We’re back with another installation of our latest series, TuneCore Tuesdays, which aims to highlight artists and other music professionals who are writing, recording, and hustling on their own terms. By showcasing creatives doing it their way all over the globe, TuneCore Tuesdays aims to empower and inspire our diverse community of artists.
This week we’re talking to Atlanta-based singer/songwriter Morgan Bosman. Check out her video below and be sure to learn more about her journey!
Morgan Bosman’s style is the lovechild of futuristic soul-infused pop, and celestial electronica; her sound the result of both nurture and her nature. “I grew up in a musical family, and everyone played jazz. My grandpa was a part of a big jazz band; he ended up teaching my dad and uncle, and then my dad taught my brother.” While her grandfather and brother are jazz saxophonists, her father and uncle formed the jazz band The Bosman Twins, and Bosman plays flute herself, she turned away from classical jazz and toward the rhythmic pulse of ‘80s R&B. “Though I was born in the ‘90s, I feel most connected to 80’s music and arts culture, which has naturally influenced my sound. I’m super into Michael Jackson, Chaka Khan, Donna Summer, and Prince– so in love with disco, synth-pop, house, and R&B music.”
Bosman’s connection to performing began in the church choir when she realized the joy and sense of community gospel music brought her peers. “Even though I was a generally shy kid, I loved the stage, for whatever reason,” she starts. “I think I’ve always been passionate about how music makes me feel and how I noticed it makes others feel when I connect with them through music.” Once the church community took note of her burgeoning talent, she continued onto local theatre and then began her songwriting journey.
Bosman’s latest music is dominated by disco dance tracks, underpinned with lo-fi hip-hop beats and topped with a sultry R&B vocal lean. In order to find her distinctive style, a lot of self-discovery was involved. “I wrote my first song around 14– a typical teenage love song– my songwriting process has shifted so much since then. I used to limit myself while creating, setting the song structure first with chords, then adding melody and lyrics later.” If her pen and paper aren’t in hand, Bosman is quick to catch ideas as voice recordings. “Now, a lot of my songs come to me as one-liner voice notes. When I’m collaborating, a melodic line will pop in my head and I’ll save it as a voice note on my phone right there in the moment to revisit later.”
Despite not following in the jazz footsteps laid by her relatives, Bosman took several musical lessons imparted by her father and applied them to her career. “Growing up, my dad and uncle would play festivals in St. Louis, so I got to discover the local jazz scene. Remembering my dad rehearsing at all hours of the night, one of the biggest and hardest driving lessons I learned right away was to practice constantly and stay ready,” she affirms. “[Artists] always need to have something prepared. So find what you do well and get really good at that, while also being versatile and willing to learn.” Boseman’s advice extends beyond her musical endeavors, as she follows this philosophy in daily life. “I think we’re all students of the world, no matter how much of an expert someone may be. As students, we should never stop learning.”
In an industry that pigeonholes artists into specific categories, Bosman doesn’t feel the need to label herself. “When I moved to Nashville from St. Louis for college, prior to really beginning my career, I realized how quick the industry is quick to label an artist, and stick them in a 1-dimensional-box with that label. It took me a while, but I had to gain confidence and grow to make the music that I feel, not just the music I thought people wanted.”
Listening to Bosman’s tracks, the production value is impeccable, proving that at-home studios are the future for independent artists. “Most of the records I’ve recorded and released were tracked in home studios. It’s convenient and most artists I collaborate with at this point either have their own setup or have access to a home studio setup. It saves money if you’re able to track from home rather than going into a larger, “professional studio”.
Through organic promotion and marketing, Bosman has performed her original music for the Nashville Ballet, and has been featured in SingersRoom, Marquee Magazine, Hello Beautiful Magazine, American Songwriter Magazine and Break on a Cloud. She says her outreach strategies have evolved just as much as her music over the course of her career. “Starting out in college, my marketing approach was just distributing posters to local shows. I’d run around the city, taping and stapling my posters to lampposts,” she reveals. “Now, social media is an awesome tool because you can connect globally and with your target audience. Today, I use targeted ads to promote live shows, which can be really helpful. I also pitch and promote my new music to playlists, and to TikTok and Instagram influencers. At the moment, I’m actively seeking different ways to promote my art in front of those who connect with it.”
On top of being an independent artist, Bosman reached further into the TuneCore community as an Artist Support Specialist with the Nashville team, assisting other emerging musicians with their journey as she excels in her own. “TuneCore has always been in complete support of the indie artist community. I used TuneCore distribution long before I worked for the company, so it’s been interesting getting to experience the roots of the organization from the inside. I can say that it’s totally authentic – they really do care about helping artists get their music out to the world.”
Bosman’s latest single “Talking Heads” is now available on Spotify. Discover all of her latest music and follow her journey here.
Tags: artist spotlight featuring morgan bosman tunecore tuesdays