Morgan Harper Nichols
Morgan Harper Nichols (born February 4, 1990, as Morgan Novelate Harper) is an American Christian musician, songwriter, artist, and writer.[1][2] Her first album, Morgan Harper Nichols, was released by Gotee Records in 2015. She now works full time as a writer, artist, and musician, travelling to speak, teach, and perform.[3]
Morgan Harper Nichols | |
---|---|
Birth name | Morgan Novelate Harper |
Born | Los Angeles, California | February 4, 1990
Origin | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
Years active | 2015–present |
Labels | Gotee |
Associated acts | Jamie Grace |
Website | morganharpernichols |
Early life
She was born in Los Angeles, California on February 4, 1990 as Morgan Novelate Harper,[4][5] the daughter of a preacher, Bishop James Henry Harper,[6] and his wife, Pastor Mona Nanette Harper (née Tellis).[7] The family moved in 1993 to Georgia, where her parents started Kingdom City Church in Stone Mountain.[5][8][9][10] Morgan and her younger sister, Jamie Grace, were homeschooled while growing up.[11][12]
At the age of 16, Nichols began attending Point University and singing her songs at local coffee shops.[5][12] She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English, and later pursued her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing.[5][13] After graduating, she worked as a college admissions counselor for a few years.[3]
Career
Music
Nichols began writing songs at the age 15, before she started singing or playing guitar.[11]
In 2007, a song she wrote and performed, "Doesn't Take Stars to Shine", was included in Bratz: The Movie as part of the talent show in the film.[12] This opened opportunities for her, allowing Nichols to open for acts such as jazz violinist Ken Ford.[5] The same year, she started on her first national tour, "Singing for College", where she raised money for her college tuition in various American cities.[5]
In 2014, Nichols and her sister, Jamie Grace, appeared together on a Gotee Records Christmas EP: Family Christmas.[5] Nichols also co-wrote five tracks on her sister's second album, Ready to Fly, released the same year.[5]
Her debut studio album, Morgan Harper Nichols, was released by Gotee Records on May 19, 2015.[11][14][15] The album's first song, "Storyteller", featured her sister Jamie Grace.
Writing
In 2017, Nichols started a project writing personalized letters for strangers as part of a goal to write a million poems to strangers in her lifetime.[16][17] People are invited to submit stories to her on her website, and she writes a brief letter of encouragement to them, paired with visual art.[3][16] This is sent to them for free and shared anonymously on social media as well.[16][18][19] Nichols says she does this as a daily practice of generosity and to " connect with people on a heart-level."[17]
Her debut book, Storyteller, was released in December 2017.[20] The book contains one hundred poems written as letters.[20]
Personal life
She is married to Patrick Kekoa Nichols,[13] and together they now reside in Orange County, California.[3] The couple were married on October 17, 2010.[13] They welcomed their first child, a boy, Jacob Henry Kekoa Nichols, on May 30, 2019.[21]
Nichols is also on the board of directors of the non-profit organization To Write Love on Her Arms.[22]
Discography
- Studio albums
- Morgan Harper Nichols (May 19, 2015, Gotee)[14][23]
References
- "Morgan Novelate Harper". SESAC. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- "Morgan Harper Nichols". Morgan Harper Nichols. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- "About". Morgan Harper Nichols. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- "Morgan Harper in Atlanta, GA". Intelius. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
- Cummings, Tony (October 16, 2015). "Morgan Harper Nichols: The soulful singer / songwriter with the heart of a storyteller". Cross Rhythms. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
- "James H Harper in Oxford, GA". Intelius. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
- "Mona Harper in Georgia". Intelius. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
- "Kingdom City Church". Facebook. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- Johnson, Leslie (December 15, 2011). "Christian Singer's Home Church on Rockbridge Road Robbed, Vandalized". Patch. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- Walker, Jamie (August 1, 2015). "Morgan Harper Nichols: The voice of a storyteller". CCM Magazine. pp. 18–22. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- McPhail, Carol (May 23, 2015). "New Christian artist is following in the footsteps of her little sister, Jamie Grace". Al.com. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- Dodd, D. Aileen (December 10, 2009). "Teens' creativity starts at home". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- Nichols, Morgan Harper (2012). "About". Morgan Harper Nichols. Weebly. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
- Andre, Joshua (May 22, 2015). "Morgan Harper Nichols – Morgan Harper Nichols". 365 Days of Inspiring Media. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- Greenhalgh, Andrew (May 21, 2015). "Review: Morgan Harper Nichols – Morgan Harper Nichols". Soul-Audio. Archived from the original on April 23, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- Thompson, Rachel (November 20, 2017). "A woman is writing poignant poems to strangers based on their Twitter DMs". Mashable. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- Loon, Melanie (August 6, 2018). "Your Favorite Instagram Artist/Poet on Building a Social Media Presence with Meaning: Q&A with Morgan Harper Nichols". Yellow Co. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- "Morgan Harper Nichols (@morganharpernichols)". Instagram. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- "Morgan Harper Nichols (@morganhnichols)". Twitter. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- "Storyteller: 100 Poem Letters: Morgan Harper Nichols". Amazon.com. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- "Morgan's Baby". The Joy FM. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
- "Board of Directors". TWLOHA. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- Chambers, Laura (May 18, 2015). "Morgan Harper Nichols 'Self-Titled'". Christian Music Review. Retrieved June 4, 2015.