar but it’s never too late….

Walk me through your creative process. i was just telling my roommate i have a song that’s been hiding from me for over a year. i have been working on it… love the vibe, the chorus, the heart. but i can’t find the right verse. which is very opposite how some songs are – i can find a verse but not a chorus. every song it’s own journey – that is the truth. and this one i just think it’s purposely hiding in the shadows until i’m ready? i don’t know. songs are mysteries or little prayers. and they reveal themselves to me. that’s how i look at it. 

What’s something no one knows about you? i’m such an open book but for the purpose of this question…. i think one thing no one knows about me is that i did steal the cookie from the cookie jar. 

What’s one thing you miss about life before music? my life and music are so connected. i was thinking today how my voice developed when i was a teenager who was so shy and so scared to be seen – my voice developed in the shadows. and as it grew… it almost helped me to come out. literally and metaphorically. so to me my music is an extension of the life live. what i maybe miss about being the ‘boy with dreams’ is just that i never really cared about the numbers before….. and i’m trying to reconnect with that energy now.