All About Marla...
Printer-friendly versionAmity senior and Bethany resident Marla Morris may seem like your typical Amity student, and in most ways she is. However, this aspiring singer/songwriter is far from ordinary. Over the past year, she has been working on the production of her first album, which will be available to the world on iTunes at the end of Spring 2010.
Instantly inspired by Celine Dion, Marla showed an interest for music at a very young age. At the age of four, she performed for the first time in front of an audience and fell in love. When she was eight she began voice lessons at RVP Studios with her instructor Rose Coppola. She has since performed at any and every opportunity, including appearances in musicals. Her dad has always pushed her towards country music, as she grew up in a household full of George Strait and other country classics. However, ninth grade is when her passion for this genre became fully developed.
Marla played on the Amity Volleyball Team for a few years, but she found the need to become a full-time musician more pressing, so she handed in her jersey. She wanted to pursue a songwriting career and become a singer, for she had written music all her life. After discussing this hope with Coppola, she began to write with Frankie Vinci. Vinci was in the band Fotomaker, and has toured with Aerosmith, Foreigner, Alice Cooper, Heart, Robert Palmer, Kiss, Ozzy, Warren Zevon, Meatloaf, Rush, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Van Halen.
Marla took her first trip to Nashville to begin pursuing her career last summer. There, she attended several meetings and CD release parties in order to help her network and become part of the Music City community. While there, well-known producer/songwriter Mark Oliverius approached Marla with the hope of writing and working on a record with her. Oliverius has made his mark in Nashville as Lorrie Morgan’s keyboardist, co-writer, and producer. All of the songs on Marla’s record were co-written by Marla with Vinci, Oliverius, and Kelly Lang, another prestigious artist in Nashville.
After many months of pre-production, Marla recorded her album over February vacation in Nashville.
Marla recalls, “Recording with some of the top musicians in Nashville was the most thrilling thing I have ever done. It’s the creative process. Everyone puts their heads together to create one sound that people can hopefully connect to. There’s something for everyone on this record!”
There are six incredible songs on Marla’s record. The first is “Break Away,” which is a rebellious and mysterious up-tempo song, the kind “you put the windows down to.” The second is “What Am I Supposed to Say?” This is a painful ballad, a song about an “unjustified and unexpected break up.” The third track is “Wild Horses,” a “nostalgic song about freedom and innocence.” The fourth is “Hangin’ On,” which has a “summer vibe, and is optimistic and uplifting.” The fifth track, “Tonight,” is a song about “longing to relive a memory.” The final song, “Red Handed” is a song about cheating—a real “slap-in-the-face” song. This album is full of songs that are both diverse and fun; some allow you to rock out, while others are there when you want to just curl up and relax.
Marla’s work has gained so much popularity that she was recently notified that her songs “Break Away” and “Wild Horses” will be on a benefit CD the State of Connecticut is funding called FosterCares, a charity fund in which all proceeds go to foster children. The goal of the album is to raise adoption awareness. This is an honor for Marla, as many renowned and accomplished artists will be featured on the CD, as well.
Nevertheless, Marla has not forgotten about her Amity roots, as she is also currently rehearsing for Amity’s production of Les Misérables, in which she is playing Fantine, the iconic character who signs “I Dreamed a Dream,” originally played by Broadway diva Patti Lupone.
For more information on Marla and her numerous achievements, please visit www.marlamorris.com. Be sure to look for Marla’s record on sale at iTunes and on her website at the end of this Spring!
