Born and raised in Amsterdam, new-wave pop artist Morris Roe (Maurits van der Roest) has established his craft from the ground up. Looking to influences like Eric Clapton, “Tears In Heaven” both inspired and motivated Morris to be the artist he is today. The diversity of Amsterdam had a big influence on Morris as an artist. Morris discovered John Mayer, who can be seen as the main influence in his music. Mayer taught him how to be truly emotive through his songwriting. While writing songs, but not yet recording them, Morris came in contact with his neighbor and longtime friend Laszlo. Their shared interest in Post Malone was the start of a couple of projects together and the eventual realization of Morris’ first E.P.
“Want To Know” is a delicious fusion of light pop-rock and indie chill vibes. Morris Roe has an inviting and warm vocal register that sets him apart in the music industry. A healthy mix of John Mayer and Post Malone, Morris create relatable and light-hearted tracks. The soul that exudes from a track like “Want To Know” is the type of soul that needs to be seen in person. I would love to be in a crowd at a Morris Roe show just escaping my mind and losing myself to the psychedelic and inspiring sounds he creates. With quirky melodies and catchy grooves, Morris Roe is the one to watch! I highly recommend you check out his new single “Want To Know” and stay on the lookout for Morris Roe and his future endeavors.
Check out “Want To Know” here and keep scrolling for more with Morris Roe!
Welcome to BuzzMusic Morris Roe! We love your sound. Can you tell us more about your upbringing into music? How did you get started?
My dad always put on music in the house when I was young so I was kinda raised with music all around me most of the time. Then when I was nine my school teacher once brought her electric guitar to class and let everybody play on it. From that moment I knew I wanted to learn how to play the guitar and take guitar lessons. It wasn't until I was fifteen and my dad put up a song from John Mayer of his album heavier things that I got interested in writing songs of my own. Since then I've been writing and playing for almost everyday when I got the time.
How do you feed your passion for music everyday?
Well, I am born and raised in Amsterdam and we use our bicycles a lot to get from one place to another. While biking through the city I always listen to music, it's an essential haha. Besides that I always play some guitar when I come home after a long day. It's like a stress relieve mechanism, I have to make music everyday. Maybe because my dad always used to put on music I cannot live without having music around me.
Your song “Want To Know” is amazing! We love the lyrics and melody. What inspired this song?
First of all thank you! The chords of the song were inspired by a simple exercise I got from my guitar teacher. After that I had some ideas with it in my head and with my long time friend and neighbor Laszlo being an exceptional producer we got to make the whole body of the song. The lyrics are a different story though; for a year and a half I just couldn't find the right lyrics and melodies that would fit this song. It wasn't until I took a look through some notes on my phone and I found a short piece I wrote down for myself when I was in kind of a dark place. It was about that I am not that good at noticing and accepting it when good things happen around me. I get kinda anxious when that happens and that's why I called it want to know; I want to know how to chill out when that stuff happens haha. Within 20 minutes I had the melody and lyrics for the first verse and pre chorus. Like sometimes it just comes to you in an instant and you exactly which way to go with a song. That was what happend with want to know.
What’s your favorite part of the song, lyrically or sonically?
For me one of the best parts of the song is the last line of the pre chorus that takes you into the chorus itself: "I'm not the one not to give a f*ck". Like first of all that line describes me in one of the best ways I can imagine, I always care about everything while that's not always necessarily the best thing to do. Plus it kinda is a thinker because you got the double negative in it. I always try to incorporate some kind of ambiguity in my work, so that if you listen closely you'll find things you wouldn't initially notice. What I also love about this part is that the melody of the lyrics slow down while the instrumentals is catching more momentum to built up into the chorus.
What’s next for you?
Of course I got some other songs left in the vault. The plan is to eventually release an E.P. but there's still work to be done and maybe some will need to be cut off this one to maybe make it on an other project. Either way while this is my first release I'm not going to leave it with only this song. I love to make music and want to become an inspiration for others.
Connect with Morris Roe on social media
www.instagram.com/morrisroe_music
www.twitter.com/MauritsRoest