Morgan Joyce Hart

How did you get your start in Music? Did you grow up in a musical family?

 I've been singing since before I could speak. My mom sang in the church choir and would play her practice tapes while driving in the car. I would babble along with her in the car, at home, and with my grandma (her mom). Once I could sing actual words, the both of them would ask me to "sing Jesus Loves Me, Whitney Houston style!" My mom often tells the story of me as a toddler, breaking out into Jingle Bell Rock during the quiet part of a movie. The audience was laughing and singing along, gratefully!

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What made you decide to pursue music?

I've always known I was meant to do something with my music to change the world for the better. Ever since I was a kid, people have come up to me with tears in their eyes after I've sung, exclaiming that I brought them emotional and spiritual healing. These experiences drilled into me from a pretty young age that I was destined to use the musical gifts God blessed me with on a large scale, for a greater purpose than myself. A lot of my life has been trying to figure out how I am meant to do that, specifically.

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You graduated from Berklee College of Music. What was your experience as a student and how did it prepare you for the real world?

Berklee was MAD humbling. I grew up in Springfield, IL, and felt like a big fish in a little pond there. I fought for humility, but I just genuinely hadn't heard many other voices that I thought could top mine. When I got to Berklee, I was honestly floored by the talent there. There were people who had gone to performing arts HIGH SCHOOLS, which I didn't even know existed for the most part. I learned quickly that I was many, many steps behind in terms of training, theory, and knowledge of the music industry.

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Who are your musical influences? How do they have an impact on your music?

My inspirations are frenetic, all over the place. My parents raised me on artists like Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Yolanda Adams, and Celine Dion, who continues to show herself in my vocal stylings. I grew up listening to the radio while doing my homework, and encountered bands like U2, Nirvana, Flyleaf, and Dave Matthews Band. I started listening to Celtic, bluegrass, metal, country, jazz, and everything in between. I especially like weird artists that make me think, "how in the world do you write a song like that?" Current faves are Laura Veirs, Miya Folick, and Dinosaur Pile-Up.

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What was one of your biggest obstacles in your music career and how did you overcome it? 

There was a time I almost became homeless after my divorce. I had no money, I was disabled, and I was struggling to make ends meet. My music was the only thing I could do for work that didn't take me out neurologically. I found a place to live with an EXTREMELY generous friend of a friend, and tried to muster up $400/month for a room in their house. At the time, the only gigs I could get were an hour and a half away, but I could barely afford gas. I remember MULTIPLE times I had to drive the whole 90 minutes with the gas tank on E, praying to God that I could just make it to the gig and get enough tips to pay for gas. And that's the answer, God got me through that period of my life. I would literally have nothing if it wasn't for Him.

 

I know it’s difficult for working musicians to juggle work life with music life. How are you able to balance them? - Honestly? It's really hard. In addition to the artist grind, I have a traumatic brain injury that has made working in general extremely difficult. God has taught me to have grace with myself, to rest when I need to, and to trust that if I'm unable to do something, it's not meant for me. God will give me the ability and strength to do whatever is meant for me, and I just need to focus on giving those things my priority. I'm a workaholic by nature, so another thing I'm learning is patience. Much in the music business takes time.

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What is your writing process? 

In general, I use lyric writing as my own personal diary. It's how I take out my anger, rage, and sadness in a constructive manner instead of a destructive one. I typically will have a melody with lyrics that pops into my head. I immediately get out my trusty iphone voice memo app and get that sucker immortalized ASAP! The most frustrating thing is writing a song in a dream but forgetting it when I wake up. The times I've remembered the songs from my dreams have been pretty stellar, though.

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What is the story behind Mended Moon?

Mended Moon is about being “half-healed.” Part of growing over the years has taught me to step outside only “black-and-white” thinking—that everything is “either,” or.” It’s possible for two things to be true at the same time, or three things, or four. This song is about leaning into these simultaneous truths despite their discomfort and confusion, specifically regarding mental health and trauma. I am a mended moon; I am being healed, and I still have much more healing to go. Yes, I am cratered by the blows of psychological asteroids. I also still shine radiantly like the moon as I reflect the light of the Son.

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You’ve successfully raised $25k for your EP through crowd funding. For musicians who want to take that route to fund their project, what advice do you have for them? 

My biggest advice is PLAN AHEAD, and RESEARCH! I gave myself a year and a half for the project, including research and planning. All the songs were already written. I spent time scouring articles about crowd funding, the best kinds of rewards to give people, etc. I made a million Google docs with detailed timelines of exactly what needed to happen. Nowadays people have ChatGPT to make a timeline for them so that takes some of the stress off. I would also say Kickstarter is better than Gofundme because of the risk and reward. People are more likely to keep giving if they see that you will lose all the money if you don't reach your complete goal. Whereas with Gofundme, someone could rationalize, eh, they already have $1k, why should I give any more?

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How do you think the music industry can improve on nurturing a healthy environment for women musicians? 

There can often be too much competition and not enough support. I wish musicians would be candid with each other about the steps they've taken to succeed instead of gatekeeping the information from one another. And also being forthcoming about their failures. This is especially true as women--we are stronger together.

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What advice would you give to any aspiring musician wanting to pursue a music career? 

Be honest with yourself about your talents. Are you REALLY, REALLY good? The industry is grueling and will chew up/spit out people like gum. Sometimes I have to do a gut check on myself, like, "am I actually talented or is this a pipe dream? Do I actually think these are good songs?" The other thing I wish someone had told me earlier is to make friends, not rivals. Genuinely wish for, and help other artists, succeed. We're all trying to make it. Open for each other and grow each others' audiences. Be like Asta and Yuno from Black Clover--both trying to become the Wizard King, but not stepping over each other in the process. Seriously, watch that show to see a healthy competitive dynamic!

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What can we look forward to with Morgan Joyce Hart music in the future?

I just announced my 2025 Spring Tour! I'll be playing the east coast and midwest for 8 shows in total, and hopefully adding more! Additionally, my goal this year is to win the NPR Tiny Desk competition! I submitted my video and I feel really good about it. Please pray for me if you're a praying person, and wish me luck otherwise!