Guest: Miss Nikki Morgan, Singer/Songwriter

As the daughter of a minister and kin to a lot of church folk Nikki grew up listening to traditional gospel/christian music and spent much of her grade school days involved in school band playing clarinet and oboe. But, despite her early exposure to music, it wasn’t until the tender age of 28 when she finally began to start making music of her own.

Nikki was born and raised in North Carolina but Chicago is where she found her first home as a performer and songwriter. Starting out in the open mic scene it didn’t take long for her to garner local support and make her way to some great stages around the midwest: opening for acts such as Jaime Wyatt, Caroline Spence, Boo Ray, and Sean Watkins.

She is a former winner of the awarded Uncommon Ground Songwriting competition; she has been voted as a ‘Judge’s Pick’ in the Nashville Rising Song contest, and recently had her single Love.Save.Me make it to the semi-final round of the International Songwriting Competition.

Nikki finds a way to combine captivating melodies and insightful lyrics with a voice full of raw passion.  Her music is unapologetic in it efforts to grapple with real life; and yet elegantly embodies the essence of her “Carolina Soul”.

Connect with her and her music at https://missnikkimorgan.com/

This program is sponsored by Wilkes EDC. Situated in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Wilkes County serves as the pivotal hub connecting businesses, communities, and opportunities throughout the region. Visit https://wilkesedc.com/ for more info or to connect.

Be sure to visit BizRadio.US to discover hundreds more engaging conversations, regional events and more.

Transcript

Matt Mittan  0:06  
White Lightning two lightning fast Wilkesboro find your back road podcast covers all the people, places and things that make Wilkesboro One of the time mountain destination enjoy lively conversations as we welcome artists, local business leaders, event organizers, and creatives from around Wilkesboro. It's the Wilkesboro find your back road podcast. And let's welcome to this episode Miss Nicky Morgan, welcome. Glad to have you on the show. I'm happy to be here. Thank you. I am so looking forward to our conversation. We've had this in the works for for a few weeks. I think now and and scheduling back and forth between your busy schedule and our schedule on this end, we finally pulled it together. And now we get to talk music and craft and art and community. And I'm so excited. Yeah. Alright, so let's start off first, for people that may not be familiar with your music with your art. Go ahead and just let them know a little bit about yourself where you're from and how you got involved in music and what kind of music you really, you know, focused on sharing with the community.

Miss Nikki Morgan  1:09  
Yeah, well, I'm super early on like early kid days, I grew up in North Carolina, in Greensboro, North Carolina, of course, North Carolina, but greens brothers, where I'm originally from my grandfather, both of my grandfather's pastor churches, and my grandfather in Greensboro was who I was around most his church, and we did a lot of singing, I would harmonize with my aunts. And you know, I did a little bit of like band playing clarinet and stuff in grade school. But it wasn't until I was about like, 28, living in Chicago, that I started doing music for myself. And it just so happens that it kind of came out the music that I was writing was like country, which makes a lot of sense, you know, coming from a southern church background, and then you throw an acoustic guitar into it. I don't think that is too, too, too far of a stretch to go from that to country music. And plus, I enjoy some really cool, you know, like country greats, like, some of the classics. But yeah, that's kind of like the short version. So I've been I started writing songs and performing in 2015. And I gave myself a year to do it and see how it went. And I've been doing and

Matt Mittan  2:34  
here we are these years later. And so how did you find your way to the foothills?

Miss Nikki Morgan  2:39  
Um, so will is has always actually been a part of my life. Because my there our church growing up, had a second location here in North Wilkesboro. So I would come up here as a kid. And then it was a while before coming back. But I happen to have some family that moved here. Years back years back, they've been here for a while now. And so when I decided to go leave Chicago and come back home, I just decided to come to Wilkes. And it really has become home. You know, like, home to me. It has it's been a it's been a part of my healing process. I've said before it was the last few years as a person and as an artist. So yeah, that the Wilkes in the western side of the of the state has been it's been really nice getting to know it.

Matt Mittan  3:32  
Yeah. And you know, you say you gave yourself a year. Talk about that a little bit, you know, because you're obviously still doing it, you know, and you're still you know, creating just such personable and vulnerable, beautiful music for folks and everything. So talk about that decision to say Alright, I'm gonna give this a year see what happens with it. What was what was going on in your life at that time that you decided you were going to, you're going to give a full plunge diving off into it with an asterix next to it with that one year timeline.

Miss Nikki Morgan  4:06  
Yeah, it's it's an interesting story. And I love that word that you said vulnerable it as far as like to describe music and style, because that is what I tried to do. And I think in that moment, that was really me being vulnerable. That was kind of like I was in a place of finally being able to be vulnerable with myself. So like I said, back in 2015 is when I started writing music, but right before that, I had spent I had come back and I was living with art and Charlotte which is not really important to the story, but I happen to find myself hiking, I can't remember which mountain because I go to a lot of them. But it was like it was a it was a I was hiking somewhere in this area and If I was at the top of a mountain, and I finally told myself admitted it to myself, you want to try, I want to try songwriting. And I was so scared for it because it was something that I really felt for most of my life. For most, you know, like that I can remember. And I'd spent some time doing theater and acting. That's actually my, when I went to college for was acting, but I hadn't actually given music, a genuine try. I hadn't been given it a try where to where I was being vulnerable. And given of my, you know, like, my take on music, I guess you can say, I was at the top of a mountain here in western North Carolina, and I admitted it to myself. I want to write songs. So I was like, Okay, fine, we'll do it. We'll give it a year and see how it goes. And and, and like I said, I just it just it from the very start from the very first open mic I played in Chicago. It was good. It went well. People received what I had to offer it and they connected with it. So yeah, and you

Matt Mittan  6:08  
had some success in Nashville, too, didn't you? Or was it? I had read somewhere about the songwriting contest in Nashville to

Miss Nikki Morgan  6:16  
Yeah, I did. I won this. That was yeah, that was a really cool experience. And there's this songwriting contest called NAT Mastro rising song or something like that. And it's just this whole, so many songwriters come and they do these. I mean, Nashville.

Matt Mittan  6:32  
Yeah, that's all you have to say. Yeah, songwriters, competition, Nashville, Tennessee. Hello. And the story, you know, the pool you're getting into there.

Miss Nikki Morgan  6:43  
You know what a funny story about that competition is, so I the round that I made it, made it through on I was the judges pick. Right. So that's like, you get the popular pick. But like the judges, I felt really good about that. Yeah. So the judges picked me to move on to the semi fight to the finals. And I get to the finals. And they're like, their advice. You know how people give advice. But really, they're telling you to do something, they're like, We advise you to use the same song. Like, if you want with the song, use the song again, it's encouraged. And I just, I don't know, be like, Well, if you're going to tell him you to do the same song, I'm definitely not going

Matt Mittan  7:29  
to do that's, that's the Carolina in you.

Miss Nikki Morgan  7:34  
So I changed my song. And I didn't win. And I know, I could feel the disappointment from the guy who runs a combination. He was like, Why did you change your song?

Matt Mittan  7:45  
Wow. Well, but you know, but kudos to you to follow in your own path, you know, to trust in that discernment. And you, you know, and I think that, that authenticity comes through in what you do, you know, for folks that don't follow your music already. One of the things I know you do is you blog about the songs and you and you share it almost like, like a poetry blast. You know, I mean, you're very open with, with what you create, and sharing behind the scenes, situations and everything. And I think that's really unique. And where do you gain the strength to be that open with the public? Huh?

Miss Nikki Morgan  8:23  
That's a really good question. And I appreciate you like taking note of that, because I, I do like being able to share deeper what those songs are coming from. I guess you can say that it comes from my upbringing. And it also is just something deeper. And I guess there's just a deeper, it's a desire, but also like a longing to share more. And maybe it comes from, like I said, I have two grandfathers who are bishops and Pastor churches. One of them actually has a church here on 115 in North Wilkesboro. And they both are very personable speakers. And they both are very great at connecting with audiences, because they bring themselves when they talk and when they share. And I guess growing up with that makes me I guess, I don't know. Maybe it comes from that a little bit.

Matt Mittan  9:24  
Yeah, it's interesting. Yeah. Because as I hear you talk about it. And, and I wonder, you know, being around ministers and stuff, if that's part of where that, that ability to kind of share and everything, you know, have you had family members say that your music is a ministry had no, I mean, you know, it's not like you're getting into, you know, it's not like gospel country kind of stuff, necessarily. I mean, you know, it's not that style of music from what I've heard, it's, it's very personal, it you know, you're you're sharing of yourself and stories and, and, you know, so but do you think in some way that's part of what you kind of open that door for you got used to seeing people be open with other people. And

Miss Nikki Morgan  10:04  
I think though Yeah, I can put it this way. I do believe my music is a way for me to share what, you know, back in church, we would call a testimony. Yeah. And I think I actually, this is something I've been journaling a lot about lately, it's I think it's just a, it's a part of what I'm supposed to share in music just happens to be the way that I that I do that, and I'm grateful to be able to, you know, like, share things in that way. But I do, I do believe there's just a natural comfort that I have with doing that. And so, the thing I don't, I think, for me, when I write music and, and sing, it's such a personal thing. It's really, for me, it feels like one of the only ways I have to really express myself. And I, and I think I don't, if I if they're there, I know that there's ways around doing it. So personally, but I don't have you know, those tools.

Matt Mittan  11:09  
Oh, I mean, you know, there's an old lyric from Neil Young that I use, sometimes you said, My life's an open book, you read its pages on the radio, you know, and I always, I always love that lyric, you know, because it just spoke to such, you know, integrity in in the personal sharing the music, you know, to look at himself that way. And I get that same feel from from what I've seen and heard and read of your music is, is that openness, it's just like, here it is, I'm putting it on the table. And not only am I putting it on the table and leaving it to your interpretation, I'm going to even let you know what was going on in the contemplation because, you know, you got to hit certain rhythmic cadences with the vocal or with the lyrical arrangements and things, you know, you're a musician, a talented musician, you, you know how you have to do that. And sometimes, there's some phrases that get left out on the chopping room floor, you know, and then you you share that with your audience in other formats. And, and I just think that's so beautiful. And I think it really, it really touches people is my guess, I mean, you get to tour a lot, you're always you know, go into different places and turn around to different locations and everything, what some of the interaction that you get to have with audience members, when you are sharing so openly and freely of yourself. Um,

Miss Nikki Morgan  12:22  
you know, what, the best thing about being able to perform for different audiences is that I have come to realize the value and sharing my story and and what I have to offer, because when you I've heard it said for many people who do, you know, similar lines of work where they put themselves in on like, a public display in some kind of way, that when you share deeper and the more specifics of your life, and when you really allow yourself to be vulnerable. That's really when people can connect. And it's cool, because I've been before, uh, quite a number of audiences where I'm like, Oh, my gosh, these people don't like is they seem so different. They're from like, a whole different part of the country. I don't know if like my way of behaving and performance style, they're gonna like it, they're probably gonna think I'm weird and quirky. And, but it's really, it's really so nice when like, even feeling you know, like feeling that way before performance. And then after we're having somebody coming up to me, I'd be like, Oh my gosh, your stories, like that is exactly like my childhood and it was so great to hear somebody, you know, speak those words, just like I felt as myself. And so yeah, that's like, the best thing is learning that you I don't have to be as afraid of people as I thought I had to be because we're all just so similar.

Matt Mittan  13:49  
Beautiful, that's beautiful. And you know, Wilkes and the surrounding area have such a long history of music and everything. Does that environment or is there like a community scene of support and validation encouragement, everything that goes on? Do you? Do you find that the environment of being here especially when you go out and then come back home? What What role does that play in your evolution in the fact that you're still doing it so many years after your one year try?

Miss Nikki Morgan  14:18  
Right? I'm definitely there's an appreciation for good and honest art in this area. And even though I don't really tap into the Bluegrass ether ethers I still feel very like as like get to know more people and grow and you know, just become more comfortable with this area or familiar with this area. I'm always meeting people who are you know, like, either super super, you know, super supportive or like minded are really kind of like, well, I don't know,

Matt Mittan  14:52  
it surprises people to learn that there's more than bluegrass that's come out of the area too. I think of like Brian r&b Barber who's won a Grammy He's from Wilkesboro. And in 23, SkiDoo,

Miss Nikki Morgan  15:04  
you know, that I think of specifically sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off.

Matt Mittan  15:08  
No, that's all right. Go ahead.

Miss Nikki Morgan  15:10  
But that just made me like somebody that I speak of think of specifically is will Easter, who, when I, when I first moved to Wilkes, he was one of the first musicians that I met around here. And he's just always been so nice and supportive. And like, he'll, um, you know, like, jam with me a little bit. We've done shows together. And like, he's, he's always quick to, like, recommend something if I have a question about the area, or connecting you with somebody. And that's just and he's not an outlier. He's, you know, he's pretty, his type of pretty common, but he's just one example. And his music is great. And he's such a humble, you know, humble person, because he has really great music and knows a lot of really great people, but he's just kind of,

Matt Mittan  15:56  
it's really great. Well, you know, I kind of suspected we might go a little over our time, I just had a feeling we have, but I mean, we could probably still keep talking for another hour, I'm sure but I really hope that people are going to go ahead and connect with you and and you know, visit with you through your music and through what you share on your website. And what is the best way for people to connect with you and check out your music and follow you and all the things you're doing and sharing.

Miss Nikki Morgan  16:26  
My website honestly is the best if you go on there, it's Ms. Nicky morgan.com, Nikki went to KS. And you can like sign up for email. Or you can also follow me on Instagram, but the website is the best because that's where I'm kind of putting everything all everything that you would want to know or find out about is going to is going to be on my

Matt Mittan  16:48  
way and then they can find their way to their social media of choice and streaming platform of choice and all that kind of stuff from there. So it's Miss Nicky morgan.com Thank you so much for taking some time to be here on the Find your back road podcast. And it's really been a pleasure to talk to you.

Miss Nikki Morgan  17:06  
Oh, thank you. Thank you for having Thank you for listening to the Wilkesboro find your back read podcast

Matt Mittan  17:15  
to request an interview spot or to advertise email info at wilt county tourism.com.

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