A business savvy wordsmith with a style you’ve never seen before, Rocky Morningside is the charismatic maverick behind the mic. His dynamic range as both a writer and vocalist can tend to leave the listener spellbound. We're positive you will become completely enraptured by the release of his latest single “Moonlight”.
The detailed effect on the melody in “Moonlight” adds a nice eccentric element to the song. Nothing can compare to how Rocky handed us a flow with a signature rap voice that’s aggressive and slightly dark. Rocky showcases his ability and artistry as a lyricist by delivering us bars in a vigorous and audacious manner. The lyricism behind “Moonlight” feels to be more deep rather than shallow. What was so chilling about this song is how it feels more like a personal diary to the artist rather than a shareable record. For that sole reason we found ourselves appreciating Rocky Morningside more for giving us the welcoming door into his mind that translated well across his poetic lyrics. Music is all about freedom of expression and creating art that’s meaningful to you and Rocky completely nailed the idea of it when he curated “Moonlight”. One of the most passionate people that you’ll ever meet, Rocky Morningside is the epitome of what it means to be original in what today too often seems to be a convoluted music culture of the same repeating itself. A track that you'll want to add to your playlist ASAP. Bravo Rocky Morningside!
Listen to "Moonlight" here and get to know Rocky in our exclusive interview below!
As a multifaceted artist, it seems as if you can do both sing and rap! Which do you prefer?
Great question! I enjoy the flexibility of both. I convey emotions differently with each of the two. Sustained tonality when singing is more of a challenge but I enjoy that because that’s where I find growth. Rapping however comes natural to me and I’m a storyteller so being able to cram a lot of words in a short space gives me a wider window to illustrate my narrative. I feel like the two are married but if I were caught in a custody battle I would probably lean towards rap at this very moment.
Can you tell us a little bit about your album “Sounds from Outta Bounds” ?
I have some really special records on “Sounds from Outta Bounds” so the idea originally was to drop it traditionally like most labels do with a single release or two with heavy promotion then release the whole album. After further thought I decided to pull back the reins and release most of the album as singles over a longer period of time. I’m still in the infantile stages of building a following so I think the unconventional approach gives me leverage. I’m able to give my fans content consistently while isolating the marketing for each individual record without exhausting large chunks of my catalog at a time. Quality records are expensive to make and I bankroll every facet of my operation independently so maximizing the exposer for each song is critical. “Sounds from Outta Bounds” started with “Moonlight.” The album is 13 tracks after scraping a few so I’ll probably release the next 4 or 5 songs as singles methodically then drop the album as a whole rerelease after with the remaining 8 unreleased songs. It’s very different music so it will be exciting to see people’s reaction to each song. I’m stoked! I can’t wait!
"Moonlight" is a VIBE! What was your motivation in writing “Moonlight” ? What's the meaning behind the song?
Prior to writing “Moonlight” I just came out of a relationship gone bad that I invested a lot into. I write mostly about life experiences so despite my best attempt to put that topic out of my mind, my subconscious pushed those lyrics out of me. Before you know I was at the end of a story that began about a gypsy psychoanalyzing me as a person and her seeing only what I want her to see but what she really sees is the darkest things that I’m trying to hide. I was trying to poetically write an experience I had with a psychic but the lyrics ended up being riddled with remnants of my ex girlfriend so I changed a few words and flipped it into a metaphorical situation. In the music video I take a journey to reach the lady painting the (mystery) picture of something to do with me but when I finally get to her she disappears just like the girlfriend and what she painted of me was actually nothing because that point in my life “nothing” is exactly what I got out of that relationship and what I discovered when seeing the painting for the first time is actually a gateway, another dimension to the path forward. The shapeshifting that I go through at the very end represents my transformation from out of the dark, callus wild animal that I had become after losing what I thought at the time was my soulmate. Before I could enter into the light I had to come to terms with the darkness, expose what I was hiding and that’s what you’re seeing when you watch the music video. So yeah, it’s a VIBE! A very deep one. Shout to my two directors Joshua Shultz @joshuashultz and Joey Danger @joeydangermusic for helping me bring my vision to life.
Tell us about the songwriting process of the single? Do you write your own music?
I wrote the musical foundation to “Moonlight” with a dear friend of mine and music producer Focuz. @focuzmuzik He and I wrote the record in about 30 minutes and I spent another 30 minutes cleaning it up and making sure the lyrics conveyed nicely. I recorded the “Moonlight” in LA along with 12 other records a few weeks later. Artist and Music Producer, One Touch @touchtheviking and Multi Platinum Audio Engineer, Irko @irkostudiobeat were present when I laid down the lyrics in about 15 or 20 minutes. When I came out of the booth they both had chill bumps. I decided then it should be the first single off the album.
What's next for you through 2019?
I currently have 80 songs archived in my catalogue and I usually write at least two per week so my plan is to grow my following much larger so I can share my art with as many people as possible. I need to add a few missing links to my team with veteran management and touring experience so I can start monetizing my brand and getting a return on my investment. As much as I love the art aspects of songwriting and performance the reality is it can be very expensive to bring a artistic vision to life so monetization is essential for me going forward to clear a path for me to give fans more of my work.
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