INTERVIEW: Morgan Saint on EP 'HELP': "My goal as an artist is to offer my personal stories and experiences in a way that people can relate to."
Long Island, New York native Morgan Saint released her new EP HELP last month. Like everything else Saint does, the EP is a remarkable blend of genres, which each track taking a deliciously new sonic road compared to the previous track. There is pounding electrothrash, dreamy synth pop and moody, pulsing R&B, all presided over by Saint’s emotive, endlessly flexible vocals.
The EP is Saint’s first new music since 2019 and was born out of upheavals in her personal life. Travelling to Los Angeles to work on the EP last year she found herself falling in her love with her best friend (now girlfriend), while still being in a relationship. “My ex and I hurt each other in the same way,” she explains. “She got into a relationship with me when she still essentially had feelings for somebody else. Fast forward a year-and-a-half later, the same thing happened, but in reverse, because I had fallen for my best friend. I began to empathise with my ex by the end of it. I realized life is not black and white. I had a conversation with myself and allowed myself to talk about it internally. Being alone in Los Angeles, I had space to sit with my emotions and address what I had been running away from. A lot of the music confronts it.”
This turmoil is perhaps most evident on the title track, ‘HELP’ with it’s brooding bassline which veers from smooth to agitated and a stop-start chorus which sums up Saint’s confusion and distress. ‘She's alone in our home and I'm with somebody else / I'm halfway out, I think I love somebody else / Shit…but I still love her, right?’ she sings.
The gentle pop of ‘KEEP ON HANGING ON’ looks at the angst from a more restrained mindset, with shimmering beats and candy sweet harmonies which belie the pain at the heart of the song. “I hate that this feels right / And that's why I'm so afraid / Don't wanna wait another life / But that's just the bed that I made / Oh my god I might be losing my mind.”
By the last track on the album, the jangly, indie-pop vibing ‘I DREAMT THAT I KNEW YOU’, there is acceptance, respecting the past and moving on to the future: Wasn't much of a compromise / Win some, you lose sometimes / With you, I lost my mind / Broke my heart in late July / But I'd like to emphasise / You still saved my life / And for that, I love you, I love you forever.”
HELP is an EP that sees Saint reveal herself like never before, and it all the more special because of that. I hope other people can enjoy it or feel like they can be themselves,” she says. “In our society, we all struggle with finding our own voices and having the confidence to live whoever we are unapologetically. It’s been a struggle for me over the years. I’m at a place where I’m just genuinely and confidently living a life I’ve always wanted. Maybe you hear it and know you’re not alone on your journey.”
We recently caught up with Morgan to chat more about her music.
Hey Morgan! Thanks for chatting to us. How is life treating you amongst the craziness of the world at the moment?
Of course! It’s treating me pretty well. Extra time home has made me appreciate the little things a lot more!
Congratulations on the release of your new EP HELP. You have said the EP was born from a situation in your personal life where you were in a ‘love triangle’ and fell in love with your best friend, now girlfriend. Was it a cathartic experience to get all the emotions of that experience out into your music?
Yeah it really was. I suppressed so many feelings for so long, so once I finally began confronting those emotions internally, the music immediately started pouring out of me.
You have also said this EP brought out a very honest side of you and you finally felt like you could say whatever you wanted. What do you think it was that held you back before?
I think what held me back most was just not being fully honest with myself. I found myself writing abstractly and sort of lyrically dancing around what I was really feeling and wanting to say. Everything I was writing prior was all honest, but sometimes timid.
Obviously the stories that you sing about in the songs are intensely personal to you and those close to you. Is there ever nervousness, or trepidation, when it comes to letting complete strangers listen to, and dissect, your innermost thoughts and emotions?
You know, I’ve never really felt very apprehensive about the idea of strangers listening to and analysing my thoughts and feelings. What I’m most fearful of though, is hurting anyone I’ve written about. I lose sleep worrying that my honesty about certain situations involving other people might bring unwarranted feelings to the surface.
Pop music is such a powerful tool for working through our emotions and I imagine many of your fans can relate to your stories. Is it important for you that your music carries a message that other can tap into?
For sure! I think my goal as an artist is to offer my personal stories and experiences in a way that people can relate to, while creating a visual and sonic world around them that entices people to question and hopefully reject the societal expectations that have been engrained into us since we were born.
Like all of your music HELP really defies genres, with songs ranging from hardcore electronica, to dreampop to synth ballads. Most artists want to switch things up in their sound, why do you think we all (especially music journalists!) get so hung up on genres?
I’m not really sure! I think things that feel familiar offer us a sense of comfort, and with that comes a desire for things to exist neatly in a box or pre-established category so that we can feel like we “understand.”
If we go all the way back to the beginning, what role did music play in your life when you were growing up?
A big role! I have really always loved music. I know it sounds cliche, but it has always been a constant in my life that has helped carry me through some of my lowest moments.
What artists have inspired you along your journey, both as a child and today?
I’m inspired by so many different genres and artist, that I’m not even sure where to begin! I tend to obsess over particular songs more than I do a particular artist.
There has long been a gender imbalance in the music industry, with most of the power across the board being held by older, white, straight men, and female artists have suffered because of that. What are your thoughts on gender equality and sexism in the music industry?
I truthfully never realized the amount of inequality and sexism that actually exists in the music industry until I was in it and experiencing it first hand. I find it incredibly unfortunate and in my case, creatively debilitating. I think it’s important that we as female artists remain strong and unwavering when it comes to demanding the respect and creative freedom that we deserve and the world so desperately needs!
The coronavirus pandemic has really hit the music industry, particularly live music, hard. What do you encourage fans to do to support musicians and to make sure we have a music industry to come back to when things get back to ‘normal’?
I guess the most helpful things that don't cost any money are listening, watching, sharing and commenting! Streams, views and engagement are a good portion of what drives and dictates our careers — specially right now.
What else is on the horizon for Morgan Saint?
New music!
HELP is out now via Epic Records/Sony Music Australia. You can download and stream here.
To keep up with all things Morgan Saint you can follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
