She is one of the most exciting young artists in Nashville right now with a truly unique and unforgettable voice so following opening up shows for the likes of Maren Morris, Dan + Shay, Brett Eldredge and Little Big Town it is truly exciting to receive the debut extended release from Oklahoma native Kylie Morgan.
Morgan is a signed songwriter at SMACKSongs under the guidance of Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne on a roster that also includes the likes of Walker Hayes and Noah Schnacky, who has also received widespread praise which include being named as one of the three members of the 2020 CMT KixStart programme. On the heels of the release of her debut EP release “Love, Kylie” (listen HERE) we caught up with Kylie who is one of the most positive and enlightening people to talk to about her long-awaited new project and life in Nashville during 2021. “It’s a beautiful sunny day and I just got done with a meeting with my A&R talking about my next project, which is insane because this is a current project that we are talking about. I’m just happy, I’m excited, I’m excited for the future and excited that people are finally getting to hear what I’ve been working on for over a decade, so it’s all good!” Before the magnitude of the pandemic was appreciated, we had talked about how this debut project was the culmination of over a decade’s work that was very close to coming into the world so with things being adjusted we talked about how far from what she may have envisioned this release was from what it actually became. “It was a very long wait and during the pandemic I couldn’t tour or do all the things I know how to do as an artist so all I could do was release a song. I released “Break Things” and even though I couldn’t tour and do all these things, I ended up reaching more people than I could ever reach because the song went viral and ended up getting like thirty million streams during the pandemic. It’s so weird because during the time I wasn’t able to get out on the road I was reaching more people than I ever had.”
Her debut release, essentially says “Hi, my name is Kylie Morgan and this is what I have to say!” and leading up to the release she had said that she wanted to give people songs that portray a feeling or an emotion for whatever people are thinking or going through. “I joke that it’s like ripping my heart out and hand it to every person that hits play. It’s a pretty vulnerable and crazy thing. I’m just so happy that it’s finally out in the world and people can finally hear what I’ve been working on for so long. I think the biggest message I want to give with this EP is that it is not always sunshine and rainbows. There are seasons in life and it’s how we appreciate all those seasons, all those chapters and of course we have nights where we have a blast singing “I Only Date Cowboys” but have vulnerable conversations like “Cheating On You” or walls we have to break down and get out in our own way like “Mad I Need You” so it’s all these things that truly make us human beings. It’s things that people can turn to when they don’t know how to put their own emotions into words.” Prior to coming over for C2C last year, the world and plans for releasing music looked very different which obviously were adapted as a result. “Nobody saw the pandemic coming so no matter how much I could have planned had that in. Jay and I talk about it all the time with how we could plan for the rest of our lives but it truly comes down to God’s plan. We are going to have so many obstacles that we are not expecting and find some more wings, fly over those obstacles and hopefully the world will get back to the place we know and love to continue to spread the world, spread the music and spread the love. We had truly pressed the pause button for a year and a half, I hate to say that but when it came down to releasing and EP, touring and all the plans that we had it was just stand by and thank God we are finally getting to hit play again.”
In addition to putting out her triumphant introduction in the form of her debut EP this year, Kylie has also had another significant event in her life (and got a stunning ring on her finger to show for it) as her long-time boyfriend Jay Allen popped the question at one of Nashville’s most iconic nights, whilst he was performing at Whiskey Jam down at Winners in Midtown. I asked about how special that event is to Music City along with whether she was expecting anything and how much Ward Guenther and everyone else were involved in keeping things a secret? “I really feel like the whole city of Nashville was a part of it and knew about it! I had an inkling and an idea that it was happening for a few reasons, one being my dad came to Nashville and he hadn’t been to town in two years so I thought something was happening. My whole family was here and honestly it couldn’t have been more perfect because the Whiskey Jam stage, when I first started coming to Nashville was something, I would envy with all of these amazing artists I could see there. I met some of my now best friends at Whiskey Jam, so it was a pretty full circle moment to close the girlfriend and boyfriend chapter who were nineteen or twenty years old going down there together to him performing and it is becoming the next step in our relationship.”
One of the things that she emphasized during our previous conversation was how releasing music was a culmination of a vison board that she had been building for over a decade. With the debut EP being only six tracks long, we talked about how much of this vision board has been exposed and when we can expect to be seeing more of it. “I actually just had a meeting today about my next project and it’s going to be brand new songs that people have never heard before but continuing the story. What’s incredible about releasing this project is that I’ve been writing for it for over ten years but I swear that last week I wrote two songs that I know are going to be on this project. It’s crazy that no matter how much I write and how long I do this, I keep getting songs that I feel are more and more me that I’m more and more proud of. I’m so happy to continue to write the story, continue this crazy journey with more and more people on it with me.”
Like many artists, the world has made touring and promoting difficult, so as the world begins to open up, what is on the horizon in terms of getting back on the road this summer? “I’m doing all the Live Nation festivals this year, so I’m getting to do Tortuga, Faster Horses, Watershed and I’m so excited because I’m such a festival junkie and I’m going to have as much fun being there as everyone else. I’m pretty stoked about that and I’m getting to do live band shows again, which is where I thrive then Jay and I are getting to do some shows together so that will be super fun to cross promote, singing each other’s songs and getting to be on stage together. All these fun things are happening and I’m so happy to be able to play live again.”
To round off we reflected on how Kylie was actually the first artist I spoke to after the world initially went into lockdown during March last year and how she was one of the only artists that came over for last years C2C Festival who actually got to perform in the capital. After a rapid jetlag fuelled bit of sightseeing last year, she is adamant that a return is on the cards and can’t wait to experience the famous British pub culture. “It’s crazy thinking back to when we last spoke. I was pretty much the only artist who got to play a show in London for C2C. Myself, Caylee Hammack and a couple of other artists did the showcase the day before where we all saw each other, then everything was cancelled. I feel like I have so many amazing UK supporters and I’m thankful for that and all of you giving me so much love which you continue to do, so I can’t wait to come and see you all again!”
The debut EP “Love, Kylie” from Kylie Morgan is out now through Universal Nashville which you can listen to HERE and you can keep up to date with her on social media via TwitterInstagramFacebook and TikTok.