Morgan Evans (singer)

Morgan Evans
Evans performing on stage at CMC Rocks 2016
Background information
Birth name	Morgan John Evans
Born	24 April 1985 Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Genres	Country, Indie Rock (early)
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals guitar
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Sony BMG Warner Australasia Warner Nashville
Formerly of	Solver
Spouse(s)	Kelsea Ballerini ​ ​ (m. 2017; div. 2022)​
Website	www.morganevansmusic.com

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. Evans also had a crossover hit with "Kiss Somebody" in 2017. In 2019, he won the ARIA Award for Best Country Album for his second studio album, Things That We Drink To. In 2023 performed “long live the Newcastle Knights” live at the home NRL Finals game

Biography

1985–2010: Early life and career beginnings

Evans was born on 24 April 1985 in Newcastle. He has a younger sister, Jane, and a younger brother, Tom, who is also a musician playing bass guitar. At the age of 13, Evans performed his first gig. 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.

Extortion were later renamed Solver. 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. The band won Artist of the Year and Best Rock Act at the MusicOZ Awards of 2006.

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

Evans toured with Brooks & Dunn, Gary Allan, Shannon Noll, Adam Harvey & was personally selected by Taylor Swift to open her first Australian tour.

2012–2016: Debut studio album

In January 2012 Evans released his debut EP, Live Each Day, through Warner Music Australasia. This was followed in August of that year by a second EP, While We're Young. He was named the New Oz Artist of the Year at the 2013 CMC Music Awards.

Evans released a self-titled debut studio album in March 2014, which peaked at number 20 on the ARIA Albums Chart. 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. His track, "Like a Tornado", was short-listed for the Vanda and Young Songwriting Competition of 2014.

He hosted the CMC Music Awards for three consecutive years, from 2015 to 2017. 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.

2017–2020: 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".

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. In August, Evans released his third EP titled, Morgan Evans EP. Evan's second studio album, Things That We Drink To was released in October 2018.

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

2021–present: The Country and the Coast and Life Upside Down

In September 2021, Evans announced the released of EP The Country and the Coast (Side A)

In September 2022, Evans performed a new song titled "Over for You" at the CMC Rocks QLD Festival. The song was written in response to Evans' divorce from then-wife Kelsea Ballerini and the subsequent heartbreak he experienced. Evans later shared on his Instagram that the song had been written only three weeks earlier and the show performance was only the second time he had played the song. A studio version of "Over for You" was released on 17 October 2022.

In April of 2023, Evans released his aptly named Life Upside Down EP. The EP features five tracks that showcase Evans' path to finding a light in the dark. A new collection of songs completely authentic to the timing of recent events in his life, Evans describes the release as a "journey through unexpected heartbreak, self-rediscovery, new beginnings and a newfound gratitude for the present moment."

Discography

Albums

Extended plays

Singles