Morgan Saint on Her Music, Marriage, and Being Set Free
Known for her ethereal sound and introspective lyrics, Morgan Saint has found fulfillment in independence. It was her 2017 debut EP, 17 HERO, that first introduced her distinctive sound to the world – an intoxicating mix of indie, pop, and hauntingly personal lyrics. But after requesting to be released by her major label as an artist, Saint found gratification through her newfound freedom, releasing her newest album, Out Of The Blue, alongside the creative partnership of her wife, Carley Ridersleeve.
Our publisher, Kristin Prim, chatted with Morgan ahead of her headline Los Angeles show on March 6th, to talk all things music, marriage, and Out Of The Blue.
KP: I have to start off by saying that I heard you were a queer native New Yorker who went to Parsons, and I am the same. What did you study? I was a Design and Management major, class of 2015.
MS: What a coincidence! I was an illustration major, but I did a lot of photography and fashion stuff, too.
KP: In general, tell us a little bit about your upbringing and environment. Do you feel that they shaped you in any particular way? I know that, for me, I can’t separate being a New Yorker from anything in my life at all. I think that comes with the territory.
MS: Yeah, as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized how New York I am. [Laughs]. I grew up in a small town on the very eastern end of Long Island – mostly just beaches and farmland, everyone knows each other vibes. After high school, I went to school in the city and lived there after that, so I’ve really had two juxtaposing experiences. Where I grew up is so beautiful and my entire extended family lives there, but being queer in a small town like that was pretty challenging for me; I often felt like an outsider.
Moving into the city and going to art school with diversity and so many other queer people opened up my world in every way – I love how free NYC feels.
I actually just moved back to my hometown to finish up this album, which has felt like a real full circle moment for me. My wife and I joke that we’re just a couple of NY Italian girls! We really are through and through.
KP: I’m Italian, too! Half Italian, half Irish, the full South Brooklyn special. [Laughs]. You were previously signed to a major label but are now an independent artist, which gives you immense control over your music and image. I know this is something that so many artists are searching for today – the ability to have that autonomy. What was the biggest challenge and what was the greatest reward that came with making such a brave switch?
MS: The biggest challenge is the workload. My wife and I write, produce, and engineer the music as well as direct, shoot, style, edit, and color all of the visuals – just us two. At the same time, we’ve spent the last few years starting our label, 4Love, so making all of the art on top of starting a label and growing a team there has been very all-consuming. The greatest reward is having pure creative freedom and being able to do this all together with no one else in the way.
KP: I can imagine that being independent can be somewhat intimidating as well, if not simply overwhelming. Is there any advice that you can share with women who are reluctant to control their own destiny?
MS: Yeah, it is. Hmm, I don’t have a ton of advice, except for just to trust yourself. It’s amazing what we can do if we have our minds set and believe in ourselves.
KP: Your latest album, Out Of The Blue, just dropped. Can you tell us a little bit about its inspiration and development?
MS: It was born out of desperation, honestly. I was a few projects into my major label deal and I felt trapped and not valued at that point. I eventually asked to be let go and luckily they agreed, so that really was the start of this very fulfilling journey. I finally had the space to actually be an artist and explore and push myself.
Before I was even let go, Carley and I started making music together, which eventually became the start of this album. We spent a few years making it in many different bedrooms, just her and I. I had always written and produced alongside other people (mostly men, because that’s what my label wanted,) but this time it was all me. The album took years to make, but half of the time was spent exploring and learning how to produce and engineer at a high level.
I feel like this was my redemption album – I wanted to show everyone what I was capable of. The music industry is extremely sexist, so girls have to work ten times harder for that respect. I hope that this album inspires other female producers and writers to believe in themselves despite the challenging environment that we are in.
KP: You’ve stated that it “feels like coming home to myself. I’m learning to embrace the dark, while also letting the light shine through.” I think that kind of vulnerability and willingness to embrace such polarity is something that a lot of people struggle with. What were some things that helped you embrace the darkness, while also letting in the light?
MS: Well, I think the biggest thing that I learned through this process is that the light and the dark and everything in between is where the magic lives. That spectrum is where beauty, understanding, and creativity all stem from. Without the dark there is no light.
KP: This is the first time that you collaborated with your wife, Carley Ridersleeve. It’s such a gift to be able to have a partner in love and creativity that you can work alongside and achieve a vision with. What was it like working together? Is there anything that she’s brought out of you that you might not have explored yourself?
MS: Being able to do this all with her means everything to me. My grandma married us, and when she was talking about our relationship, she described it as yin and yang. We really are truly opposites in every way and that seems to help us when working together. She’s so strong in areas I’m weaker in, and vice versa. She sees me so clearly and truly loves me for exactly who I am. She’s this mirror in my life, constantly reflecting the truth back to me. That’s a beautiful thing that I don’t take for granted! Working with her has lifted me up and given me space to create in a free way. Carley is incredibly musical and practical, while I’m more free and imaginative. She helps ground me.
“Life moves fast – don’t wait to tell people how you feel.”
KP: I was reading about your 2020 EP, HELP, which was inspired by you falling in love with your best friend, who is now your wife. I feel like that’s a very cannon queer female experience that I personally have never had myself, but I think that so many people fall into that situation and simply don’t know how to handle it. What is something that you learned from it? Is there any advice that you would lend to people that are currently going through something similar?
MS: Yeah, it’s not something that you can ever really be prepared for, so it hits you hard and fast! It was very difficult, especially being young and in other relationships while we were discovering these strong feelings for each other. It became complicated very quickly. If you’re simply in love with your best friend, just go for it! Life moves fast – don’t wait to tell people how you feel.
KP: I added the stripped version of “YOU” to a playlist for my girlfriend a while ago and it’s just such an incredible track. So, selfishly, I want to hear a little bit about it. What was the inspiration behind the song itself?
MS: That’s so sweet. I wrote that song so long ago and I was honestly just lost and searching for myself, often in other people. I think so many people can relate to that, which is what has made it a song of mine that seems to resonate with a lot of people.
KP: Another favorite track of mine is “DON’T BE SCARED” off of HELP. It has a totally different feel sonically to “YOU.” I love how dark it is – it’s so brooding. What was producing that track like? Would you ever want to build that sound out more? It really works for you.
MS: Yeah, it really does! I loved making that. I actually made a whole album of darker sounding music that I was so excited to release, but my label didn’t agree. So that EP had a few songs from that darker body of work on it, but mixed with some other songs that I had also been making during that time period. I wish I could have just done what I wanted and made a full project of that darker sounding stuff, which was really reflective of what I was going through at the time. I’m really glad you resonated with those songs!
KP: You definitely still should. What do you feel makes a provocative woman?
MS: Being free.
