Exposed Vocals Interviews Danielle Morgan
Originally from the UK, singer/songwriter/musician Danielle Morgan, currently resides in Dubai. Morgan’s music is diverse in topic & eclectic in mood. She writes about her daily life experiences & fans can relate.
Her vocals are exquisite & her sound is compelling, uniquely her own. She began honing her skills at the age of 14 & it was her path to enter the world famous BRIT School in London, England.
Morgan has composed over 50 original works to date. She is working closely with highly credited LA producer Real Jon Smith. In the past 18 months, her focus has been on performance,
collaborating with other songwriters & recording her latest music tracks. On stage, Morgan is at her best & is absolutely mesmerizing. Her fans agree.
What’s upcoming for this talented young lady? Within the next two months, she will be recording at the Abbey Road Studio in London, and is set to launch her latest release “No Trace of You” to the global media markets. Her first EP is set to be released this summer. Live show dates in Ireland & the UK are scheduled for June & July.
All under the watchful eye of John Merrigan, her personal manager. Stay tuned for more!
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Danielle: From humble beginnings, I grew up in London. At an early age I joined a school choir and began listening to musicals and was really inspired by the Motown sound. This lead to me becoming heavily involved in amateur dramatics and musical theatre. A friend invited me to come along and see the famous BRIT School which was only just starting. It was an amazing place, where anyone with talent can apply and there are no fees paid once you go through the acceptance process. There I was exposed to all performing arts and focused my passion on singing and songwriting. Looking back, all those events were guiding me to become an artist even though I was not consciously doing it at the time – I just wanted to play music and I still do! I see myself as just an ordinary person doing something very cool.
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Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Danielle: I just kept my real name. It’s the real me you see.
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Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Danielle: I think online sharing is a great way to share music directly with fans and get feedback and encouragement along the way. Yes, I have given away free music and performed live for no fee when something reaches me emotionally or I want to support a worthy cause.
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Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Danielle: Do free gigs and use everything to learn your craft. Work with musicians and other who are older than you so they can share their knowledge and experience. And when you think you have learned everything, start again. Always say thank you to those who help you. Be willing to do all the jobs, large and small. Be with a small number of people you trust and get a great manager. Don’t listen to negative people and don’t let them take you off track.
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Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
Danielle: Yeah! We handle it by laughing with the audience and say: ”that’s live music folks!” If it’s going really bad on stage, just stop and start again. Be brave!!
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Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
Danielle: What happens on tour, stays on tour!!!!
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Danielle: Normally, if I am affected by something or real events I am inspired to write. It can happen in the middle of the night or at any time. It can be unsocial. I don’t have a process to speak of, as I cannot sight-read music, and the songs are usually turned around (lyrics, melody and music) very quickly within 20 minutes most times, and from there it is case of refining and structuring the track. I write on piano mostly and spend a lot of time with my co-writer and drummer to get the song to a certain point and then bring in the guitarist to take it further and from there our bassist and other guitar are brought into finish that stage. At that point, we send it to our producer, the RealJon Smith in LA to get him working on it. He then sends it back and we work on it some more. Thinking about it, it is quite complex but it never feels difficult. So far, I have written or co-written 50 songs and we are adding to the list almost daily these days!
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Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Danielle: No website. We use a range of platforms to get the music and our story out there: including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Soundcloud, ReverbNation, YouTube. All have a different role to play and we track it carefully with Kellie Leigh, our PR advisor.
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Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
Danielle: “Making Your Mind Up” by UK Band Bucks Fizz, some Neil Sedaka numbers and Cliff Richard Christmas songs! There are others but I have my reasons……!!!
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Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Danielle: I would focus on completing some charity songs I have written, and I would love to do music workshops for under-privileged kids around the world to inspire them about the power of music and how it can change your life!
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Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
Danielle: Just finished recording 6 songs at Abbey Road Studios in London and hope to return there to record the rest of the album in a few months’ time. It was a pretty intense experience.
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Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Danielle: We use a combination of live performances and the power of social media. Getting close to play to fans is the real deal and you get instant response from them. Social media gives us scale and a wide platform to build awareness which is proving really important.
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Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Danielle: I would love to have performed with Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly at Madison Square Garden (not on the same bill)!! They were legends, originals and the real deal. Among the living, Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton at the “Grand Ole Opry” and Billy Joel would be awesome.
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Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Danielle: Yes, we have an exciting project in the pipeline with Clem Curtis, lead singer of the Foundation, and we are finalizing summer tour dates for UK / Ireland and also rolling-out various promotional events. It’s very very busy.
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Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Danielle: I love cooking and most likely would be running our own restaurant serving great food from Ireland and UK.
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Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
Danielle: It was “I want to Sex you Up” by Colour Me Bad. At the time I was thinking if my mother was going to kill me as the lyrics were a bit racey!!
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Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Danielle: It’s very challenging. I sacrifice sleep, holidays and eating properly and I surround myself with a great team. It’s getting a bit easier…….
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Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
Danielle: The main goals are to release the first album, perform live as much as possible and continue to write new songs. Feel very blessed to share this journey with my fans and want to say a huge thinks for all their love and support.
