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PJ MORTON'S NEW SOLO ALBUM, NEW ORLEANS IS NOW AVAILABLE ON . YOU CAN SEE HIM ON TOUR THIS SUMMER WITH MAROON 5.
When PJ Morton first joined Maroon 5, most of the band's fans were unaware that the bespectacled keyboardist, jamming night after night behind Adam Levine, was already a well-known figure in the world of R&B. With three independent albums and a Grammy for songwriting/production under his belt, Morton was no stranger to success, the stage, and collaborating with some of the biggest names in the industry. But even he couldn't have predicted what doors the Maroon 5 opportunity would open. Three years later, he's promoting a new star-studded solo album with Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment and Cash Money Records, and is spreading his brand of indie R&B to an audience larger and more diverse than he'd ever dreamed.
"Now I'm being given the opportunity to do on steroids what I've been doing for years," he says.
Though juggling the production and release of two new albums may seem daunting (Morton's "New Orleans" dropped this past May and Maroon 5's fourth studio album, "Overexposed," was released in 2012), Morton welcomes the "double duty." The best part, he says?
"It allows me to touch so many people who aren't even aware of me."
Morton's popularity in different musical spheres has created a cross-pollination effect - fans of Maroon 5's pop-rock and Cash Money's rap-heavy family of artists are exposed to Morton's R&B-infused "soulful pop," and vice versa. Meanwhile, devout fans from Morton's early days are presented with constantly evolving and maturing material that is enhanced, not abandoned, by his forays into new genres. All of the elements blend beautifully in "New Orleans," where Morton's silky croon and jazzy keys are accompanied by the likes of Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, Tweet, and bandmate Levine. Even his long-time idol Stevie Wonder makes an appearance on back-up vocals in the single, "Only One." For Morton, this collaboration was one of the most blatant signs he'd made it big.
"[Stevie] has been my number one since I was a young teenager," he said. Though the two didn't record the album in studio together, Morton performed at Wonder's birthday party this past year…with a special guest. "Once I got to the bridge," he recalled, "[Stevie] started making his way to the stage. It was a crazy, surreal experience."
While one would think maneuvering between solo work and playing with one of the biggest bands in the world a next to impossible task, Morton says the hardest part is really just scheduling. But with Levine's solo gig on "The Voice" to account for as well, the band has gotten used shuffling their time around to make slots for group work. Morton claims that he gets the most down time, surprisingly enough, on tour, where there's relatively little to do in between shows. He wrote most of the material for "New Orleans" on the South American and Asian legs of Maroon 5's Overexposed Tour last year.
"I enjoy the separate roles differently," he says. "It's refreshing to not have to be in the forefront, but it also makes me appreciate when I go out on my own and do my own shows."
This summer, Morton will do several promotional shows before Maroon 5 kicks off their Honda Civic Tour with Kelly Clarkson. But to keep the album promotion steady, he'll play double duty at its finest and open for a number of the shows before taking the stage again with Maroon 5. It's a tall order, but Morton is excited to show off his latest accomplishment in front of his newly blended fan base. After all, "New Orleans," he believes, is the best expression of who he is as a musician.
"Ultimately, it's music I enjoy,” he says. “It's music I want to hear."
is an ardent music lover and soon-to-be recipient of a BS in journalism from Boston University. As she waits for the two to combine in an illustrious career in music journalism, she curates a humble music blog: .
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