Delving into senior Morgan Taylor’s

USING HER Senior Morgan Taylor performs her music around St. Louis

DOMENIC FENOGLIO composed by John Legend and Common for the movie associate editor “Selma”) at protests around the area, including a police brutality protest held by Donovan this past summer. SS enior Morgan Taylor’s powerful voice resonates clearly through the air as she effortlessly commands the stage with a swagger reminiscent of her role “I feel like I can sing with passion with [“Glory”] because it’s something that relates to me and other African Americans,” Morgan said. “The song is so important models: Beyonce and Rhianna. Her performance Oct. 10 because it’s expressing what we need as an African-Amerat Blue Dine and Lounge took place in front of hundreds ican community.” of fans at a personal showcase organized to highlight her Braylon echoes Morgan’s message with regards to racial musical talent. inequality in present-day America. The siblings have

Taylor has been singing in front of audiences since continued to perform “Glory” at protests over 30 times, she was only 9 years old, when her grandmother recog- spanning multiple years, yet the message and issues they nized her talent and helped inspire her to perform for her face still remain the same. church. In the time since, Taylor has “Because the same thing hapopened for artists such as Ginuwine pens over and over, it hits people and Brian Mcknight; became a finalist in the 2018 St. Louis Teen Talent Competition held by the Fox, receiving the opportunity to take the stage in front of over a thousand people; and released her first EP (extended play) at only 11 years old. “It honestly makes me so happy to hear her sing because I know she’s doing what she loves,” senior Lauryn Donovan, who attended “ “ “People say I have two different sides. When I talk in front of people, I’m just shy, and then when I get on stage I’m a whole different person.” MORGAN TAYLOR | SENIOR the same way every time that they hear it,” Braylon said. “Things keep happening that show [society] is a hierarchy and we’re at the bottom of the hierarchy, and we feel that we should all be equal.” In addition to performing with her brother, Taylor’s personal success in music has helped her to develop a confident stage presence, something that eludes her in other

Taylor’s concert Oct. 10, said. “I can definitely say that I’ve aspects of her life. While she may feel timid in the classcried at a performance or two of hers because her voice is room or in public, as soon as she takes hold of a microjust so beautiful.” phone, Taylor radiates an aura of fearlessness.

The lyrics of Taylor’s songs are written to inspire her “People say I have two different sides,” Taylor said. listeners, primarily fellow teenagers. As a young woman, “When I am talking in front of people, I’m just shy, and

Taylor realizes her unique perspective on the human ex- then when I get on stage I’m a whole different person. I perience and shares that perspective in a recently released have no idea [why].” song, “Lullaby.” Taylor hopes to attend Berklee College of Music in

“That one was mainly about self worth as a young lady Boston next fall. She looks to continue her musical career — as a woman,” Taylor said. “We’re in high school right through developing her voice and possibly teaching young now, and some of us are in relationships. Sometimes, it children about music one day. She has already taught one could be a toxic relationship, [and] it’s not it for you. You student — her brother — who sees a bright future for should have the self confidence and self worth to tell your- Taylor after learning from her for years. self ‘this is not it’ and ‘you need to get yourself out of it.’” “She actually inspired me to want to write my own mu-

Strong emotions also serve as inspiration for the spirit sic,” Braylon said. “She really introduced me to the world in Taylor’s voice. After the shooting of 18-year-old Michael of music. [Her career] will go as far as she wants, but if she

Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., Taylor and her really takes it seriously and works hard, I feel she could be brother, Braylon Taylor, began singing “Glory” (originally one of the biggest singers in the world.” p

VOICE VOICE

Right: Senior Morgan Taylor hits a high note during her performance Oct. 10. Taylor is a versatile singer, able to reach a wide range. “Her biggest strength is her range,” Morgan’s brother Braylon Taylor said. “She can sing low, a tenor or a soprano voice.” Bottom Left: At her showcase, Taylor strikes a pose. Taylor’s confidence on stage did not go unnoticed by the audience. “Morgan’s beautiful voice and amazing stage presence definitely help her stand out,” senior Lauryn Donovan, who attended the concert, said. “She sings with so much passion.” Bottom Right: Taylor sings with a group of back-up singers. She has performed with other teens around St. Louis. “I really enjoyed seeing her as well as a few of my other friends perform in the band or group of back-up singers,” Donovan said. “It was done at a nice venue, so her singing plus the aesthetic made everything so much beter.” (photos by Grace Hensley)