Daily Inspiration: Meet Morgan Johnston

Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan Johnston

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in a small beach town on Cape Cod called Sandwich, Massachusetts. Both of my parents are professional dog trainers and we had a small farm growing up and although I was not deprived of any of the pop, r&b or rock music happening in the 90s and 2000s, we listened to a lot of country music and I think that’s where a lot of my inspiration with music started. My dad dabbled quite a bit with music, he plays drums, bass and guitar and although he is not much of a singer, I watched him enjoy music a lot growing up. He would tell me stories about my great grandmother who was a signed songwriter in LA in the 60s and 70s. She was signed to a publishing company called Fourth House Music which was owned by Mable John, one of The Raelettes (back up signers for Ray Charles). When I turned 13 I started writing my own songs and playing them out at local bars. From there I formed a deep love for songwriting as a way to express myself but I didn’t quite have the confidence to think I could pursue it professionally -I also didn’t have a clue of where to even begin. I did have enough confidence to play locally though, and around 17 I started getting paid gigs at bars around my hometown. I’ve always had a love for animals and I’ve been a competitive equestrian my entire life so when it came to a career I had my heart set on being a professional horse trainer. I went to college for one year at the University of Findlay in Ohio on a scholarship to ride there and I double majored in Western Equestrian studies and physical therapy (my family and I still laugh about the physical therapy major because it feels random enough that I could’ve pulled it out of a hat, ha!) In August of 2016 I made a trip to Nashville on summer break with a friend who happened to be friends with songwriter and country artist, Brett Young. Brett was in the beginning stages of his career taking off at this time and he knew I was a songwriter and was kind enough to show me the ropes around the city, give me some advice about how the industry works and he even threw me in to play a couple songs at a popular showcase in Nashville called Whiskey Jam. That trip changed everything for me. The dream inside me that had been pushed to the side for years came fully to life. Although I didn’t know much, I could at the very least see some sort of path, and that, along with the captivating essence of the dreamers in Nashville feeling completely contagious, I guess that was enough to convince me to completely drop everything else in my life and start this wild journey. So I dropped out of college that week and two months later, I was living in Nashville. Today I am signed as a songwriter to Warner Chappell, Jennasis Music and Sixteen Sound. I have toured with acts like Lainey Wilson, Dustin Lynch, Madison Beer and more, and I am continuing to connect with an audience putting out music consistently. I’m very excited for all of the new music I have been working on for this year.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been smooth sailing the entire time. I have been in Nashville working towards this for coming up on 9 years but I believe every challenge I have overcome was meant to prepare me for the next step of my journey. I have learned that even when we accomplish a big goal, we never really get RID of our problems, we just get new ones 🙂 Maybe they are better problems than our old ones, but needless to say, they’re still problems. That sentiment has helped me to remember to stay grounded and realize that no one,single goal I achieve is going to wave a magic wand and fix all of my problems. I think in the beginning the hardest part, before I was signed, was trying to balance two full time jobs. You have to work a full time job to be able to afford to live here in Nashville, but you have to work this career full time too if you want make strides. I was always trying to do the dance of how to stay in town but also how to not spend all of my time here working a job I didn’t move here to work. Also, a lot of professional songwriters in Nashville at publishing companies are writing during the week, smack dab in the middle of typical job hours. You can’t work a 9-5, 5 days a week and also say yes to any opportunities to write with the pros. I ended up working a nannying job for 5 years for a family of two surgeons who had a son with Down Syndrome. I would work 6am-6pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and I would write doubles on Monday and Friday. Looking back, that job was a huge blessing because it allowed me to fit all of my hours into 3 days so that I could focus on my artistry and songwriting on two full week days and weekends.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a songwriter and an artist. I like to say that I’m a songwriter who can sing because the songwriting is really what fills my cup personally but being able to sing it and share it with people and connect with them through the songs makes me feel like I am giving back to the world and that is what I feel most proud of. To help others. I can’t perform an open heart surgery or cure cancer but I can help put words and melodies to universal experiences that sometimes, as people, we feel incredibly alone in. I can remind someone that they are in fact not alone in that feeling. I can put words and melodies into a song that makes someone happy or lifts up their day or makes them smile. I can put nuanced feelings that someone didn’t know how to express by themselves into a song. That’s what makes me feel the most proud.

As far as what sets me apart, I truthfully don’t think the answer is too fancy, I think being me sets me apart. I think you being you sets you apart. Nobody has walked in my shoes or experienced life from my eyes and nobody has walked this earth as you or experienced life from your eyes, except for you. I truly believe we all have our own unique story to tell. To me, that alone sets us all apart 🙂 Ironically, although I believe our unique stories set us apart, I think music is meant to bring us together, so everyday that I’m writing a song from my life’s perspective, I am actually hoping that in the end it does the opposite of setting me apart, it helps me find connection ❤️

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.morganjohnstonofficial.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morganjohnstonmusic?igsh=MW40ajEyZzhmMGdsYw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1B36uphBBF/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@morganjohnstonmusic?si=vVxfgemy6N0GKoSP