Zach Morris
Up-and-coming LDS artist, Zach Morris, currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, but was born and raised not far from Henderson, Nevada. He has an amazing support team in the persons of his wife and daughter. He is a law student at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He comments, “In between studying I breathe, spend time with my family, and work on music in some way. Whether it’s building the website, writing, YouTube videos, or playing, it all takes precious time.”
Music has had a deep impact on Zach’s life from an early age. He recalls, “I remember vividly when I was seven years old in the car and R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly” came on the radio. I was humming along and I thought, ‘I could sing this better than him.’ I don’t hold a flame to R. Kelly, and I have no idea where that confidence came from because I spent the rest of my adolescent years very subconscious about my musical abilities and performing in front of people.” Growing up he fought against taking piano lessons and his sister pulling him back into choir every year. He admits that it wasn’t that he didn’t like playing the piano or singing, but rather he hadn’t found his niche in the music world.
He was active in high school with multiple sports, choir, and church activities. His mother gave him the opportunity to stop taking piano lessons and so he did. He soon began collecting sheet music of his favorite bands, and at the end of his freshman year, he auditioned for the choir’s talent show. However, fear and anxiety overtook him and he was unable to complete the audition. It would not be until his senior year that he finally mustered the courage to sing and play the piano in front of an audience.
During high school, he wrote songs but never shared them with anyone. Around his senior year in high school, he began taking jazz piano and music theory lessons. He gained a great admiration and deep respect for her, describing her as being “as blunt as a hammer.” He continues, “Taking lessons from her was as much an exercise in humility as it was an exercise in music. She gave me the knowledge that I needed to really improve my songwriting, and piano playing.” He also states that he has been tremendously blessed to have multiple mentors/instructors for voice lessons, piano, and golf who have helped to build his confidence and to realize his self-worth.
In college, he bought a guitar, taught himself to play, and began recording himself in his bedroom. Albeit, he admits that the recordings were not that good. In time, he met a friend and the two began writing music together and performing as an acoustic duo around town. They soon added a bassist and a drummer and called their newly formed group Fight to Win. They played in several venues around Idaho, did a few shows in Utah, and recorded an EP that was never released. The group disbanded after a couple of years as each member became married and graduated from college.
Zach Morris is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served a two-year mission for the Church in Canada. His debut album I Find Home is available for download on iTunes. About his album, Zach commented, “I had the concept in my mind to make “I Find Home” for a long time. It took 4 years to finally pursue it and make it a reality. I took my time and put in my best effort reaching out to others for help when I fell short of what was required. While it’s not perfect I can truly say, I put my whole heart into this album. I think it’s every songwriter’s goal to move or inspire other people with their music.”
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