SPOTLIGHT - New York City Musician Morley

We are shedding a Spotlight on New York City-born/raised singer Morley! She is releasing the first single, "Hard to Stop," off of her upcoming album Follow the Sound. Morley does incredible work helping children and trauma victims. She is an advocate for Morley dives into her process, inspirations, and collaborations with the likes of Meryl Streep, Yo-Yo Ma, and more!



New York City-born/raised singer Morley lives and breathes the pulse of the city with her luminous voice taking center stage on her renowned catalog of recordings. On September 27, 2024, Morley shares the next chapter in an acclaimed career with the release of a new full-length studio album, Follow The Sound, co- produced with Chris Bruce (producer of Lizz Wright's Shadow and Meshell Ndegeocello's forthcoming sophomore Blue Note Records album, No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin).



Morley has garnered an array of accolades including awards from The New York Times and ASCAP, as well as being a featured performer and speaker at TED Women and TED X. Her original song "Sea of Oms" has hit over 8 million streams on Spotify, and her songs have also appeared on network television shows such as Days of Our Lives, General Hospital, Dawson's Creek, and Felicity. As a lyricist, Morley has contributed to albums for artists including Lizz Wright, Mocean Worker, Youn Sun Nah, Richard Bona, William Parker, Osunlade, and Yuri Buenaventura.

Who is Morley?
Morley weaves the threads of jazz, soul, and folk traditions into a singular tapestry of vocal and acoustic splendor -- the sound wave of a life lived with steadfast devotion to human rights and environmental justice. Her take on Americana music embraces a uniquely metropolitan state of mind born out of her New York City upbringing.




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First a student at the United Nations International School (Parkway Village, Jamaica Queens), she later attended the Duke Ellington High School for the Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.) During her teenage years in D.C, Morley found refuge in the homes of an international community of friends. Her experience of living within a wide range of cultures -- from Korean, Polish, Nigerian, and more -- shaped her world view, lyrical content, and sound.




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Morley went on to receive full scholarship to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and began choreography before becoming a fulltime musician. Her original piece, Mother Nature, became part of the student repertoire for Alvin Ailey's Techniques and Performance touring Ensemble, that led to her choreography with legendary drummer Max Roach for the 30th Anniversary of his album, We Insist! (featuring percussion and human rights icon Babatunde Olatunji), forming an impressionable lifelong journey with music as well as mentorship from Babatunde Olatunji.

Borderless Lullabies and K-I-N-D
Over the course of releasing seven studio albums, Morley's traveled the world singing with and for visionaries on the frontiers of social change, moving minds and spirits as diverse as His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, and entrepreneur Richard Branson's global solutions gatherings, Virgin Unite. Morley uses music as a tool for trauma healing when working with survivors of human trafficking, war, and those affected by the perils of climate change. Morley spearheaded the 2019 release of the benefit album, Borderless Lullabies, which continues to raise funds for K-I-N-D (Kids In Need Of Defense) -- Morley is one of the featured artists along with Yo-Yo Ma, Esperanza Spalding, Meryl Streep, Rosanne Cash, among others.



Her singing and speaking voice was featured in Ralph Lauren's My Romance fragrance campaigns from 2007-2011. Morley and Chris Bruce (with various guest artists) also released a global children's album, Story Of The Sky, under the name, "The Bruces," in 2023.

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