When Metromix called Matt Morris’ hotel room in Lexington, Ky., where the Denver-based musician had just finished dueting with Brandi Carlile on the Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour, the line was busy. not because Morris, who has written half a dozen hit singles, was too important to answer. not because he was talking to his friend and label boss Justin Timberlake about the release of his new album, “When everything Breaks Open,” which is shaping up to be a sizeable smash. no, the hotel operator explained, the rockstar upstairs was making his own travel arrangements.
Shouldn’t he have people for that?
But Morris, 30, simply does not seem like the type of guy who has “people.” After starring on “The All New Mickey Mouse Club” in his early teens, he headed back to school in Colorado while his buddies Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears were hiring agents and visiting MTV.
“I’d been working professionally as a teenager for four years straight,” Morris said after he finished booking his flight. “I had to get out and get rooted in something real. get my learner’s permit, you know?”
Morris’ family moved to Bear Valley, where he enrolled in Kennedy High School and performed in as many class musicals as possible.
“It was definitely a lot less pressure,” he said. “There was more creative expression (in high school musicals) than what I’d been doing. that was one of the most fun parts of high school.”
Morris finished school, worked on volunteer projects and helped out with local band the Flobots’ nonprofit, FightWithTools.org. he spent a lot of time hanging out at Watercourse Foods, the Walnut Room and the Fancy Tiger.
He also found time to write songs for Timberlake, Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson, not to mention a large chunk of “Stripped,” one of Aguilera’s most successful albums so far. but for years, Morris remained the man behind the curtain.
“I’ve found that making plans around artistry and being an important person in the entertainment industry is a foolish thing to do,” Morris laughed. “What’s the saying? ‘Man makes plans, God laughs?’ but I’ve had a good time just rolling with it.”
But 2010 may be Morris’ chance to laugh: he recently signed to Timberlake’s Tennman Records and performed with his friend at the Hope For Haiti now telethon just days after “When everything Breaks Open” dropped. now, the buzz isn’t about a former Mousketeer who keeps in touch with his famous friends — it’s about a versatile singer-songwriter who might be the next big thing.
“It’s a totally different (skill) writing for yourself instead of other performers,” Morris said. “When you’re writing for someone else, their artistry should guide the process. Your challenge is to bring something out of them. it was a natural evolution to try to attune to my own (style).”
Morris’ style, it turns out, reflects everything from jazz and R&B to reggae and The Beatles. The album’s opening track “Don’t you Dare” sounds like a Maroon 5 track with actual soul, while “Bloodline” is a folksy lament that wouldn’t feel out of place on an EmmyLou Harris album.
While Morris certainly has the chops for pop success, he also has some points to make. “The Un-American,” for instance, jabs hard at those who judge and fear others, eventually asking, “What if you’re the un-American?”
“It’s not my intention to be an activist singer,” said Morris, who married his husband Sean while same-sex marriage was briefly legal in California. “But you can’t be a person of integrity without being honest about yourself. (I want) to be honest regardless of the political consequences. so if people listen to (my song) ‘Love,’ then they find out who I am and that makes them uncomfortable, maybe they should look at why that is.”
Personal honesty came up again when Morris was asked if he ever considered becoming a smooth, Justin Timberlake-style performer.
“I’m just not a super slick guy,” he laughed. “I’ve tried a few times and it ends up being comical.”