Matthew David Morris (born Matthew Burton Morris on May 9, 1979) is an American singer, producer, actor, and songwriter. He has released solo projects on Tennman/ Interscope Records, but is best known for his work as a songwriter and producer for a variety of artists, including Joy Williams, Justin Timberlake,

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...

, Reba McEntire,

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan OC OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is '' Surfacing'', for which she won two Grammy Awards (ou ...

Kimbra Kimbra Lee Johnson (born 27 March 1990), known mononymously as Kimbra, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. Known for mixing pop with R&B, jazz and rock musical elements, her accolades include four ARIA Music Awards, two Grammy Awards and s ...

, and Cher. He achieved early fame when he appeared on the Disney Channel television series '' The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, A.K.A. MMC'' in the early 1990s, where he was a cast member from 1991 to 1996 (seasons 4–7). Morris' January 2010 performance of

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

's "

Hallelujah ''Hallelujah'' ( ; he, ''haləlū-Yāh'', meaning "praise Yah") is an interjection used as an expression of gratitude to God. The term is used 24 times in the Hebrew Bible (in the book of Psalms), twice in deuterocanonical books, and four tim ...

" with Justin Timberlake and Charlie Sexton on the Hope for Haiti Now telethon became the most downloaded song from the international broadcast's digital release and went to No. 1 on the iTunes music chart and No. 13 on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streamin ...

Early life

Matt Morris was born and reared in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Colorado by his mother and stepfather, and had no intention of being a country singer like his father, Gary Morris, an American country music artist who charted a string of

countrypolitan The Nashville Sound originated during the mid-1950s as a subgenre of American country music, replacing the chart dominance of the rough honky tonk music, which was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s, with "smooth strings and choruses", "sophist ...

-styled hit songs throughout the 1980s. However, Morris learned much about songwriting from his father, Gary. Morris's biological parents divorced while he was still an infant. Morris was raised in Denver by his mother Teri Hernandez, and his stepfather Ken. They lived in the Barnum neighborhood of Denver until Morris was in the fourth grade, when they moved to Bear Valley. In 1991, when Morris was in sixth grade, he joined the cast of the ''Mickey Mouse Club''. His cast mates included future collaborator and pop superstars Justin Timberlake and

. The show ended in 1994, when Morris was 15. Morris returned to his home in Denver, Colorado with the intention of distancing himself from the entertainment industry and reconnecting with his friends and family. Morris attended John F. Kennedy High School and starred in a number of high school plays, including South Pacific and The King and I. Morris grew up in an Episcopalian household.

Musical career

He is the son of country music star Gary Morris. He achieved early fame when he appeared on the Disney Channel television series '' The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, A.K.A. MMC'' in the early 1990s, where he was a cast member from 1991 to 1996 (seasons 4–7). Here he met future collaborators Justin Timberlake and

, along with future celebrities Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, Chasen Hampton,

Keri Russell Keri Lynn Russell (born March 23, 1976) is an American actress. She portrayed the titular character on the drama series '' Felicity'' (1998–2002), which won her a Golden Globe Award, and Elizabeth Jennings on the FX spy thriller series ''The ...

, and

JC Chasez Joshua Scott "JC" Chasez (; born August 8, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, and occasional actor. He started out his career as a cast member on '' The Mickey Mouse Club'' before rising to stardom with NSYNC, and ...

. Morris first experienced success as a songwriter in the early 2000s. Morris collaborated with Aguilera on her 2002 RCA Records, "Stripped", co-writing five songs with Aguilera and producer

Scott Storch Scott Spencer Storch (born December 16, 1973) is an American record producer and songwriter. He started off as a keyboardist for the group the Roots. Early life Storch was born on Long Island, New York. He was raised in South Florida and Ph ...

, including the hit "Can't Hold Us Down". Another of their collaborations, " Miss Independent", went on to become a number one hit for American Idol winner,

. Morris continued his success in songwriting by co-writing with Timberlake the song "Another Song (All Over Again)" for Timberlake's second solo album, ''

FutureSex/LoveSounds ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake, released on September 8, 2006 by Jive Records and Zomba Group of Companies, Zomba. Following a three-year writing hiatus, Timberlake conceived ...

'' (2006). The track was produced by

Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is the co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popula ...

, and the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Morris co-wrote with Timberlake a song for Reba McEntire's '' Reba: Duets'' album, which McEntire sang with Timberlake. Morris co-wrote the song "

Woman's World ''Woman's World'' is an American supermarket weekly magazine with a circulation of 1.6 million readers. Printed on paper generally associated with tabloid publications and priced accordingly, it concentrates on short articles about subjects such a ...

", the first single from Cher's album ''

Closer to the Truth ''Closer to the Truth'' is the twenty-fifth studio album by American singer and actress Cher. It was released on September 20, 2013 by Warner Bros. Records. Opting to re-establish her music career, she began planning the project in 2011, shortly ...

'' (2013). Matt Morris and Cher on Red Carpet of The Voice

Morris' January 2010 performance of

's "

" with Justin Timberlake and

Charlie Sexton Charles Wayne Sexton (born August 11, 1968) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Sexton is best known for his years as a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band, though also has become well known as a music producer. Sexton co-founded the Ar ...

on the

Hope For Haiti Now ''Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief'' was a charity telethon held on January 22, 2010 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (January 23, 2010 from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. UTC). The telethon was the most widely distri ...

telethon became the most downloaded song from the international broadcast's digital release and went to No. 1 on the iTunes music chart and No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 During the same month, Morris released '' When Everything Breaks Open'' on Timberlake's Tennman Records. The release gained wide distribution through Interscope Records, garnering much praise in the press. Morris was let go from his deal with Tennman and Interscope in 2011, and continues to write songs for other recording artists.

UnSpoken

In 2003, Morris released the independent album ''UnSpoken''. To promote the album, Morris toured colleges around the United States and gave an interactive session and dialogue with audiences called "Reflections on Artistry and the Business of Music: A Dialogue with Matt Morris." The event consisted of a discussion of Morris' experiences in the music industry, as well as his thoughts about file sharing.

Backstage at Bonnaroo and Other Acoustic Performances EP

Morris performed at the 2008

Bonnaroo The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Since its first year in 2002, it has been held at what is now Great Stage Park on a farm in M ...

Music Festival. While at the festival, Morris and producer,

, recorded a series of acoustic performances backstage in the Music Allies recording studio. The songs were compiled as the 5 song EP, ''Backstage at Bonnaroo and Other Acoustic Performances'', and released by Tennman Records September 23, 2008.

When Everything Breaks Open

On January 12, 2010, Morris released '' When Everything Breaks Open'' on Justin Timberlake's label, Tennman Records. In support of the album, Morris performed on a number of television shows, including the Late Show with David Letterman, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Lopez Tonight. ''When Everything Breaks Open'' was co-produced by Charlie Sexton and Justin Timberlake. The album was recorded largely at Public Hi-Fi, a recording studio in Austin, Texas founded by Spoon's Jim Eno.

Hallelujah

On January 22, 2010, Morris performed the Leonard Cohen song, "Hallelujah", with Justin Timberlake and

during the

telethon. The recording of the song became the most downloaded track from the album, and it charted in the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Live Forever video

The first video from '' When Everything Breaks Open'' was for the song, "Live Forever". The video was directed by Matt Stawski, with art by Serge Gay, Jr.. The video takes place in a non-descript suburban neighborhood and is rich with animation.

Shlomo

Morris was offered the lead role alongside

India.Arie India Arie Simpson (born October 3, 1975), also known as India Arie (sometimes styled as india.arie), is an American singer and songwriter. She has sold over five million records in the US and ten million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards ...

in a Broadway production produced by Daniel Wise entitled "Shlomo". The musical is based on the life of

Shlomo Carlebach Shlomo Carlebach ( he, שלמה קרליבך; 14 January 1925 – 20 October 1994), known as Reb Shlomo to his followers, was a rabbi, religious teacher, spiritual leader, composer, and singer dubbed "the singing rabbi" during his lifetime. ...

, also known as the Singing Rabbi.

Songwriter credits

2002

Can't Hold Us Down "Can't Hold Us Down" is a song recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera and rapper Lil' Kim for the former's fourth studio album ''Stripped'' (2002). It was released by RCA Records on July 8, 2003, as the fourth single from the album. The ...

", "Walk Away", "Infatuation", "Loving Me 4 Me", "Underappreciated" on

's ''

Stripped Stripped may refer to: Music * "Stripped" (song), by Depeche Mode, 1986 * ''Stripped'' (Christina Aguilera album) or the title song, 2002 * ''Stripped'' (Daniel Ash album), 2014 * ''Stripped'' (Macy Gray album), 2016 * ''Stripped'' (Pretty Ma ...

2003

*" Miss Independent" on

's '' Thankful''

2006

*"(Another Song) All Over Again" Justin Timberlake's ''

2007

*"The Only Promise That Remains" on Reba McEntire's '' Reba: Duets''

2011

*"Need Someone" on

's '' My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1)''

2012

" on Cher's ''

''.

2014

*Love in High Places – Kimbra *Song for My Father – Sarah Mclachlan *Love Beside Me – Sarah Mclachlan *90s Music – Kimbra *90s Music M Phazes Remix – Kimbra *Broken Over You – Grace Mitchell *Little Secret – Nikki Yanofsky

2015

*Stand By You – Rachel Platten *Woman (Oh Mama) – Joy Williams *Love Beside Me – Joy Williams *One Day I Will – Joy Williams *What A Good Woman Does – Joy Williams *Welcome Home – Joy Williams *Till Forever – Joy Williams *You Loved Me – Joy Williams *Sweet Love of Mine – Joy Williams *Dying Kind – Joy Williams *Call – Francesco Yates *Better To Be Loved – Francesco Yates *Me & My Girls – Selena Gomez

Performance credits

2010

*performed "Hallelujah" live with Justin Timberlake and

. "Hallelujah" was written by Canadian singer-songwriter

and released on Cohen's seventh studio album, ''

Various Positions ''Various Positions'' is the seventh studio album by Leonard Cohen, released in December 1984 (and February 1985). It marked not only his turn to the modern sound and use of synthesizers (particularly on the opening track), but also, after the ha ...

'' (1984). *featured on "Infatuation" by

Flobots Flobots is an experimental rap rock band from Denver, Colorado, formed in 2005 by Jamie Laurie. The band's origins date back 5 years earlier to a similar project by Laurie. Flobots found mainstream success with their major label debut ''Fight ...

. "Infatuation" is co-written by Morris and included on Flobots second studio album, ''

Survival Story ''Survival Story'' is the second studio album by Flobots, released on March 16, 2010. It is the follow-up to 2007's '' Fight with Tools''. Work on the album began in 2009, and it was produced by Mario Caldato, Jr. (of Beastie Boys fame). The al ...

'' (2010).

Personal life

Morris is openly gay, and married Sean Michael Morris when same-sex couples were allowed to do so in California. His husband was his inspiration for the song "Love" found on his debut album. He has three mixed breed dogs named Max, Rupert, and Elliott. He has various tattoos and his favorite one is a sacred heart on his chest, drawn by the late artist Lee Ball. Morris lives in Portland, Oregon. Morris blogged about his religious journey under the name Teo Bishop from 2009 to 2014, and in 2012 he changed his legal name to Teo Bishop. He changed his name back to Matthew in 2014. Morris began writing the blog ''Faith and Formation'' in March 2015.

Discography

*2003: ''UnSpoken'' *2008: ''Backstage at Bonnaroo and other Acoustic Performances'' EP *2010: '' When Everything Breaks Open''

References

External links

* * *
Teo on HuffPost Religion
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Matt 1979 births American male singer-songwriters American male pop singers Living people Mouseketeers American gay musicians LGBT people from Colorado 21st-century American singers American singer-songwriters