LUCK IS PREPARATION MEETING OPPORTUNITY,
Meet Welshman Rhys Morgan, whos opportunity came at 22 years old. Although blessed with a beautiful voice, he’d somehow never thought to take notice of it. Whilst working as a coffee shop manager, his lightbulb moment came when he volunteered to act as driver for four mates who were convinced they were to become Britain’s next top boy band. The wannabes’ producer that day was forced to agree with Morgan’s verdict: Brecon would not be offering the world the next Take That. But he realized he had a driver who could sing. A driver who could really sing. This wasn’t to be a wasted trip.
Fast forward a couple of years and Rhys is preparing to release a debut album so mature and accomplished that it is amazing to consider that he was a relatively late-starter as a singer. Anyone looking for a soulful but earthy, mature and quietly gritty kind of pop music is going to be in raptures. This is music that will put a smile on your face. “The initial thought was to go in a very intimate, jazzy direction but I soon found myself wanting to test the water with other styles, and always trying to retain a “live” sound.”
The writing sessions for the album have seen the young singer’s confidence, knowledge and capability grow dramatically. And when you consider the kind of songwriting talent he’s been collaborating with over the past, you can see why.
The music gene is one Rhys inherited from his father, an active bass player in bands on the Welsh music scene. Incidentally, it was Rhys’s fathers band who, in favour of touring the world, rejected an auditioning young male vocalist who went on to find world stardom under the new name of Tom Jones. Rhys himself first picked up the trombone aged seven and by eight was proficient at sight-reading and soon became an active member of several local bands.
“But, unless you’re in a ska band, which I wasn’t, the trombone isn’t the coolest instrument when you’re a teenager, is it?”
So Rhys decided to pick up his fathers slightly more “teenage friendly” Bass guitar and soon mastered it under the guidance of his dad. At 18, Rhys found himself running the family coffee shop for two years, becoming increasingly adept at subverting its usual daily soundtrack of Motown and Soul with a few guilty pleasures of his own.
“I guess that if anything links the kind of artists who’ve influenced me, it’s those that perform with meaning and emotion. Music is important to us all. It inspires me – whether I’m listening to James Taylor, Damien Rice or John Mayer, there is always something to be learnt. The ones who last the distance are those who say what they are, tell their story, remain grounded, and really communicate with their audience. This is where I want to be.”