Whatever notions you have about the song going in-prepare to have them shattered. New artist Morgalily subverts expectations constantly throughout this soft, moanful number. The guitar is the main instrument and complement’s Morgalily’s voice in the most beautiful way.
Take off the mask and let us see
Show us what lies underneath
This isn’t a song with a “hook” -there really isn’t a chorus. Instead, Morgalily strings together a series of ideas that are as grand as they are beautiful. She converses with an unseen party, meditates on her life, and draws the listener into her own little world. Her voice is calm and lilting-it pulls the listener through the song and builds up the next segment with ease. “Peppermint Gold” is a dream song, and something that you will want to listen to over and over again.
Take all that you have and give it away
Somebody can spare that extra weight
No reason to fill up your life with things that ache
TSM was able to catch up on this budding young artist and chat with her about her music, her inspirations, and where she wants her career to go.
How would you describe your songwriting style, generally?
My writing style is a bit freeform. There’s lots of songs out there that are successful because they are different. That’s kinda my approach to writing. Conceptually, I guess I just write from my experiences, and it’s not all good, but there are nuggets of gold! I would say my lyrical style is always changing, but I do have a tendency to write metaphorically and in an open to interpretation format, rather than saying exactly what I mean.
If you were to watch me write a song, a typical approach would be me sitting alone, in a very quiet room, working the melodies out on my acoustic guitar, but I wouldn’t want to know you were watching me. The creativity behind writing a song is so mysterious and magical, it’s astounding to me, as songwriters we create something from nothing.
Who are your inspirations in the industry?
So many! I absolutely love the rule and record breakers of the industry like Adele, Billie Eilish, Amy Winehouse, Alabama Shakes, Manchester Orchestra, I honestly listen to so much, contemporary and classic.
“Peppermint Gold” is an absolutely beautiful song-what was the inspiration behind it?
I started ruminating about my life, which I often do, and what was important to me at the time was the human condition, being honest, and speaking up. A lot of the lyrics are about that, being human, but what’s important is that we have the courage to change and speak up against something that’s not right. I didn’t need to think too hard on what words to write because it all came out so naturally, like it already existed and I just needed an outlet to let it out.
In March of 2016, I stared out my bedroom window for a really long time, and the lyrics started flowing so poetically and very spoken word, I really liked that, so I rolled with it. I paired it with the guitar picking I had previously written, and that was it! Now it’s a song!
How do you go about preparing to write a song like “Peppermint Gold”?
I love finding a quiet place, whether it’s indoors or outdoors, to really let myself be immersed in the writing process. With this song, I had the guitar part written for months, I just needed inspiration to spark for lyrics. Sometimes, I like to capture a feeling, and not let it go until i’m done writing. For this song, the feeling was melancholy, with a dash of hope. In the end, I wanted people to feel like there was something good to hold on to.
The lyrics sound like you’re speaking to someone specifically-are you?
Good catch! I wanted it to sound like I was speaking to you, the listener. When I wrote this song, I really felt that it had a large potential to reach a lot of people. We live in a world where it is so easy to stay hidden, hiding who you are from others and even yourself, but there is a lot of beauty and selflessness in honesty, and if you have courage, anybody can change. I wanted to connect with anyone who needed this song. Anyone who was, afraid, lost, lonely, in pain, anybody who needed to hear it, that’s who it’s for.
Your lyrical style is very unique-almost conversational- and one sentence doesn’t necessarily join with the next – was that intentional, or just how this song came out?
The idea for the song came to me in a flash. I wrote it as if I was talking to someone, as if to provoke and inspire change within them. The sentences do actually go together, though a bit abstractly, if I were to dissect it line by line, it would make a lot more sense!
This song doesn’t necessarily have a “hook” or refrain-why did you decide to go that way?
I wanted this song to be unconventional. I didn’t want to classify and bind it to specific format, because I had something I really wanted to say, and I felt this song needed to exist the way it came out of me, very organically and unfiltered. I wanted people to get lost in the lyrics the way I had writing it, and I felt those things would have compromised what I was really going for, which was a conversational type dialogue between me and the listener. Me posing the questions, and the listener, pondering answer. I mean, conversations don’t usually have hooks and refrains, right?
The guitar work on this track is beautiful-Do you play your own instruments?
I do! Thank you! I really loved the guitar I wrote for this one, it’s a beautiful picking style, and one of the most important elements of PG. I sing, I write, and I record. It’s all part of my creative process.
Do you have anything coming up that you would like people to know about?
I have some awesome collaborations lined up and in the works! Be on the lookout for those, and if you want to stay connected with me, shoot me an email or check out my various profiles or website! You can find everything you need searching my artist name.
Where do you see your career going in the next five years?
I aim to be a highly skilled songwriter by that point! I’d like to continue writing my own songs and collaborating and helping others write theirs, as well as be a badass entrepreneur, creator, and motivator! I love inspiring others to be their best and I hope to always be a voice and positive presence for others out there.
