Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with morgen

Rising pop singer-songwriter morgen is one of the breakout artists of 2021. Since bursting onto the scene, she’s received praise from industry giants including Zane Lowe and Elton John.

She recently released her debut EP Unaccompanied Minor, which showcases a talent well beyond her years.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with morgen about the inspiration behind the project, her growth as an artist, and what fans can expect from her in 2022.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
morgen: Honestly, I don’t know…I was just always surrounded by good music. My mom played classics like Led Zeppelin and Earth, Wind & Fire throughout my childhood, and my dad was a musician. I feel like I popped out of the womb with a love affair with music.

PC: Has your father shared any words of wisdom as you’ve embarked on this career?
morgen: Yes: “Be kind and respectful but don’t let people push you over,” is pretty much a constant. We’ve had many a conversation about how I have to be really careful in this industry because it’s very easy to get taken advantage of, especially as a young female artist.

PC: Tell us about Unaccompanied Minor and the inspiration behind the EP.
morgen: Well, Unaccompanied Minor was basically just the past two years of my life put to music. I started writing this EP when I was fifteen, and the growth and evolution my music and what I have experienced is immense. Going through a pandemic, graduating high school, figuring out identities, dealing with teenage BS…it was intense, so I wrote about it. I like to say that Unaccompanied Minor is a fifteen-minute and forty-four-second therapy session.

PC: This is your debut EP. Did anything surprise you about the experience of putting it together? What was the biggest takeaway?
morgen: I think what surprised me the most was the amount my style of music had changed over the course of two years. You’ll hear in the EP, the earlier stuff I wrote was pretty acoustic and melancholy versus the songs I wrote recently were more upbeat and to the point. Both were incredibly fun to create, but they were two very different styles and times in my life.

My biggest takeaway from this EP was probably the clarity it provided me after writing those songs; I didn’t feel like I had anyone to talk to for the majority of the time I was writing the EP, so my music became my coping mechanism. I learned how to help myself and not rely so much on others as my source of happiness. That being said, asking for help is also really important…we’re working on that one currently. [laughs]

PC: You started writing at a very young age. How did you decide what would make the EP?
morgen: Let me tell you, the decision process was extensive. I jump around a lot musically, between different styles, so basically it was whatever I liked the most and what best fit together.

PC: If you had to pick a song off of Unaccompanied Minor that best encompasses you as an artist, which would it be and why?
morgen: My debut single “Odd One Out” because it’s always how I’ve felt as a person…and musically it’s fun. I think, even though it’s subject to change, my music will probably always have some humor to it.

PC: As we look ahead to the rest of 2021 into 2022, what can fans expect from you?
morgen: More music for sure! I’m currently writing a ton, and literally cannot wait to share it with you all!

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
morgen: William Crooks.

PC: First album you bought?
morgen: 1989 by Taylor Swift.

PC: First concert you attended?
morgen: The Doobie Brothers.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
morgen: Trophy by Kate Davis. It was the first album that I had heard with her complexities…also it just spoke to me the way only singles had before. I had never fallen in love with a body of work before her.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
morgen: The Hollywood Bowl.

PC: A must-have on the road?
morgen: Takis and Chapstick.

To keep up with morgen, follow her on Instagram, Spotify, and Apple Music. Stream Unaccompanied Minor today.

Photo Credit: Aidan Schechter