Life & Work with Morgan Elam

Hi Morgan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am a 23 years old ATL Native. Crazy enough the career I am in was not on my career list as a child. Music has always been a part of me since I was a child. I did clarinet which then switched to drums because I found the clarinet to be a bit boring. I carried on playing the drums into both middle school and high school in which I participated in the marching band and drumline. A secret between me and yall, I couldn’t read music so my journey of playing drums in HS was cut short because I was required to read music in which I struggled with. Graduating HS and attending college at Valdosta State, my career chosen at the time was to be a forensic scientist. Being an audio engineer was never on my mind because I sold myself on studying criminal justice and being an investigator but throughout my college path and switching schools three times, I always felt something was missing. I would try music production because my brother is an established producer and I’ve always been inspired but quickly realized that wasn’t for me. What truly inspired me to pursue this career I am in now was watching Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty Vol 1. show. It put me in such an awe of the collaborations of different productions was able to bring such a vision to life. I did my research on who the sound guy would be called. I literally told my mom the next day, “I think I want to be an audio engineer”. The rock has been rolling ever since 2019 when I made that decision. I started out shadowing/interning at my church. Unfortunately, right when I was starting to grasp things quarantine had happened but I was still driven by the idea to do something within this field so I enrolled myself into audio school. My friend at the time had also introduced me to an internship at a studio so that was my first real hand-on experience of doing what I do. Ever since, things have progressed to where I’ve done sessions with well-known artists, gained amazing mentors, and just being able to be surrounded by creatives all day every day to help bring a vision to life through sound. It’s something I couldn’t have imagined.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I tell people all the time with highs come some lows. I feel there are struggles with any path that we as people embark on and let me tell you I have had a run for my money. Being in the music industry you face obstacles on a day-to-day basis. The biggest one I’ve encountered is where people help you but only to the extent in which it benefits them. People want to see you do good but not better than them. I struggled with this opposition within an environment to where limitations were put on my skill set. I wasn’t allowed to do sessions or always told I needed to do mock sessions because those individuals at the time weren’t confident in my capabilities. Dealing with those circumstances, it definitely caused doubts. I considered quitting this career multiple times but I took that fuel and moved to the beat of my own drum. This goes to show. How can we truly know what someone’s talent is if we never give them the opportunity to show themselves and those skills? We can all be great in our own way and utilize skills from one another to create something bigger.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an audio engineer. I track, mix, and as well song write if the vibes are right within the session lol. With being an audio engineer, I am doing a lot of sound design. Listening for frequencies, creating a certain feel with certain words, using spaces to create movement, and still having fun in the process because it can be tedious. Though I do a lot of studio work, I specialize in live sound. I do live shows and events which I find sometimes way more fun and cooler than the studio. The energy is so different. If I had to be known for something, as cliché as this may sound, my energy. I believe energy is transactional. When creating, I’m the person trying to create the safest space possible. I carry a candle with me to every session and make sure the ambiance is fitting for the artist.

Also being adaptable. I’m always trying to learn. I am catering to the artists. It’s yall world and I’m just living in it lol. Something I am proud of most is getting the chance and opportunity to assist in Summer Walker’s rehearsals and show. Right before getting that text, I was considering leaving this path. I wasn’t supposed to work her show but I worked my way through by being at her rehearsals consistently and getting under her FOH engineer who is now one of my mentors. That moment gave me the reassurance and confirmation that I’m where I’m supposed to be.

What sets me apart from others? That’s a good question. Being able to coexist. I think people are so much about gaining and being on top that sometimes the focus is lost. Sometimes is best to sit back and that’s something I’m good at. Knowing when to let others lead.