MORGAN EVANS legte mit seinem Debütalbum ‚Things That We Drink To‘ den Grundstein für seine Karriere. EVANS schaffte es mit seinem Debüt unter die Top 10 der Billboard Charts und seine Single „Kiss Somebody“ landete direkt auf Platz 1. Und auch seine neue Single „Over For You“ scheint wieder ein voller Erfolg zu werden. Wir sprachen mit MORGAN EVANS über seine musikalischen Anfänge und Pläne.
SI: You start playing rock music in your band Extortion/Solver together with your brother Tom and a friend, Nick Cook. There’s a Solver song called “Weigh me down”. This reminds me a lot of Soundgarden. What were your influences back then?
MORGAN: Haha where did you find that?!? 10 points for your research! We started that band when we were 13 & 11 years old, we played all kinds of music together, from punk to rock & obviously country music. If I had to pick the 3 most influential acts at the core of that band, it would be Silverchair, The Foo Fighters and Keith Urban.
SI: The music you played with Solver sounds a bit harder. When and how did you get into country music? Why didn’t you continue with rock music?
MORGAN: My parent’s record collection was a solid mix of rock and country music. It was nothing to go from Zepplin IV to Glen Campbell in the house growing up, so it always kind of made sense to do that in our band in the early days. In our late teens the band became its own thing, more rock, and I started a solo thing that was more country. Honestly, it all sounded country in the end and when the boys decided to start their careers and families, I started to spend more time on my solo thing … and I guess I’m still going!
SI: How important is country music in Australia?
MORGAN: Country Music has always been important in Australia, and has a rich local history with artists like Slim Dusty, Kasey Chambers & John Williamson. That said, American Country Music has become very popular in Australia over the last 10 years, too.
Fotocredit: Chady AwadSI: You won the “Road to Tamworth competition” in 2007, and then you flew to Nashville to record a single. Why was it important for you to record this in Nashville? Was it always your goal to become successful there?
MORGAN: Nashville is a magical place for anyone that loves music, and I’m grateful for that competition for introducing me to it. Once I discovered that community of songwriters and producers and players, I just knew that one day I had to be a part of it!
SI: With your hit single “Kiss Somebody” you landed a complete success and became known beyond the borders of Australia/America. After this, was it easier for you to release new material?
MORGAN: I’m so grateful for the success of that song, and all the people I have got to meet and play music for because of it! We have more new music coming very soon, and I’m actually listening to, and finalizing mixes as we tour around Germany!
SI: You’re coming to Germany for the second time, and you’re playing three concerts here. Do you have special expectations to the shows/fans?
MORGAN: We played one show in Berlin in 2019, and I remember it like it was yesterday. The crowd were so passionate, and so present, and I got to meet a lot of them after the show! On this run we’re also playing the kind of venues I played growing up in Australia and I can’t wait to feel that kind of energy again!
SI: Just one last question. What are your future musical plans?
MORGAN: More music coming!!! And hopefully we can come back to Germany one day very soon!
SI: Thank you for the interview and good luck on tour!
Interview: Sandra Baumgartl