Ronny Morris

Ronnie Morris - SongwriterPro.com

I met Ronny Morris late last year. I heard his music on the Internet and was taken by the maturity and skill of this songwriter. We began talking using the Voip serice, Skype. (Skype.com) I asked Ronny if he was up to doing an interview with me and he accepted!

Kelly Dunn: Hello and welcome!

Ronny Morris: It's great to be here! Can you hear me ok?

Kelly Dunn: I can hear you fine Ronny! So, how'd your music career start?

Ronny Morris: I began playing in a Jazz band in school. I was about 14 years old and at the time I thought it was stupid. But, looking back I can see the benefit of that now! (Laughter) Then I started a rock band. We started doing the cover songs like, Sweet, some Beatles etc. I was the promoter of the band. I took the band to London with a demo but nothing came of it. We came back and we began to lose track of each other. We just didn't believe in it anymore so we stopped. It's one thing to be in a professional band and to have a hobby. It's a lot of work like anything else in life. Basically, I built a studio and basically wanted to begin recording my own music. I had enough of being in a band and asking everybody else for their opinion for each song. A friend of mine heard that I was writing songs and I asked him over. What can say. He was as hopeless on piano as I was on the guitar! (Laughter) But we began to write these songs around two or three chords. We just love writing songs. Plus, by this time we wanted to begin writing out songs in English. So we began to write in English and...

Kelly Dunn: You mean English isn't your main language?

Ronny Morris: Oh no! Danish is our main language. The music that I grew up with were always in English. So I sat for hours looking in the dictionary to see what the words meant.

Kelly Dunn: So during this entire time growing up you were conversing in Danish and singing in English?

Ronny Morris: Indeed! That's how it was! But here everything is in sub-titles. That was a choice I had to make, writing in English or Danish. But I wanted to like one of my hero's.

Kelly Dunn: That's like a Danish twist. So, you are conversing in Danish about doing everything in English. That's really different!

Ronny Morris: Well, over here in Europe it's like that, you have to learn a whole different language.

Kelly Dunn: So, to get international exposure you have to learn a whole new language...

Ronny Morris: Exactly, my dream is to play my music around the world. I know other bands that have tried to keep their Danish roots but failed miserably once they left the country with their music.

Kelly Dunn: Who's the biggest group has made it out of Denmark?

Ronny Morris: Well, I hate to say it but Aqua had a very huge hit with, "Barbie Girl", I think that's the title.

Kelly Dunn: You mean the song, "I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world..."

Ronny Morris: Yes Kelly, I'm afraid so. (Laughter)

Kelly Dunn: My daughter sang that song all day long, and then my wife began singing it too! (Laughter) I would have never believed they were a Danish group.

Ronny Morris: I'm proud of what they did. After that I told the guys that we need to get serious and get some songs created in the studio. After awhile I got so frustrated with the music equipment. I'm sitting there staring at a vocal compressor, worrying about vocal sounds, drum sounds, and said to Thomas that I need to get involved with a producer. This is the wrong way for me to make music. The thing is recording equipment is inexpensive today. Everyone rushes out to the music store and buys all this equipment. There are few that probably can do it. But I would say the majority are going to fail. So, I tossed that idea out the window and sold everything. I then went out and found a Swedish producer that produced some great records. Then, he quoted me some prices that blew me away back to the stone age. But then I got to thinking about it and I spoke to my wife about it. I told her that I really want to do this. You cannot sell anything to the world if you don't really believe in it. I had to ask myself if I wanted to do this as a living or do I want to do this as a hobby.

Kelly Dunn: So this is how your new CD came about?

Ronny Morris: Yes, I paid for the entire project myself. Adam was my main producer. I have some great musicians on the songs. I came to the states to record the vocals. The producer, Brian, in New York made me feel comfortable that the vocals were smooth and didn't sound like a Scandinavian guy just getting off the train. (Laughter) He made sure the pronunciations were clear. Then my producer said do you want some strings. So went off to Prague to record the string sections. At this time my friend Thomas got real scared and lost focus. You know, some people like to dream but they get scared when it's time to do something and pay for it. He was one of those. I told him that he was either in or out. I told him there would be challenging times. This isn't a bargain. People get to do this sometimes but only if they work hard for it. So that's where I am today. I have a few songs on the American television shows. I tell other songwriters that I know that it's a tough decision.

Kelly Dunn: I've seen this before, Performance Anxiety...

Ronny Morris: Yes, you are right! I've seen people who have given up on their dreams and have become miserable with their lives. I would rather die in the process in doing so than not.

Kelly Dunn: You have some great music on your cd...

Ronny Morris: Thank you. I have really tried but the business side of things are frustrating. Sometimes it's just not enough to have talent. and that is the frustrating thing. I don't believe in luck Kelly. Luck to me is putting myself out there creating a buzz and making it happen. People tell me that this person or that person was lucky. I don't believe that at all.

Kelly Dunn: The same they say about musical genius too...just working hard is genius...

Ronny Morris: Also, they call them lucky. It just hits people sometimes. I see a lot of people out there putting in a lot of hard work. So when you see a Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and people say lot's of things about these great artist. And it's not so much about the music. It's a about the people you surround yourself with. You can write music in your bedroom or for your band that's fine. But to be a recording artist you need to teach yourself the skills to survive the game.

Kelly Dunn: How has the Internet helped your music career...

Ronny Morris: I think the Internet today is where the telephone was thirty years ago. You and I me through the Internet. Before you had the Yellow Pages but that was only for your area.

Kelly Dunn: That sounds outdated now doesn't it?

Ronny Morris: It does! (Laughter) The Internet today is a global Yellow Pages. I'm here in Copenhagen, Denmark and you are in the U.S. It's easier to communicate today. People from the industry are a tough crowd. They hear so much b.s. I think it's hard for them to recognize me. I tend to get drowned out in the crowd. I hooked up with a radio promoter in L.A. and he said the same thing you were saying. So he's promoting that across the U.S. Just for me to airplay on American radio is a success. Of course it costs a lot of money and I don't expect anyone to work for free. We all have to make a living. It's hard for me to see where I am paying the smart money and who is taking advantage of me.

Kelly Dunn: You need to spend your money wisely for sure, getting more bang for your buck...

Ronny Morris: Six months ago, I thought having a record deal I thought everything would be great. But today I see things differently. However, I am the CEO of my own company and I have control over what I do. I want to sell my music as a product. I want to get it out there. I only want to work with the best people in their field so we can move forward. I have to do it for myself instead of waiting for someone to do it for me. That's my goal right now.

Kelly Dunn: Just because you're not getting exposure it doesn't mean you are not successful...

Ronny Morris: Exactly, every time I come to the States I see all these great musicians touring and nobody knows their names. It's amazing how much talent is out there.

Kelly Dunn: Do you bring a lot of people in to help with your music?

Ronny Morris: After being in a band I want to bring to best players for each particular song. Working with new people, a new producer, a new guitar. I met some excellent people doing this project. I watched all these people work on my project and it really struck me how they were helping with my dream. After a session they would come up to me and tell me how great it was to work on my song and what a great songwriter I am. But really it was me that was honored to have them be part of this is amazing. The songs would not be the same without all these different people involved in the mix. I like how people bring their own background to the song.

Kelly Dunn: Are you the sole songwriter...

Ronny Morris: Yes, I have a strong idea as to what I want the songs to be. But that doesn't mean if a guitar player comes in and say's, "I hear it this way..." Then we'll listen and if it fits then we'll go with that idea. I think you have to make decisions in the "now" and make the album the best you can do it. a lot of ideas we kept and I came out with an album that was much better than I expected. Like the string section in Prague from the small ideas that I had actually just blew me away. It was like Wow! It brought tears to my eyes. Sometimes you have to let people in and evaluate. It can be a bit boring when an artist just does the whole thing its a bit boring. I tried it. I failed miserably.

Kelly Dunn: Do you look forward to touring soon?

Ronny Morris: I love the States. I'd love to move there for a few years and really get a feel for what's going on over there with the American music tradition. I spoke to my manager he said I hear your music being on American radio. I also like the live scene there. I'm so amazed to see bands like Tom Petty. I went to one of his concerts there and there people there as young as 16 years old. That's what I love about the States. If Tom Petty played over here in Denmark you'd never see a 16 year old kid at the concert. It just doesn't happen. In America you can travel from State to State you get different musical tastes. I'm amazed. I was in L.A. recently and I turned on the radio and heard Phil Collins!

Kelly Dunn: He's one of radio's main staples over here...

Ronny Morris: The problem of radio is based on commercials and they get told what to play. In the old days it was just so different. I get frustrated. I miss some of the old values. It's about seasons. We'll get back to that season again. People will demand the old ways because they liked it like that. I get sad when people get away from what music can really be.

Kelly Dunn: Do you like the idea that songs are all delivered digitally? I know what you are saying but I don't thing we're going back to that...maybe...

Ronny Morris: I loved going down to the record store and buying an album. I loved the cover art, looking at the inner sleeve and actually feel it while I listened to the music...

Kelly Dunn: What's the future hold for you Ronny...

Ronny Morris: I'm an optimistic person by heart Kelly. Like I said I don't believe in luck, I believe you create your own luck. I can hope that the future will allow me to continue to build upon what I'm doing and make a living playing music. It's about building relationships.

Kelly Dunn: You've already made you just need a bigger audience!

Ronny Morris: (Laughter) Of course!

Kelly Dunn: Ronny, this has been a real pleasure meeting you today. I wish you all the best and let's stay in touch ok?

Ronny Morris: Kelly, it's been an honor meeting you today and speaking with you. The next time I'm in America let's hook up ok?

Kelly Dunn: Bye for now!

Ronny Morris: Bye!

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