Who Is Morgan Johnston? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music

Today we are shining our spotlight on Morgan Johnston, a talented singer-songwriter from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The songstress grew up singing and performing on stage with her eccentric, yet supportive family in tow.

“I grew up playing at these local bars. Both of my parents are in the animal entertainment industry. They are both dog trainers,” began Johnston. “They would travel and do these fair circuits and my dad would try to get me to just try to sing in front of people by singing the national anthem at these events.”

Her family always encouraged her to sing and use her beautiful voice. At the age of thirteen, Johnston began adding writing to her repertoire.“I started writing at 13 years old. Just the classic, heartbreak, boy songs,” shared the singer, adding, “It was a way to get my emotions out on paper.”

Johnston found early inspiration in artists like George Strait, The Chicks, Britney Spears, and Shania Twain. Nowadays, she still finds inspiration in talented female artists in the industry. “I am so fascinated by the up and coming journey of it to, who may not be huge, but are grinding and doing so well like Lainey Wilson or Ingrid Andress. My icons, however, are Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, and Maren Morris.”

Despite a clear love for music, Johnston never truly saw it as a career path, so she attended college in Ohio on a scholarship for riding horses. When she turned 21 and went to Nashville, all of that changed.

The Turning Point:

“On my 21st birthday, I came to Nashville, and I had a friend who was dating Brett Young at the time,” began Johnston. “When we got there, he asked me if I wanted to play Whiskey Jam.” During that trip, the songstress learned that there was a path for her to play music for a living.

“I always tell that story because I moved [to Nashville] three months later after that weekend trip to Nashville […] I usually say that Brett pretty much gave me that power and knowledge that there was a path to do it.”

In 2016, when she made the move to Music City, Johnston found herself wanting to soak in as much as she could with people who were also beginning in the industry. “When you get here, you don’t want to hang out with [more established artists]. There’s so much learning and growing that you have to do. Learning about the industry, learning about yourself, learning about what you want to do yourself in the industry,” shared the singer.

During her time cultivating her sound in Nashville, Johnston found her people. “I came here and just started to hang out with people who also just got here and were trying to write with whoever they could and were looking for friends, real friends.”

She added later, “That’s kind of how I found the group of people that I just love and are inspired by, and they might not be hit writers yet, but I believe that we are all going to have success together. That’s my favorite part of being in Nashville.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, Johnston is a working singer-songwriter in the industry. For the last six years, she has been paving a spot for herself in the talented landscape that Nashville has to offer. Most recently, the singer released an incredible new song called “The End.”

“This is kind of funny because it is probably one of the most lighthearted songs I have put out. I really struggle with love songs,” shared the singer, when asked about the inspiration for the clever track. “For some reason there is a lack of substance to love songs to me sometimes, if they are a little too bubbly.”

Johnston went on to share that the concept of “The End” inspired her to want to create a love song. “When people talk about love and are like ‘I fell in love and never looked back,’ and for me, yes, I have fallen in love and not looked back in a sense, but there’s a nervousness and a scariness that you feel when you meet the person and you’re like I think this is going to be it, and no one ever talks about that.” This creative new outlook on love is both relatable and inspiring.

The singer has another new song coming down the pipeline too! “After Me,” a fan-favorite on socials, is slated for release on July 1st. If that news is not enough, the singer also shared with us that an album is coming later this year. Johnston is continuing to up her staying power with each and every exciting announcement!

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