We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shelby Morgan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shelby below.
Shelby , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I’ve known that I was destined to be a performer and creative since I can remember. I was performing in my room, for my parents, brothers end-of-year baseball team parties, talent shows and any karaoke I could be a part of. I started writing music when I discovered Hannah Montana at age 10 and Miley Cyrus became a huge influence on how I started creating my music and my brand. I knew that with being a pop star, you also have your brand, so in turn I started to also be creative with how I expressed myself in fashion. I knew the impact that both of these things had on my adolescence and knew that I could help others find themselves through this platform. I wouldn’t want to do anything else because this is my purpose.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m a pop singer/songwriter based out of Maryland who is a hopeless romantic dreamer with a vintage soul. I believe in creating music for the beautifully nostalgic—where every song will feel like a different piece of your favorite vintage items. In 2018, when I started performing, I launched a vintage clothing line, Insomnia Vintage, to coincide with my music aesthetic. When it comes to the merging of how I create my music and the way I express myself in vintage fashion, I want it to feel limitless. I have always made sure to express my style and persona the way I wanted, instead of letting others determine who I should be. I want others to feel that way too, with my music and my brand. My Purpose is to promote sustainability in music and fashion and help undervalued creatives forge high levels of confidence in order to feel encouragement to pursue their dreams. Through musical storytelling, those who feel undervalued will feel empowered to use their emotional vulnerability towards creating art and overcoming their personal trauma. I want those who listen to my music to feel nurtured in hopes that it will then create a cycle of bringing this mindset & insight into their lives as a tool to help just as much as it has helped in mine. Through vintage clothing I hope to encourage others to truly express their style the way that they want. Through personal connections, I hope to bring to light the special parts of people that they may not see within themselves and give them products that feel as though they have been waiting for them to purchase them all along. I always tell my customers who find an item they love that it was meant for them. In both cases, as a creative who feels undervalued, or a vintage item that was left behind, being cast aside does not mean that both parties are any less worthy. If anything, it means that all along we were just waiting for the right person to come along and appreciate the real value that we offer.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Since 2018 I had an opportunity to meet with musical legend Nile Rodgers. He was shown my first song that I released as a professional and was impressed. Our first meeting was spectacular. He truly is such a kind soul who saw something special in me without having a lot of work to show for myself. I was brought to Abbey Road Studios to meet with his manager, asked to join a songwriting camp on his behalf and invited to his Brit Awards parties 2 years in a row. I was able to network and see clearly the opportunities in front of me. The last party was in February 2020, you can see where this is going. I was starting to feel discouraged in my career because I had made all of these amazing connections and had a lot of higher-ups telling me that I had something special but I wasn’t seeing much trajectory. The night of the party I met an agent who hadn’t even heard my music but knew I was a star. She helped put me in front of people that I never imagined I would be in front of and I started to see my career take off in a matter of weeks. I had things set up for 2021, performances with the Foo Fighters and at venues owned by Mumford & Sons for crowds that were indescribable. The agent was even in the process of getting me signed to Universal, but a week before her meeting with them, things started shutting down. I have never been someone to not be optimistic, but it wasn’t until the second shut down that I realized that these opportunities wouldn’t be happening as soon as I hoped. Looking back now I have a different perspective. Over quarantine I met my co-writer, Mike Manos, who I call my “musical soulmate.” If things had happened the way that I hoped in 2020, I never would have developed the relationship that I have with him, nor would I have found my true musical sound and personal voice. I know now that if I could make it happen before with nearly nothing to show, I can most definitely do it again with the music and brand that I know now is the best that it has ever been.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
In today’s society, social media can be really helpful for creatives, but also really harmful. One thing that I learned from my brief time in the music industry is that numbers matter most. With social media, higher-ups in the industry tend to look past actual creative potential and instead look for what money you would already be bringing to them right off the bat. Pre-social media, you didn’t have to worry about this aspect. They cared more about your demo you played them or if you have star quality. This is why you see more and more tik-tok stars becoming pop stars or actors. The money is already there. I don’t think the average non-creative realizes the impact this has on independent artists. We make our money based off of merch sales and live shows that we play. Sharing is a big part of that process as well. With Spotify now putting in place their policy of not having to pay artists for streaming when we were already getting next to nothing is another example of how tough it can be to do this on our without the little help that we are asking from our fans and peers. There are people out there who do know this and are advocating for independent artists, but not enough people know this and I think that should change. I wouldn’t want to do anything else with my life and will do whatever it takes to continue in my career, but we all need to advocate for each other and make sure everyone is getting the compensation and recognition that they deserve by sharing each others work and sticking together!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shelbymorganofficial.squarespace.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itshallbeshelby/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shelbymorganmusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/itshallbeshelby
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@shelbymorganofficial
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@itshallbeshelby
Image Credits
Rob Boucek, Allison Lotz, Emily Bryant