Philly-born RnB artist GoGo Morrow shares her anticipated second single, “I.O.U.” via B.O.E. Records and Universal Music Canada in partnership with Kenya Barris’ label venture, Khalabo Music/Interscope Records. Accompanying visuals for “I.O.U.,” directed by the late Sebastian Sdaigui.
“I’m a good girl, but I ain’t doing what a good girl’s supposed to do,” Morrow says at the beginning of the track. Marked with honest, direct lyrics tied to themes of deception, romantic uncertainty, and self-reflection, Morrow finds both inner confidence and friction in her pursuit to solve “unfinished business” with a romantic figure in her life.
Accompanied with smooth yet authoritative vocals and mixed in with Harmony “H-Money” Samuels’ luxurious take on RnB production, Gogo Morrow’s “I.O.U.” captures the songstress gaining lyrical and sonic innovation in her RnB rooted artistry.
Tell us how you got to this stage of your career
I started doing musical theater when I was a kid so music has always been a part of my life but then right after college I got an internship at a record label so I thought I was going to get a A&R gig or something until they fired a whole bunch of people and I needed a new plan.
I went from job to job knowing what I really wanted to do was getting in front of people and perform for them and I remember having a conversation with a friend of mine who lived in NYC who casually mentioned the classic ‘hey if you need to crash on my couch, I have extra room’ so I just went ‘yea, I might have to take you up on that sometime!’
And did you?
Well actually it’s funny because he was the one hitting me up sometime later and telling me that he had heard of an audition to be Kelly Rowland’s backup singer so he went ‘are you coming up or what?’
Sounds like it was meant to be!
Yes but I was feeling insecure about it and coming up with a whole bunch of excuses so he basically dared me to take the risk and go!
And did you?
I went without telling anyone, not even my mom! It was a whole day of auditions and callbacks after which they just told me they’d give me a call so I went back to Philly expecting nothing from it. Fast forward two weeks later and I get a call from the director asking if I wanted to join Lady Gaga on tour!
What?! How did that happen?
Crazy, right? Well it turns out Kelly Rowland And Gaga had the same music director and they needed an extra singer for Gaga’s tour and thought I would be a good fit!
Amazing!
Exactly! When he asked me if I wanted to go I was ‘Duh, yea!’ so he said ‘make sure you think about it cause you’re gonna be gone for 2 years’ but at that time I had no hesitation. I knew that was my calling so I had no doubt about it.
How did you transition to your solo career after that?
Well after touring I went back to Philly and decided it was time to start singing my own song so I started playing all over Philly and opening for everyone who came to town until I realized I had to expand my horizons and take my music outside of city limits.
Very smart. What happened next?
Well I was working with songwriter and artist Ryan Toby at that time and when he went back to LA told Harmony “H-Money” Samuels about me so one day I checked my twitter and I found a message from him asking to give him a call so I did and we ended up talking for hours and arranging a meeting at his studio in LA. I went out there without a place to stay or even knowing anybody I crashed with some Philly homeboys for 2 months before finding my own apartment and just decided I had to stay in LA
How was working with Harmony?
Just amazing! We clicked immediately and had a great momentum going since day one! I remember walking into the studio and coming up with ‘In The Way” – my debut single – in 2 sessions. It was magic!
Sounds like it! Tell us more about what it’s like touring with someone like Gaga! It must be such an experience!
To say the least! Gaga is something else! The energy she gave to the audience was insane to experience. Any little thing that happened during the show whether it’d be someone in the crowd screaming something or her slipping on her high heels she would turn it around and make it a piece of art and entertainment. What I learned from that experience is that as a musician you need to know how to be comfortable on your toes and ready to move as quickly as them which is quite hard.
You toured with Kanye as well right?
Yep! And it was the same exact thing. Go Go Go! Kanye is such a true artist and always thinks ahead! So much so that I remember one time he came in with a full new song for us to learn a few hours before the show!
Sounds like something Kanye would do, yes haha!
Exactly haha! But the main lesson there was that you are in service of the artist’s vision and you are as crucial as the rest of the team in order to bring it to life and give it to the audience. There was no time to worry and panic about it, you know! You just had to do it!
After all the experience you accumulated by now, how do you want your act to be seen and developed in the long term?
I simply want my artistry to encompass every aspect of my creative persona from music to dancing from fashion to theater. I want to be a well-rounded artist and that’s how I am and will keep conveying my art. Creativity is such a wide spectrum that includes all sorts of disciplines and facets and I want to explore them all and make them a part of my act. That’s who I am as a human being: extremely curious and spontaneous. You never know what you’re gonna get from Gogo
