NEW ORLEANS — Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and producer PJ Morton comes home with a soon-to-be-released new album and memoir amid a Saturday afternoon performance at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which nears the end of an eight-day run.
Morton, son of a preacher whose parents – the Revs. Paul and Debra Morton – are well known in the city, said they look forward to taking the stage at the Fairgrounds every year.
“Jazz Fest always feels like home,” Morton said in an interview with the Associated Press. “It feels like a family reunion. We want the food, just like everyone else does. You get to see all your friends, see everyone. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
Morton said he doesn’t take for granted the love he feels in his hometown or at performances around the world.
“I’m impressed with the audiences and the rooms we play in,” he said. “The joy started in small clubs where we played for 20 to 50 people. Now there are thousands. I love seeing the growth. It’s just special on every level for me.
“I hope the fans leave having fun. I want to give people everything I have and let people who are already familiar with my work walk away knowing that and those who aren’t familiar with this ‘PJ Morton boy’ feel that too.”
Since New Orleans is his home, he said the city always gets something special.
“I play things here that I don’t play anywhere else, like ‘New Orleans Girl,’ which I wrote for Jazz Fest 10 years ago,” he said.
Morton has been the keyboardist for Maroon 5 since 2012. That year, he also released his debut solo EP, “Following My First Mind.” Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine was featured on the lead single, “Heavy.” The following year, Morton released his first major label debut album, “New Orleans.” And in 2017, he released his first independent studio album, “Gumbo,” which earned him two Grammy nominations.
In 2019, he took home the award for Best R&Grammy B for “Say So” and Best Traditional R&Performance B of “How Deep Is Your Love”. Since then, he has won three more Grammys for Best Gospel Album, Album of the Year and, this year, Best Traditional R.&Presentation B for “Good morning”.
At Jazz Fest, Morton said fans can expect to hear a mix of old and new, including songs from his latest project, “Cape Town to Cairo,” a collection he created in 30 days during a trip that took him to South Africa, Nigeria. , Ghana and Egypt.
On Friday, he released his new single, “Smoke & Mirrors”, which is about “challenging prejudices” and has a “message that connects with itself”.
He said the project forced him to trust his instincts.
“I wrote every day for 30 days and recorded every day,” he said. “It was completely written in Africa and now I’m giving it to the world. On my last album, ‘Watch The Sun’, I did a lot of duets with heavy hitters like Stevie Wonder and Nas and I had a lot of time to reflect on everything because of the pandemic. That closes this chapter for me. This one I wasn’t able to overthink. I wanted to be inspired by the moment and follow instinct. And that gave me real deadlines. In the end, I learned that limitations can give you freedom.”
In addition to music, Morton said his memoir “Saturday Night, Sunday Morning” is scheduled for release on Nov. 12.
“I usually don’t talk about my journey. I make albums, tour and mind my own business,” he said, laughing. “But in the last few years, the Grammys have won and being able to do all of this independently, owning my masters and making my own decisions, I thought it was a good time to put this on paper. ‘Emotions’ turns 20 in October and I thought it was a good time to share this milestone and let people know that some of these crazy things I’ve done have actually worked. I was able to do it this way, in my own way, and I hope I can inspire others to stay strong throughout their own journeys.”
Jazz Fest concludes its eight-day season on Sunday. Other headliners on Saturday include Queen Latifah, Neil Young Crazy Horse, Greta Van Fleet, Tab Benoit and Sonny Landreth.
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
