Featured Photo Credit: Aidan Schechter
Teenage years aren’t always so “sweet.” 17-year-old morgen would know, she has lived them. Years of navigating “isolation, sexuality, relationships, trauma, and all that teenage bs.”
However, those nights crying on her bedroom floor have evolved into her debut EP ‘Unaccompanied Minor,’ a project which morgen considers “a 6 song self-therapy session.”
Inspired by the likes of artists from Billie Eilish to Billie Holiday, morgen blends jazz, pop, and honesty to create relatable tracks like “Odd One Out”, “Sweet 16”, and “3D”
We chatted with the Santa Cruz native about the new EP, where she draws inspiration, and what her fans can look forward to next!
What inspired your debut EP’s title, ’Unaccompanied Minor’?
The first time I flew by myself, my mom paid extra for basically the four-year-old treatment, which meant that I got a flight attendant with me the WHOLE time, and I had to wear a tag that read UMNR, which stands for unaccompanied minor. Anyways, in that moment I kind of realized that that was pretty much my existence. I’m kind of jumping into an “adult world” as a child, like mentally I feel so small but I’m expected to know how to pay my taxes or successfully be in a relationship- know who I am, or whatever. I definitely want to be treated like an adult, just the actual becoming of one is so confusing. I guess unaccompanied minor kind of just perfectly encapsulates how I’m feeling.
You recorded this EP over two years. What was the process like writing and recording the EP?
Long but very therapeutic, a lot can happen from the age 15 to 17. Basically, my EP ‘Unaccompanied Minor’ is just a whole bunch of snapshots from different points of my life over the past two years. A global pandemic, relationships, sexuality, and just pure teenage bs were all what made my EP.
Do you have a favorite song out of the six tracks on the EP? If so, why?
I think “Odd One Out” is my favorite song, because it just holds so much truth to my existence.
Where do you usually draw inspiration for your music?
Literally everywhere. I get inspired by everything and everyone all the time, I’m a sucker for the details in life so it’s never been hard to draw inspiration.
You have a jazz background. Did jazz find its way into this project?
Absolutely, a lot of the chords in my EP were inspired by jazz music. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where the jazz comes through in my music because it’s kind of just an undertone but it’s definitely there.
For people who aren’t familiar with your music, how would you describe your sound?
I guess, currently, it’s pretty Bedroom Pop-ish, but it’s definitely changing. I mean I see it evolving in the stuff I write now in comparison to what I’m about to release. So honestly I don’t even know. I would say listen to my music and find out for yourself lol.
If you could set fans up in the perfect environment to listen to the EP, what do you imagine it looking like?
Their favorite place, and if they can’t access their favorite place, a bedroom or a car or anywhere they feel comfortable is perfect 🙂 I want whoever is listening to my music to feel safe, or as close to safe as possible.
How do you hope that people feel after listening to the EP?
I would hope they would feel less alone, or that they have somebody to relate to. That would be ideal.
What can fans look forward to next?
MORE MUSIC! I am so excited to share with you all the stuff I’m working with right now…so so so excited.
What is one quote that you have heard or that you go by that you want to ECHO out to the world?
OK this is super nerdy but I’m a nerd so….anyways, recently I’ve been living by the quote “to be a ring bearer is to be alone” and I know that sounds really strange-it’s from Lord of the Rings -but I guess it’s just helped me get through a period of time where I’ve felt really alone and yet really confident in what I want to do. So basically what this quote means to me is that sometimes to do what you love and to be true to who you are, you have to be alone and that’s okay. You will find your people, but it might take some time and in that time you get to focus on yourself and what makes you truly happy.