Morgan Myles: A finalist on ‘The Voice’ after years as a touring musician (’1on1 with Jon Evans’ podcast)

Morgan Myles, a finalist on NBC's hit show "The Voice" after years of working as a touring musician, is the guest on the new episode of "1on1 with Jon Evans".

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Morgan Myles has never lived in Wilmington, North Carolina. The Pennsylvania native has spent the past 16 years working full-time as a singer/songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee, mastering her talents while getting the opportunity to tour the country and open for familiar artists like Luke Bryan, Rick Springfield and Old Dominion. Those travels and tours have brought her to southeastern North Carolina for several shows, and Myles has become fond of the coastal city and its generosity.

“I have played Wilmington several times throughout the last, maybe seven years, and it’s always this ‘open arms’ feeling for me,” said Myles, who won Artist & Record of the Year from the Nashville Industry Music Awards in 2020 for her debut album, Therapy, which garnered positive reviews from Billboard and Rolling Stone. “We’re treated so well as artists when we come to town. You guys put us up really well, take care of us and feed us. That goes a long, long way. I just love everybody there, love playing in Wilmington. Always have, always will.”

It’s that positive vibe Myles got from the city, and the friendship she has with Christi Ferretti, one of the owners of Pine Valley Market, that turned into Wilmington having a connection with NBC’s hit show, The Voice. Myles tried out, and once she became a finalist slated to appear on a prime-time episode, Myles picked Wilmington for a competition of her own.

“I’m doing this competition, Myles Across America,” she said. “And whoever throws the best watch party or watch parties throughout the season [of The Voice], I will pick and choose, and I think I’m going to play more than just one, a grand prize winner of coming and playing in their hometown for free next year. I want to have something fun that gets the stakes going.”

Myles performed on the first episode of The Voice’s 22nd season, and she started things off by impressing all four of the celebrity coaches. Just seconds after Myles began her rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, Camila Cabello turned her chair around and blocked Gwen Stefani, who was a millisecond behind. Blake Shelton and John Legend also hit their buttons to spin around and watch Myles complete her 90 seconds in the spotlight.

“I felt very encouraged in that moment,” Myles remembered. “I feel like 16 years in Nashville of doing this, I don’t know if I would have focused on the one chair that didn’t turn around if I didn’t get all four, just because you know, it’s been a long road for me. And really what the judges had to say after that, I just, I kept crying, like ‘God, no, I’m crying on national television!’ I was just so humbled and honored and moved by what they had to say.”

Myles decided to join Team Camila after her successful national television debut. Cabello called her ‘a dream artist’, saying ‘..you were singing with your soul.’ Legend described the performance as ‘exquisite, one of the best blind auditions I’ve seen in a long time.’ Stefani said Myles sounded like she was ‘..on the Grammy stage already,’ while Shelton, who joined the other three in giving Myles a standing ovation, told her, ‘Your gift is you can make people really believe what you are singing about.’ High praise from superstar performers provides much-needed validation for a veteran musician who knows how tough life is on the road trying to reach their level of success.

“After last year, 117 shows, solo acoustic on the road, I mean, I was exhausted,” Myles said. “Some things went down with my booking agent who had committed fraud, and this is why I ended up taking the chance on The Voice. I was questioning, like, ‘How am I going through this yet again?’ And so, when I got that validation, it was, ‘Okay, this is the encouragement. This is the sign that you keep praying for, and this is pretty major. So quit, you know, boohooing, and wipe those tears, put your bootstraps on. You’ve come way too far, and you’ve tried way too long, and you DO have a talent, Morgan!.’ I believe that’s why God gave me this gift. I really believe that, and my intentions are truly from a good place, and I hope people see that.”

In her second appearance on the show, Myles faced a “Battle Round” with fellow Team Camila member Steve McMorran. The duo performed the Miley Cyrus hit song Wrecking Ball, and their emotional, energy-filled rendition received compliments from all four of the celebs. Cabello said she ultimately picked Myles to advance, ‘…because I think she is irreplaceable on this show. Nobody can emote like her. I think Morgan is someone that can definitely go all the way to the finale!’”

While fans in Wilmington can show support for Myles with watch parties, they may also get the chance to vote for her in the live performances of The Voice later in the season. Myles said she is seeking that feedback from America.

“My biggest reason about going on The Voice is the fact that we kind of took the middleman out,” she said. “It’s truly the fans who get to decide if they want to continue listening, or if they relate to me as a musician, or if they want to go buy tickets after this thing is done. So, I just love that element. If you believe in me, please just take a little bit of time, download The Voice app and hopefully I get to that round where you have to start voting.”

We’ve made it easy to download The Voice app by clicking here. You can learn all about Morgan Myles, and download her award-winning debut album Therapy by clicking here to visit her website. I hope you enjoyed the conversation with Morgan Myles as much as I did. Keep watching The Voice on WECT to follow her progress on Team Camila!

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