Everybody’s Moved by Music

Jenny Morris is preparing for a Sydney October 15 show. The singer/songwriter, whose experience performing spans more than 25 years, is also in the midst of producing her 10th solo album scheduled for release in March 2006.

Jenny, who was born in New Zealand and is based in Sydney, was writing songs at just twelve, “Song writing has always come naturally to me. It is great to be doing something that is so much a part of your soulful side as well.”

From humble, yet successful, beginnings with New Zealand bands Wide Mouthed Frogs and The Crocodiles, Jenny began her solo career in 1981. Her ARIA award winning Body & Soul (1987) album had platinum sales of over 70,000 copies, with songs such as You’re Gonna Get Hurt, Body & Soul and the Neil Finn tune You I Know.

She toured Australia and the United States before the release of Shiver (1989); which accomplished triple platinum sales and her second ARIA. Shiver, which included the hit She Got To Be Loved among others, remained in the charts for a year and a half and received air-play in Europe.

In a limited market place where it is more miss than hit for Australian musicians, Jenny holds a philosophical view on the music industry. She believes that the industry is in a state of constant change.

“The thing to do is to make music for the right reasons. That is: To make yourself happy. Then whatever happens around it doesn’t affect you on a deep level.”

“Everybody’s moved by music. Wherever you are from, whatever your situation is, music can be a great source of comfort or intrigue or stimulation and I think from that point of view, music is very important in all our lives,” she said.

Jenny has toured with performers such as Prince, Paul McCartney and INXS. She sees these times as significant, “You get exposed to huge audiences in other countries and it really makes you get better at what you do - you realise you have to lift your game.”

She rates her last album Hit & Myth (2003) as a highlight. “I am very proud of it because it was a departure from the way I usually do albums. I experimented a bit with my songs and my musicianship.” In a departure from anything she has done before, Jenny will begin recording an acoustic CD in November. “I’m always trying to push the boundaries musically,” she said.

Jenny Morris will perform at the City Tattersalls Club in Sydney on October 15th. “I hope the audience can be emotionally moved and appreciate the calibre of musicians,” said Jenny who will be performing renditions of her well known songs. “They might be an updated version. But I also do a lot of the new songs; and hopefully, that is just a balance between where I’ve been and where I am and where I am going in my music.”