Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter PJ Morton is currently in South Africa, much to the pleasure of his fans.
The Maroon 5 keyboardist this Friday will be performing at Emperors Palace; he has already performed in Cape Town at the old Biscuit Mill and has had a few intimate performances here and there.
“I’m trying to come there with an open mind. And so, I want to experience it in real time, I didn’t want to like, over-prepare, I want to feel what I’m feeling in real-time,” he told IOL Entertainment.
His trip to Africa has been long overdue, having initially meant to come in 2020 for shows such as the Cape Town International Jazz Festival but Covid happened and threw a spanner in his plans.
“It is a dream and I’m thankful for my team because they allowed it to be smoother. There’ve been challenges, I mean, we’ve had to get visas and shots, so all these different things, to prepare to get over there.”
@pjmorton #DAY5!! #JOHANNESBURG! Voice is getting back! Excited for the show this Friday! 🇿🇦💪🏾🙌🏾 Are y’all ready?? Tickets at pjmortonmusic.com! 🎥: @Cedric Tang #fyp #pjinafrica #pjmorton #music #musician #africa #southafrica ♬ original sound – PJ Morton
For his shows, Morton is bringing an experience for his fans, describing it as a “black soul music show”.
“I’m saying we bring soul music, authentically and I’m bringing my whole band from America. It’s gonna be a lot of energy, we take you through an experience. It’s like a journey through our shows and something exciting for me.
“I’m using some South African musicians in my band horn, players from South Africa. My percussion is gonna be from South Africa. So it’s gonna be a little mixed up, I’m excited about that.”
The record producer has been sharing moments from his trip to Africa, which includes stops in South Africa and Ghana, on his YouTube and social media platforms.
Whilst in the country, Morton has been working with local artists such as Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and guitarist Jonathan Butler, whom he spent time creating with.
@pjmorton #DAY2!! It’s already been mind blowing since we’ve touched down in South Africa! Much love to @Expresso Show! 🇿🇦❤️🤞🏾 📸: @Cedric Tang #PJINAFRICA #FYP #SouthAfrica #CapeTown #Africa #PJMorton #CapeTown #capetowntiktok ♬ original sound – PJ Morton
On his trip through Africa, Morton is working on his new record, exploring different sounds as he meets with various artists, writers and producers.
“It’s gonna be a collaborative thing, but at the same time, I don’t know what’s gonna happen,” Morton explained when asked if he had a plan in mind when it came to the record.
“I just want to feel what I feel. And the music is gonna come from that, and I’m not gonna force the music. I’m not gonna predetermine what it’s supposed to be.
“I plan to experiment with those sounds with other producers, which is something that I don’t normally do, I don’t collaborate with other producers.
“But in this sense, I want to because I think the sound there and the drums there to percussion certain things that are part of this sound.”
Morton, before his trip held a little competition on his TikTok page, where aspiring musicians did the duet challenge with his song ‘Good Morning’.
Morton agreed that social media has offered musicians a space to audition and launch their platforms but advised that they develop a strong fan base that will come out to their shows.
“One thing that never changes is connecting to your people and in the real world. Being able to perform in front of people, being able to have a great show where you can continue and build a fan base that you have in the future, that’s the way you got discovered.
@pjmorton SOUTH AFRICA!! 🙌🏾🇿🇦 I'm coming to see y'all this October! #CapeTown on October 6th and #Johannesburg on October 13th. There's some talented artists out there and I want to find openers for these shows! To submit, #DuetWithMe on the bridge of my song "Good Morning" and I will personally pick the 2 winners! I’m hype to hear yall! ❤️🫶🏾 #fyp #africa #southafricantiktok #music #pjmorton #artist #artistontiktok #singers #singersoftiktok #singersongwriter #singersongwritersoftiktok #goodmorning #tiktokmusic ♬ original sound – PJ Morton
“Being able to connect to real people is what’s gonna give you a career. Sometimes it’s passive for people to discover you on TikTok. Just watching, it’s a whole other thing to get them to come pay for tickets to a show pay for music, or pay for merchandise.”
Morton has been doing what he loves most – performing, across venues. His voice even took a knock following his Cape Town show and had to see a doctor after his performance at Sanctuary Mandela.
While in South Africa, Morton will participate in the ‘Idols South Africa’ season 19 finale TV show as a guest mentor for the Top 4 contestants and will give a special performance at the live show on Saturday, October 14, 2023.
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