Country singer-songwriter Morgan Myles knew she was bound for the stage since the age of 3.
So, after 18 years of performing in Nashville, it’s no surprise that she blew away all four judges on season 22 of NBC’s “The Voice” with her captivating blind audition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Myles’ third-place finish on the show has since catapulted her music career.
She subsequently signed a record deal with music production company KZZ Music and Blue Élan Records, garnering more than 30 million views on social media after her run on the show.
She also made her debut at Nashville's legendary music venue, the Grand Ole Opry, opened up for stars like Luke Bryan and Jake Owen, and has clocked more than 100 shows a year.
But one performance in particular hit close to home for the Pennsylvania-native, who recently captivated the audience at the Lititz Shirt Factory in Lititz, Penn., including a certain “Morning Joe” co-host who attended the show.
“I met Morgan at Lititz Shirt Factory … and she was a little confused as to what I was doing there, but I ended up in your van that like seats 17 people, with your dad driving, and got to know you a little bit,” recounted “Morning Joe” co-host and Know Your Value founder Mika Brzezinski, who recently interviewed Myles. “Your voice is just powerhouse – it's incredible – it is the range and my lord you belt it out!”
For Myles, she thinks of the venue as the place where she got her career start. “I was one of the first musicians to play there – it was right after the pandemic – when things just started opening,” she said. “It was good to come back and have a homecoming and people were just so excited.”
But the 37-year-old – and her family-based band – have been on the road nonstop and touring across the country, despite setbacks that would normally cancel shows. “You broke your leg in Hawaii doing benefit concerts from Maui,” Brzezinski said. “What drives you?
“I have to say it's music – music is so connecting,” Myles responded. “It's just part of my soul. I don't know who I am without it … Yeah, it is a lot of work and travel, but I just love making music and connecting with new people.”
Myles has used music to not only connect with others, but to address the gender barriers and inequalities that have plagued country music for decades, especially on the airwaves.
“One of the biggest reasons why women in country music had such a hard [time] was about 10 years ago, they just basically said women don't want to listen to women,” she said.
According to a May 2015 interview, a radio consultant encouraged program directors to limit the number of songs by women in their playlists to achieve better ratings. Women were referred to as the “tomatoes” of an all-male (the lettuce) salad. In other words, women are the garnish and their music should be played sparingly. While the ordeal – which is now referred to as #TomatoGate – spurred an outcry among female artists across the genre, little has changed for women in country music.
“We absolutely have to fight the good fight to have our voices heard,” Myles said. “So more than anything, I want to make music that brings women together and to support one another because we have to continue.”
Myles’ female-powered anthems include songs like “Woman of My Word,” and “Silence.”
“I love taking situations in my life, where I've had to fight for myself and making them into songs and feeling that power when people come up to me and say, ‘I really needed to hear that tonight’,” she said. “…Seeing women sing the words to the songs is really important [because] we really have to show that women want to listen to women.”