Kylie Morgan Sings from the Heart
At first glance, Kylie Morgan seems like a normal teenager. A freshman in high school, Kylie is a cheerleader and into the same things as other girls her age. The difference is Kylie is also a promising country singer/songwriter poised to record her first full-length album and shock the music world with her endearing tunes and heartfelt lyrics.
“That’s what I love, to get to follow my dream at 14 and still get to do normal things that 14-year-olds get to do,” Kylie says. “It’s hard to balance everything, but I think I’m figuring it out.” Although she admits she doesn’t get to do everything her friends do, she knows it’s more than a fair trade considering the opportunities that have opened up to her at such a young age.
Kylie grew up listening to Martina McBride, Reba McIntyre and Miranda Lambert. She knew at age 12 she wanted to sing. She started writing songs and taking guitar lessons and as her abilities developed, the subject matter of her songs matured. She started to get noticed.
Her catchy, irresistible melodies carry lyrics drawn from life experiences. Her music is uplifting, and Kylie hopes it helps listeners through the pits and valleys of life. “When someone has a bad day, they can turn the song on and forget about things for two or three minutes,” she says.
As their first signed artist, 2 Sisters have spent the last few months promoting her and trying to get her music out there. “They decided that they saw something in me and they wanted to do something about it,” Kylie says.
Kylie released a self-titled, seven-song CD in April that is available on iTunes, which features just her voice and a guitar. This month she’s recording for an upcoming CD where she’ll be backed by a full band. Her band mates are Nick Sigman on guitar, Mikey Hines on bass, Jerred Bauer on drums and Tommy Frizzell on percussion.
“It’s hard to find places where a 14-year-old can play, but we’re doing our best,” Kylie says. She played the Oklahoma
State Fair five times this year, and she’s been making the rounds at rodeos, carnivals and festivals, including the Moore Music Festival. Her young age may limit playable venues, but it doesn’t appear to be a hindrance to her craft. Her songs carry an unnatural weight; they aren’t the shallow songs of a timid beginner.
“I write all my own stuff,” Kylie says. “I think country music is good for me because I tell stories in my songs.” She wrote “Prom Dress” out of irritation with teenage drama, but perhaps her most meaningful song is “She’s Our Miracle.” Kylie wrote the song when she was in eighth grade, after an English class journal assignment asked students to chronicle the most difficult thing they’ve ever gone through.
Kylie wrote about watching her little sister battle cancer. Inspired, Kylie went home and wrote the song in record time. She played it for her guitar teacher who happened to be a DJ for an American Cancer Society fundraiser, Relay for Life.
Now, Kylie performs the song at relays around the state and it has become an anthem for the program. She released the song as her first single, with all proceeds going toward the American Cancer Society. “I want to let people hear it and I want the song to touch them as it touched me,” Kylie says. “Hopefully these donations will help find a cure. I’m doing what I can.”
Kylie is supported by her sisters and parents. “My parents are awesome through this. They are behind me 100 percent. It’s very nice to have parents who believe in me,” she says.
Her current Christmas CD is titled Seven Days of Kylie. “We’re going to get some of the old Christmas songs and ‘Kylie-fy’ them,” she says. She will also contribute her version of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” for the Rodeo Opry Christmas CD, which will be available in all Oklahoma Taco Mayo restaurants.
Kylie dreams of someday appearing on the Country Music Awards, and would like to see her name in big letters over her home town. “Ever since I was little, I wanted to have my name on a water tower,” she says. “Hopefully, one day, the one in Newcastle will say ‘Home of Kylie Morgan.’”
Beyond that, her aspirations are relatively humble for someone with her talent and potential. “I want at least 100 people in each state to know my name and my music, and help cancer and find a cure.”
For more information about Kylie and to listen to her music for free, visit kyliemorgan.com and www.myspace.com/kyliemorgan33.
