Morgan Evans (singer)

Morgan John Evans (born 24 April 1985) is an Australian country music singer and songwriter. He released a self-titled debut studio album in March 2014, which peaked at number 20 on the ARIA Albums Chart. In 2019, he won the ARIA Award for Best Country Album for his second studio album, Things That We Drink To.

Morgan Evans
Evans performing on stage at CMC Rocks 2016
Background information
Birth nameMorgan John Evans
Born (1985-04-24) 24 April 1985
Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
GenresCountry
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active2002–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websitemorganevans.com.au

Biography

1985–2010: Early life and career beginnings

Evans was born on 25 April 1985 in Newcastle.[1] He has a younger sister, Jane, and a younger brother, Tom, who is also a musician playing bass guitar.[2] At the age of 13, Evans performed his first gig.[3] Whilst attending Warners Bay High School he was in a local rock trio, Extortion, which won a state high school band competition, Youthrock, in 2002.[2]

Extortion were later renamed Solver.[2] As of 2006 Evans provided lead vocals and guitar in that group, Tom was on bass guitar and a friend, Nicholas Cook, was the drummer.[2] The band won Artist of the Year and Best Rock Act at the MusicOZ Awards of 2006.[3]

In 2007 Evans won the Road to Tamworth competition and for his prize he flew to Nashville to record a single.[3] He was signed to Sony BMG and released his debut extended play (EP), Big Skies, in September 2007.[4] The title track received airplay on Australian country music radio stations.[3]

2012–2016: Debut studio album

In January 2012 Evans released his second EP, Live Each Day, through Warner Music Australasia. This was followed in August of that year by a third EP, While We're Young. Evans supported Taylor Swift and Thirsty Merc on their Australian tours. He was named the New Oz Artist of the Year at the 2013 CMC Music Awards.[5]

Evans released a self-titled debut studio album in March 2014, which peaked at number 20 on the ARIA Albums Chart.[6] At the 2014 CMC Music Awards he won the Oz Artist of the Year, Male Artist of the Year and Best Australian Video of the Year.[7] His track, "Like a Tornado", was short-listed for the Vanda and Young Songwriting Competition of 2014.[8]

He hosted the CMC Music Awards for three consecutive years, from 2015 to 2017.[9] He is the 2016 Country Music Association Global Artist of the Year and has won five fan voted Country Music Channel Awards, including Male Artist of the Year.

2017–present: Things That We Drink To

Following his relocation to Nashville, Evans signed with Warner Music Nashville in May 2017, which led to the release of his debut US single, "Kiss Somebody".[10]

Evans released a single, "I Do", on 8 December 2017. He explained via Instagram that it was written, "about his girlfriend, recorded it about my fiancée, releasing it about my wife" Kelsea Ballerini, whom he married on 2 December 2017 in Mexico.[11] In August, Evans released his fourth EP titled, Morgan Evans EP. Evan's second studio album, Things That We Drink To was released in October 2018.[12]

On 8 November 2019, Evans released a new single titled "Diamonds" which he says is a love song written for Ballerini.[13] At the global APRA Awards in March 2020, Evans won Outstanding International Achievement Award.[14]

Personal life

Evans and Kelsea Ballerini being interviewed by Planet Country with Big Stu and MJ before they hosted the 2016 CMC Awards together in Brisbane, Australia. The romance was made public by Ballerini shortly after.

Evans married American country pop singer-songwriter, Kelsea Ballerini, on 2 December 2017 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.[15] They had started dating in March 2016 and were engaged on Christmas Day of that year. The couple resides in Nashville.[16]

Discography

Morgan Evans discography
Studio albums2
Music videos6
EPs4
Singles10

Albums

Title Details Peak chart positions Sales
AUS
[6]
AUS
Country

[17]
US
[18]
US
Country

[19]
Morgan Evans 20 1
Things That We Drink To 5 1 106 9

Extended plays

Title EP details
Big Skies[21]
Live Each Day[22]
  • Released: 20 January 2012
  • Label: Warner Australasia
  • Format: CD, digital download
While We're Young[23]
  • Released: 24 August 2012
  • Label: Warner Australasia
  • Format: CD, digital download
Morgan Evans EP[24]
  • Released: 10 August 2018
  • Label: Warner Bros. Nashville
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
AUS
[6]
CAN Country
[25]
NZ
Hot

[26]
US
[27]
US
Country

[28]
US
Country Airplay

[29]
"Big Skies" 2007 Big Skies
"Live Each Day" 2012 Live Each Day
"Carry On" 2013 While We're Young
"One Eye for an Eye" 2014 Morgan Evans
"Like a Tornado"
"Kiss Somebody" 2017 532053113 Things That We Drink To
"I Do" 72
"Day Drunk" 2018 27322921
"Young Again" 2019 77
"Diamonds" 941052 TBA
"All I Want for Christmas Is You"[35] 2020 TBA
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.

Other charted songs

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
Country

[28]
"Things That We Drink To" 2018 46 Things That We Drink To

Music videos

Year Video Director
2007 "Big Skies"[36] Myles Conti
2017 "Kiss Somebody"[37]
2018 "Day Drunk" (vacation diary)[38]
2019 "Young Again"[39]
"Day Drunk"[40] Colin Duffy
"Diamonds"[41]

Awards

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual award ceremony event celebrating the Australian music industry. Evens has won a trophy from two nominations.[42][43]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2019 Things That We Drink To Best Country Album Won
"Day Drunk" Song of the Year Nominated

APRA Awards

Since 1982 the APRA Awards are run by Australian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2018 Country Work of the Year[44] "Kiss Somebody" Won
2019 Country Work of the Year[45][46] "I Do" Nominated
"Day Drunk" Won
2020 Most Performed Country Work of the Year "Young Again" (Evans, Chris DeStefano, Joshua Kear)[47][48][49] Won

Country Music Awards of Australia

The Country Music Awards of Australia (CMAA) (also known as the Golden Guitar Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They have been held annually since 1973.[50]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2019 "Day Drunk" Single of the Year Won
2020 Things We Drink To Contemporary Country Album of the Year Won
Morgan Evens for Things We Drink To Male Artist of the Year Won
  • Note: wins only

CMA (America) Awards

The Country Music Association Awards (America) are the premier country music awards show which is held in Nashville every year. Winners and nominees are chosen for by members of the Country Music Association.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2014HimselfGlobal Country Artist AwardWon

CMC Awards

The CMC Awards are awarded annually by Country Music Channel Australia.[51][52]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2013HimselfNew Oz Artist of the YearWon
2014HimselfOz Artist of the YearWon
2014HimselfMale Artist of the YearWon
2014"Carry On"Australian Video of the YearWon
2015HimselfMale Artist of the YearWon
2018HimselfMale Artist of the YearNominated
2018HimselfAustralian Artist of the YearNominated

ASTRA Awards

The Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association awarded 'Excellence in subscription television in production, programming and talent' from 2003–15.[53]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2015HimselfMost Outstanding New TalentNominated

References

  1. "'A Song for the Radio' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 6 January 2018. Note: For additional work user may have to select 'Search again' and then 'Enter a title:' or 'Performer:'
  2. Winterford, Brett (15 December 2006). "Solver Chair – Music – Entertainment". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  3. "2011 APRA Professional Development Awards: Country Finalists". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). 2011. Archived from the original on 1 December 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  4. Redman, Melissa (8 March 2014). "Album Review: Morgan Evans – Morgan Evans". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  5. "Morgan Evans sweeps CMC music awards; photos". The Herald. 14 March 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  6. "Discography Morgan Evans". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  7. "Morgan Evans is fans' choice in CMC Country Music Awards". Daily Mercury. 15 March 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  8. "My Mixtape: Vanda and Young Shortlist". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). 10 December 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  9. "7TH ANNUAL CMC MUSIC AWARDS" (PDF). ASTRA. February 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  10. "Warner Music Nashville Signs Morgan Evans". 17 May 2017.
  11. Casey, Jim (11 December 2017). "Morgan Evans Drops New Single, "I Do" [Listen]". Nash FM 103.3. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  12. Liptak, Carena. "Story Behind the Song: Morgan Evans, 'Things That We Drink To'". The Boot. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  13. "Morgan Evans Talks Possible Duets Album With Wife Kelsea Ballerini, Debuts New Song 'Diamonds'". ET Canada. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  14. "Tommy Emmanuel, Morgan Evans, Seaforth, More Honored at the 2020 Global APRA Music Awards Nashville". American Songwriter. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  15. Jeff Nelson (2 December 2017). "Kelsea Ballerini Engaged to Morgan Evans – See the Ring". People.com. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  16. "Kelsea Ballerini Gets Engaged to Morgan Evans". Billboard. 27 December 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  17. "ARIA Report issue 1256" (PDF). ARIA. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  18. "Billboard 200: October 27, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  19. "Top Country Albums: October 27, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  20. "Things That We Drink To Morgan Evans". Sanity. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  21. "Big Skies - EP". Apple Music. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  22. "LIve Each Day (EP)". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  23. "While We're Young (EP)". iTunes Store (AU). Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  24. "Morgan Evans EP by Morgan Evans on iTunes". iTunes Store (AU). Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  25. "Morgan Evans Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  26. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  27. "Billboard Hot 100: August 25, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  28. Peak positions on Hot Country Songs chart:
  29. Peak positions on Country Airplay chart:
  30. "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2018 Singles". ARIA. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  31. "Canadian single certifications – Morgan Evans – Kiss Somebody". Music Canada. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  32. "American single certifications – Morgan Evans – Kiss Somebody". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 9 April 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  33. "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2019 Singles". ARIA. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  34. "Canadian single certifications – Morgan Evans – Day Drunk". Music Canada. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  35. "All I Want for Christmas Is You - single". Apple Music. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  36. "Morgan Evans "Big Skies"". YouTube. September 2007. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  37. "Morgan Evans - "Kiss Somebody" (Official Music Video)". YouTube. 15 December 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  38. "Morgan Evans - "Day Drunk" (Vacation Diary)". YouTube. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  39. "Morgan Evans - "Young Again" (Official Music Video)". YouTube. 25 June 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  40. "Morgan Evans - "Day Drunk" (Official Music Video)". YouTube. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  41. "Morgan Evans - "Diamonds" (Official Music Video)". YouTube. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  42. "2019 ARIA Award Winners Announced". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 27 November 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  43. "ARIA Awards: 2019 ARIA Awards Nominated Artists Revealed". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  44. "2018 APRA AWARDS : The Winners". auspOp. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  45. "2019 APRA Awards nominees announced". noise11. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  46. "Sarah Aarons wins Four APRA Awards The Complete Winners List". noise11. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  47. "Tones and I Leads Nominations for 2020 Virtual APRA Awards". Noise11. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  48. "2020 Awards". APRA. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  49. "Full List of Winners". APRA AMCOS. 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  50. "Past Award Winners". Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  51. "CMC Music Awards: winners". TV Tonight. 15 March 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  52. "2018 CMC Music Awards". Country Music Channel. March 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  53. "ASTRA Awards 2015 Finalists & Winners". ASTRA. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.