About That Song: Nikki Morgan
About That Song #7
In our special series, singer-songwriter Sarah Morris interviews artists about the songs that shaped them.
Hi! I’m Sarah Morris. I’m wildly in love with songs and the people who write them. There have been a few songs in my life that have been total gamechangers—songs that made me want to be a songwriter and songs I’ve written that made me feel like I am a songwriter. About That Song is a space where I can learn more about those pivotal songs in other writers’ lives.
Today’s guest is Nikki Morgan, a singer-songwriter from North Carolina who also spent a decade in Chicago. I’ll be sharing the stage with her at Storyhill Fest, a unique music and camping experience in Deerwood MN, this August 25-27.
Nikki Morgan. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Sarah: Hi Nikki!! It’s so nice to meet you here (electronically)! I’m really looking forward to getting to hear you soon as part of Storyhill Fest. Do you remember the song that you heard that made you want to be a songwriter? Tell us about that song.
Nikki: Man, I actually can, and I’m kind of surprised that I can because there was a lot of music that resonated and inspired me as I was coming into my own as a person and an artist. But I specifically remember when I discovered Nelly Furtado and her debut album, Whoa, Nelly. That album was one of the first ones I discovered as I was starting to explore more secular music (as opposed to gospel and church music).
Looking back on it I see how that entire album, honestly, changed music for me in a big way and it was the first time that I could clearly recognize and identify the poetry in songwriting. The things she was saying and the way she conveyed them, as if she was painting an entire masterpiece with words and sounds… that really struck me. I’d spend so much time just sitting in the car listening to the songs over and over again, trying to figure out all the lyrics and copy her cadences as she sang and spoke her songs. I remember repeating lines like “I don’t want ambivalence no more” from the song “Hey, Man.” I’d play track #2, “On The Radio,” over and over and over again thinking to myself how that song was my future.
But if I had to pick one song on that album that truly ignited the fire of songwriting I’d say “My Love Grows Deeper, Part 1.” Even as a teenager, the imagery and themes of that song resonated deeply with me. There’s all these references to colors, and nature, and celestial things like the sun and the moon. She says, “Oh, why can’t I be green as the grass beneath my feet / as fresh as the dew hits the ground in the morning / and not yellow like bumblebees, please take me off my knees / My knees, I don’t wanna be red forever.” That did it for me!
Sarah: Ooh, thank you for leading me to listen to this song. Those lyrics—the way she sings them, the freedom of the melody—I can see how that might ignite the songwriting fire. Once you began writing, did you feel like a writer immediately? It took me a few years of writing before I believed it—was there a song that gave you that “a-HA! I AM a songwriter!” moment? Tell us about that song.
Nikki: You know, I never really struggled with accepting that. Once I started writing songs I was confident in identifying it for what it was. The hard part for me was actually getting started writing the songs. I knew about the concept of writing songs because I come from a very musical and artistically gifted family. As a kid, I’d see my dad spending countless hours at night writing, working on music, and teaching himself how to record. And yet, the desire to write songs remained a secret, even to myself for a long time.
I was well out of college, working as an actor (mostly in musical theatre) when I found myself at the top of a mountain in my home state of North Carolina, saying for the first time, out loud, that I wanted to write songs.
But I can tell you about the first song that gave me an all-around sense of pride: “Freedom.” It’s a revenge song about an abused lover who’s had enough. The incident explained in the song was not my own and I was shocked to find that I could create such a compelling story without having experienced that situation firsthand. That was the first song that tapped into something inside of me that was “darker” or grittier… there was attitude and drama… things that I hadn’t learned how to convey in my normal life yet. That song helped me see there were sides of me that I needed and wanted to explore.
Nikki Morgan. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Sarah: I find that songs can be good beacons like that. In addition to Storyhill Fest, are you playing in the Midwest at all this fall? Where can we come see you?
Nikki: No, I’m actually going to be taking a bit of a break from performing this fall to finish preparations for a new album that will be coming out later this year, so I’ll be missing you all this fall, but I WILL be back in the Midwest soon with something really special.
Sarah: Preparations for a new album—congrats! I’ll look forward to hearing it whenever you’re ready to share it with the world. One last question—I just watched a video of you singing the song “One Good Time.” Oh, that’s a beauty! Can you tell us about that song?
Nikki: I’m so glad you like that song! I wrote that when I was on the road not too long ago. It’s actually going to be on the new album (although I think I might have renamed it). So, like how “Freedom” helped me identify some of the grittier and darker sides of me that wanted to be explored, “One Good Time” really marks a point in my life where I’m allowing space for the softer, subtler, gentler sides of me. I can be pretty curt and heavy-handed in a lot of ways. I think operating in survival mode for too long can do that to a person. But in these recent years there’s been a shift—I’ve caught myself moving more and more in the direction of gentleness, patience, acceptance and community.
I realize that I’m ready to start building a family unit of my own, whether that includes a romantic partner or not. It’s a new place for me, and it’s very unexpected. So I’ve definitely been pondering the topics of love and relationship a lot lately, asking myself questions like, “What’s my relationship with Love?” and “How do I interact with Love? How do I express it? What do I need from it?” This goes beyond romantic dynamics too, but I think it’s safe to say that most of us have a desire to experience full and healthy love at least one good time in our lives.
Sarah: Yes, I think it’s safe to say that. Thank you so much, Nikki, for sharing your time, and a bit of your story, with us today. I look forward to meeting you in person soon! See you at Storyhill Fest!
Listen to “Freedom”
Sarah Morris. Photo credit: Tom Smouse.
Sarah Morris is a superfan of songs and the people who write them, and a believer that certain songs can change your life. A singer-songwriter / mama / bread maker / coffee drinker who recently released her fifth album of original material, she’s been known to joyfully sing with people in her Big Green Bathroom.
