17-YEAR-OLD RISING BEDROOM POP SINGER-SONGWRITER MORGEN
RELEASES BREAKOUT DEBUT EP UNACCOMPANIED MINOR
Today, 17-year-old rising bedroom pop singer-songwriter morgen — who has already garnered praised from the likes of Zane Lowe and Elton John — releases her breakout debut EP, Unaccompanied Minor, available to stream now on all digital platforms via Avoca Drive/Sony Music Entertainment Australia.
CLICK HERE to listen to the six-track EP that explores the Santa Cruz-native’s versatility and range, playing with everything from dreamy ballads to ‘80s-tinged California-pop. The set features previously released singles “Odd One Out”, “Sweet 16”, and “3D”, and finds morgen embracing jazzy synths, woozy vocals and the influence of alt-pop artists like Billie Eilish and Joji, while navigating the nebulous, and often isolating, experience of being a teenager in 2021. For morgen, there’s nothing “sweet” about being a teenager — there’s angst, loneliness, self-pity and uncertainty.
On the inspiration behind her debut project, morgen shares, “This EP to me is honestly just a 6 song self-therapy session that covers my life, ages 15 to 17, over these past 2 crazy years. Most artists consider their work to be like a child, or something they gave birth to but ‘Unaccompanied Minor’ couldn’t be further from that. Of course, I love this EP, but I don’t feel like I own it. If anything, I owe the EP for every hour I spent crying on my floor writing songs instead of paying to go to therapy. I used ‘Unaccompanied Minor’ to help me grow through isolation, sexuality, relationships, trauma, and all that teenage bs. It created the person I am today…who is far from perfect but closer to who I want to be.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Aidan Schechter
About morgen
Being a teenager can suck. Fitting in. Breaking up. Being alone. It’s a struggle morgen knows firsthand. And with her debut EP Unaccompanied Minor, it’s the reality she’s ready to share with the world.
Born and raised in Santa Cruz, California, morgen has leaned into the unconventional, favoring homeschooling over a traditional education and the local arts scene over her community’s affinity for sports. Living on the creative edge has benefited her. Now a recent high school grad — at 17 — morgen is ready to throw herself into the music industry head first. But that’s her: “I’ve just been that person my whole life always choosing music over everything I do.”
Growing up with a musician father, morgen was schooled in a healthy dose of iconic artists. The influence of artists like Led Zeppelin, Billie Holiday, Esperanza Spalding, Carole King and Amy Winehouse permeated her upbringing. Barely a toddler, she began playing music, and by five years old, she was singing in her dad’s band. At six, she entered the realm of musical theater. Now, she’s a black belt who also teaches karate. And she hasn’t slowed down since.
After years of collecting songs, connecting with her manager at 15 inspired her to compile them into an EP. While morgen only posted it online for a brief time before taking it down, it was the beginning of morgen pursuing music seriously. Right before COVID hit in early 2020, morgen went to LA for a handful of co-writing sessions and continued sharpening her craft via Zoom during the pandemic. That’s when she solidified what would become her debut EP Unaccompanied Minor.
