Morgan James: Bernstein In Story & Song

One voice is all it takes. The right vocalist can make you fall in love at first listen, elicit tears, or bring you back to a different era altogether. A microphone and a stage remain the only necessities. That holds true for New York-based singer and songwriter Morgan James. On her full-length debut for Epic Records, Hunter, she casts an unbreakable spell with a powerhouse voice equally inspired by smoky soul, swaggering R&B, theatrical swing, and a virtuosic classical poise. The Idaho native discovered her passion for music early on and pursued it wholeheartedly at the prestigious Juilliard School. While in the midst of the institution's rigorous academic program, she soon realized that her path would diverge from the classical world. "I didn't want a career in opera, but Juilliard still shaped me," she confesses. "The traditional training really made me a disciplined singer. I carry that with me to this day." After graduating, Morgan spent the next few years facing the proverbial struggles of being a young artist in New York. Low on money, she bounced back and forth between bartending and restaurant gigs while fighting to survive. Immersed in classic sixties and seventies soul records, she concurrently experienced a pivotal revelation. "Out of that frustration came this other voice," she says. "It was my true voice, and I feel like I discovered it in the middle of so much hardship just trying to be heard. I embraced who I was at that very moment." Soon, she would be heard in a big way. In 2008, Morgan booked her first Broadway show—appearing in The Addams Family alongside Nathan Lane, as well as in prominent and leading roles in Wonderland, Godspell (Turn Back, O Man), and Berry Gordy's Motown The Musical as Teena Marie. The latter set the stage for her to properly launch her solo career. Gordy recognized the vocalist's immense talent, and introduced her to Doug Morris and L.A. Reid, opening the door for a deal with Epic Records in 2012. Around the same time, Mor