We’re looking forward to introducing you to Stefani Morton. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Stefani , thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Recently, I decided to spend some time by the ocean. I needed a season of clarity, and Myrtle Beach has given me exactly that. My days start on the beach with my dog, Scooter — he’s my alarm clock whether I like it or not. Walking by the water is where I do most of my soul-searching. Not every walk brings a new song, but it always brings perspective. I use that time to evaluate and restructure my musical presence — how I show up online, how I show up in Nashville, and how I show up in my home community here in South Carolina.
When I first came to Myrtle Beach, I wasn’t planning to perform at all. I thought I would use this time strictly to work and write. But life has a way of redirecting you. Something very personal didn’t go the way I expected, and in that moment, God nudged me into a completely different direction. I walked into an open mic — almost by accident — and my comedian friend Dave Dunaway introduced me to The Barrel Bar & Grill. The owners, especially Ms. Judy, embraced me immediately. Their kindness opened a door I didn’t even know was waiting for me, and I’m now bringing all of my musical and artistic gifts into this community, exactly where God wants me to be. I’m so grateful to Dave and Ms. Judy for taking me in and making me feel at home.
Most days I’m working on my music for my upcoming shows and preparing for my recording sessions at Mission Control Studios in Pawleys Island. I’m stripping everything back to its purest form — just my vocals and my guitar — because at the core, I’m an authentic storyteller. I also spend part of my days brushing up on my watercolor and illustration skills, since visual art has always been another creative language for me.
Right now, I’m preparing for my three-state December mini-tour. I’ll be in Nashville first — performing for Livin The Write Life at The Stillery Midtown 12/09 and Live Oak Music Row 12/11. Then I travel to Florence, Alabama Muscle Shoals community for the Songbird Songwriter Series ( with Muscle Shoals Music Now and Lucie Tiger) at the Lava Room 12/12. I’ll end the run back home in South Carolina at The Barrel Bar & Grill, an old Myrtle Beach staple, on 12/18.
Myrtle Beach is becoming a strong country music hub — it’s home to the Carolina Country Music Fest — and I’m grateful to be stepping into more opportunities here. In January, I’ll be working with well-known Myrtle Beach promoter A.J. Case, who is a major force in elevating artists at every level. I’ll be part of his Sound Musician Feature series, and I’m excited to keep connecting with Nashville writers who move between here and Tennessee as both scenes continue to grow.
My life isn’t traditional — it’s a mix of creativity, travel, reinvention, and trusting God with every next step. But honestly? This season by the sea has been one of the most grounding and productive times of my life, and it’s shaping the music I’m bringing into this next tour.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Well, welcome to my world! It is an amazing journey. Folks should know I’m a singer-songwriter and visual artist with roots in Nashville and South Carolina,. My music leans country, a little outlaw, and Americana, and every song I write comes straight out of real life — love, loss, raising kids, starting over, and finding your voice again when the world tries to quiet it.
Right now, I’m re-recording my catalog with just me and my guitar at Mission Control Studios in Pawleys Island, and I plan to take some of those songs to full production and eventually into my first EP. I am writing with folks in Nashville. I’m in a season of digging deeper into my soul and writing more heartfelt music — especially for women over 50 who are navigating change, struggles, and heartache. Those are my people. I want them to feel seen, understood, and less alone.
My brand is authenticity. Real vocals, real stories, real womanhood. I’m building a life that reflects who I am now — one honest song at a time
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
The relationship that most shaped how I see myself is the one I’ve rebuilt with my own soul. I think a lot of women, especially over 50, reach a point where the roles we’ve played for decades start to shift. We’ve spent years caring for children, partners, pets, careers, and communities. Somewhere in all that giving, we lose a piece of ourselves.
In this new chapter of my life, I have really had to lean on my faith. God has been showing me who I truly am underneath all those roles. I’m a songwriter, a storyteller, and a woman who feels deeply. Writing by the ocean, traveling, meeting musicians in different towns, learning new communities — all of it has brought me back to myself.
My purpose is to connect with people, especially women who are navigating their own changes, struggles, and reinventions.
Music has become my way of healing and helping others heal. When I get on stage, I’m not just singing — I’m sharing pieces of the journey God is walking me through. I want people to feel understood, comforted, and less alone. And honestly, when my audience connects to a song, it feels like a little confirmation from above that I’m right where I’m supposed to be.
Rebuilding my relationship with myself has shaped me more than anything else. It taught me that self-love isn’t selfish; it’s how we show up in the world with purpose, grace, and authenticity. And that’s the heart behind every song I write.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me who I really am. Success feels good, but it doesn’t grow you — pain does. Every setback, every heartache, every time I had to start over… that’s where God did His real work in me.
What I’ve learned is that when you survive something hard, you carry a different kind of light. Other women can see it from across the room. I’ll walk into places where I don’t know a soul, and suddenly a woman will get a message on her phone, or something will hit her heart, and she’ll walk straight over to me and start talking like she’s known me forever.
It happens all the time — complete strangers opening up about their struggles, their kids, their marriages, their loneliness, their dreams. And somehow, we connect instantly. Some of those women have become long-time friends. It’s like God uses our wounds as a bridge.
Women our age have lived so much life — losses, reinventions, responsibilities — and when we meet each other out in the world, especially when we feel alone or like a single stranger in a room full of people, we recognize one another’s strength.
Suffering taught me compassion. It taught me presence. It taught me to listen deeply. And it taught me that the connections born in hardship are often the most powerful ones.
Success gave me confidence, but suffering gave me purpose — and it’s the reason I write music that makes women feel seen and less alone.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
There are a few truths that quietly guide everything I do, even if I rarely say them out loud. One is that God has a steady way of nudging you toward the life you’re meant to live. Even when the path goes sideways, even when things fall apart, there’s always a bigger plan working behind the scenes. Learning to trust that has brought me a lot of peace.
Another foundational truth is that people are far more alike than we realize. No matter where I travel, no matter the age or background, everyone is carrying something — hopes, worries, dreams, transitions. Connecting with others, even in simple, everyday ways, reminds me that we’re all just doing the best we can.
And the last truth is that authenticity is the strongest compass we have. Whether I’m writing music, walking into a new community, or stepping onstage, being true to who I am has opened doors I didn’t even know existed.
Faith, connection, and authenticity — those are the truths that ground me as a person and guide me as a songwriter.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people tell the story of a woman who honored the creativity and music that’s lived in her family for generations.
My great-grandfather was a fiddler in the Buffalo Bill Cody Show, and my distant cousin was the late, great Patsy Cline. My mother played trumpet, was a majorette, performed in musicals, spent her life singing in church choirs, and encouraged my sister and me to perform too. She made sure we were in musicals, marching band, and anything that allowed us to shine onstage.
My father took tap-dance as a child, sang in the Charlotte Boys Choir, and raised me on the great composers and performers of the Brat Pack era. With parents like that, it’s no surprise they had me onstage by age two — tap dancing, clogging, performing — and I never stepped out of the spotlight.
Even as an art teacher, I brought that same passion to the classroom and became known throughout my community for inspiring creativity in others.
Later in life, God led me to Nashville, where I rediscovered my purpose as a songwriter. I stepped into rooms filled with musicians and storytellers who sharpened me and reminded me of the legacy I’m carrying. Nashville didn’t just influence me — it confirmed everything my family poured into me from childhood.
I hope people say I used my gifts with heart. That I wrote songs that made others feel understood. That I showed it’s never too late to start over, to reinvent yourself, and to follow God’s nudge, even when the path looks different than you imagined.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.stefanimorton.com
- Instagram: @stefani_morton_music
- Facebook: Stefani Morton Music
Image Credits
Kristy Skinner
Rhythm & Lyrics Photography
Pete Valencia Photography
Bobby Ray
James Tristan Redding
