When Morgan Kibby was a kid, she studied classical music privately but showcased her talent with performances alongside the San Francisco Opera House and the Marin Theatre Company. After high school, in which she attended the prestigious Lycée Français, Kibby did something deserving of so much work at a young age: She took a gap year. Only that’s when her career really took off.
During that time, she became a member of the French band M83, in which she wrote, played, and sang on two albums. The ethereal and energizing warmth of the music earned her a Grammy nomination, a headlining act at the Hollywood Bowl, and a covetable career as one of the most creative and hard-working musicians and vocalists in the business. In other words, Kibby’s creative process stayed personal, but she continued to share her talent on an increasingly high-profile stage.
She co-wrote Panic! At the Disco’s 2016 album “Death of a Bachelor” and 2018’s "Pray for the Wicked,” and remixed more than 20 pop tracks for some of the most celebrated artists in the genre, including Lorde and The Weeknd. But while all of that was going on, she still produced and recorded her own solo material under the name White Sea.
In the last few years, Kibby has expanded her repertoire into performance art and music composition with parallel success. She’s contributed to projects developed for Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix, and others screened at Cannes and the Tribeca Film Festival. Music has been a lifetime love for Kibby, a personal feat that’s celebrated by countless fans. And lucky for audiences, she has no intention of slowing down yet.
You’re a classically trained pianist, cellist, and vocalist, and you performed with orchestras throughout your youth. Then, after graduating from Lycée Français, you joined the French band M83 as a writer, lyricist, vocalist, and instrumentalist. What was that experience like and how did it shape your career and lead you to where you are today?
M83 profoundly shaped me creatively and helped launch my career in music. I grew up listening to primarily classical, jazz, and folk, but M83 opened up the world of electronic music in a way that I could not have anticipated. I was exposed to bands like Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel. I learned the joys of shoegaze, ambient music, and synthesizers. They became new tools that opened up a well of ways to engage with my songwriting away from the piano. It was an incredibly rich period of musical discovery, and these influences are foundational to my creativity. Simultaneously, the success of “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming” gave me a solid financial springboard to focus solely on music in 2012, as well as a bit of name recognition for larger projects.
You’ve also co-written on Grammy-nominated and number one albums for Panic! At the Disco and remixed tracks for artists by the likes of Lorde and The Weeknd, all while writing and recording solo material under the moniker White Sea. How have you remained true and authentic to who you are, and what advice can you share for women who are struggling with that?
Time is the best friend and the cruelest mistress. I’m almost a decade-and-a-half into my career and I’m only now figuring out who I am and what my voice is. I finally have zero insecurity about how long that’s taken now that I have some perspective. I think it’s crucial to remember that your timetable is not necessarily the universe’s, nor that of the artists’ you admire. With a couple of years of trial and error, I ultimately made a point to invest my time in projects I knew would help accomplish one, if not all, of the following goals: Am I learning something on the technical side? Am I going to push my creative boundaries to expand my musical vocabulary and ability? If it isn’t a project I love, is it a stepping stone to the next project? I always put elbow grease into my strengths and observe my weaknesses to refine my output based on these points. These choices have helped me get more and more specific about who I am and what I bring to a project. Inevitably my voice has emerged from this out of its own volition.
You’ve gone on to score projects for major networks like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and the CW, as well as films that have premiered at prestigious international film festivals, including the 2018 official selection at Cannes. How did this career opportunity come about and what advice do you have for women reading this who want your job?
In my mind, it’s crucial to understand that there is a season of saying “yes” to everything and then a later moment when you have to start being more specific. I am where I am today because I followed what fed me artistically, whether it was acting in a short film, playing live as a backup musician or scoring a commercial. I agreed to anything and everything that crossed my desk because that’s what it takes to build experience, reputation, and voice. I have zero entitlement when it comes to work: I’m lucky to do what I do for a living. Treating every opportunity, no matter how small, as a chance to grow has served me well and enabled me to cross-pollinate my career with my various passions. For example, the last director I acted for in my teens ended up being the first to hire me to score her first film—one good thing usually leads to another. In short, you have to follow your gut and the opportunities that present themselves. One day you’ll be doing exactly what you want to be doing because you stayed hungry, but also tempered that drive with being true to your artistry and your ultimate vision.
According to recent research, just 21% of popular artists are women, 12% are songwriters, and only 2% are producers. As one of the women who’s tipping those stats in the right direction, how are you making a difference and pushing your industry forward?
I focus on the work, first and foremost. I show up and excel in any and every way I possibly can when I’m hired. I feel the powerful weight of every other woman in my field when I walk into an interview or a job—I'm representing them just as much as I’m representing myself. I’m proud and honored to do that. I also go out of my way to create opportunities for women in the music departments I am in charge of (particularly for film and television), so that my team is reflective of the change I espouse.
2020 presented everybody around the globe with new, unprecedented challenges. How did you #FindNewRoads + switch gears towards your new version of success?
I think it became very apparent that “goals” are irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, but the work is paramount. I’ve focused even more on what I’m actually dedicating time to, and I’m trying to make sure I’m doing work that doesn’t compromise where I see myself going.
Going after what you deserve in life takes confidence and guts. Does confidence come naturally to you or did you have to learn it? What advice can you share for women on cultivating confidence and going after their dreams?
I feel like my life as a creative was inevitable. There is no plan B. I would be miserable doing anything else, and so I threw myself into my work, making sure it’s always evolving and that I’m always growing. If you have a calling, you have to learn to trust your instincts. It is the best tool in my toolbox and has enabled so many moments of beautiful, non-contrived kismet in my career. And once again, time. One day you wake up, and because you put 10,000 hours in, you just know you’re capable of the work. So you show up for yourself. The doubt is always there because that is a healthy feeling to have to an extent. But over time, it just ceases to be the loudest voice in the room.
When you separate yourself from your job title and the bells and whistles of your business or career, who are you and what do you like to do?
At the risk of sounding a bit reductive, I have no idea. And if I’m being completely honest, I can work up to 15 hours a day, seven days a week for years on end. I haven’t reached the “balanced” portion of my career yet because my driving force has been to get better, which means immense sacrifice on many personal levels in order to get where I want to go. All that being said, I love to garden in quiet moments. I love to read and swim in the ocean. I love motorcycles, and I love cooking for my friends.
It’s easy to celebrate the wins, but how do you handle failure or when something hasn’t worked out for you?
I’m not really a celebrator, necessarily—call it an overly superstitious fear of karma! I’m a bit afraid that if I celebrate something I will scare it away. But when I hand something in, I'm also already thinking about what’s next. I’ve had more failures than successes, but thank god the first cut is the deepest. Nothing hurts more than the first moment your naiveté is retired. But with that comes a greater ease with failures, and the knowledge that half-baked moments are only one small part of a 1,000-piece puzzle. No growth, none, comes from comfort. I take a deep breath, prepare myself for some pain, and know that on the other side, I will be exponentially smarter and better at my job.
With success comes opportunity, but that also means you have your hands full. What keeps you inspired and motivated to keep going even on your most challenging days?
As cheesy as it may sound, I like to go to a place of gratitude. I’m so fortunate, and I make an effort to meditate on that ever-growing list of reasons why that is so. Life is hard, and I try to remember to find joy in the things I have accomplished.
If you could go back to the beginning of your career journey—with the knowledge you have now—what advice would you give yourself?
Don’t be afraid to take your time! You can’t erase the internet. Let yourself live and grow a little before putting out work. Your path will never look like anyone else’s, and it shouldn’t. Ride that wave despite the noise. And finally, I would remind myself that my instincts are generally always right, and that following the work and what it demands is always where the most joy and success is to be found.
Fill in the blanks:
When I feel fear, I…
Drink tequila.
The three qualities that got me to where I am today are…
Dogged work ethic, a graceful failure navigation, and cataloguing and accepting my weaknesses while nurturing my strengths.
The change I’d like to see in my industry is…
More celebration of the process and the work itself, and less focus on the results and packaging.
My perfect day begins with…
Two cups of Cuban coffee and my garden.
The craziest thing I’ve done for work is…
Writing, recording strings, and mixing the “Chromatica” interludes for Lady Gaga in two weeks, culminating in a session on Grammy weekend. That was a doozy, and I’m still not sure how I pulled that off.
