Jessica Lee Morgan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 16 June 1976 |
| Origin | Reading, Berkshire, England |
| Genres | Folk |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 2010–present |
Jessica Lee Morgan (born 16 June 1976) is a British singer and songwriter.
As the daughter of Welsh folksinger Mary Hopkin and American music producer Tony Visconti, Morgan grew up in a musical environment. She learned songs on guitar from her mother and musician friends of the family and was influenced by singer-songwriters such as Joni Mitchell.
Morgan continued to sing in concerts and sessions. One of her earliest sessions was for Hazel O'Connor[1] and later for Elaine Paige as "Jessica Visconti", both produced by her father, Tony Visconti.[citation needed]
At university she played solo original gigs and in covers bands, and also put on gigs for other bands.[2]
In 2010, Morgan released her debut album, I Am Not.[3][4] The same year, she sang on several tracks on the album You Look Familiar" by her mother Mary Hopkin and her brother Morgan Visconti.[5]
In 2011, Morgan recorded "The Long and Winding Road" for The Beatles Complete On Ukulele.[6] In 2014, she sang on Morgan Visconti's album Ride and performed live at the launch event in May in New York City. Morgan and her brother had previously collaborated on her album I Am Not, which her brother co-produced.[7]
Later in 2014, Morgan took part in the "Dylathon", a 36-hour performance of the works of Dylan Thomas at the Swansea Grand Theatre to celebrate the poet's centenary directed by Michael Bogdanov. She performed her own a cappella musical adaptation of "Love in the Asylum" and two excerpts from "Under Milk Wood" as Polly Garter with the Wales Theatre Company and Ian McKellen.[8]
On Saint David's Day 2015, Morgan represented her mother at Wales at Number One, a concert at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. She sang "Those Were The Days". The same year, she released her singles "Painting By Numbers"[9] and "When Did It All Begin?"[10]
Her second album, Around The Block, was released on 16 June 2017.[11]
Re:Boot was a reworking of her first album and was released in 2018. In 2020 her fourth album, Forthright, was released in June.[12]
She sang two songs as a guest on the album Decades by David Palfreyman and Nicholas Pegg, and a video for one song, "Hurting, Sinking", was released on 1 December 2017.[13]
She currently performs solo and with her partner in the UK.[14] In 2020, unable to perform live due to restrictions following the coronavirus outbreak, she started live streaming gigs as part of a Time Zone Tour.[15]
In May 2023, Jessica released the album, Two Hearts, alongside her mother, Mary Hopkin.[16]
In 2005, Jessica founded Mary Hopkin Music, a record label, exclusively for the distribution of previously unreleased material by Mary Hopkin. The label has released several albums including "You Look Familiar" and Jessica's cover of "Painting by Numbers".[17]
In 2015 Jessica toured with a show called Very Hopkin, singing Mary Hopkin covers as a tribute to her mother.[18] She has also toured her own material as a support act and performing backing vocals, twelve-string guitar and saxophone with the band Holy Holy, featuring Woody Woodmansey, Tony Visconti and Glenn Gregory.[19]
