LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The love for music hit Nathan Morris pretty young. Ironically, it was born out of a punishment.
“I remember in elementary school, I was eight years old, Miss Harris’ music class. I got in trouble; what else is new,” Morris said. “She brings up in front of the class, and I have to sing this old hymn in front of the class. I did it, and after class, she said, ‘Well, you’re actually good.’”
The joke’s on Ms. Harris.
Morris’s dream of becoming a musician and a pop star began that day at the age of eight. Now at 38, he’s well on his way to solidifying that career, thanks partly to his reach on TikTok.
“We want community so bad. The beauty aspect of social media is the fact that we’re able to find communities that we relate or resonate with and we feel a part of,” Morris said.
The social media spotlight shone down on Morris about eight months ago. However, it wasn’t his music that first caught everyone’s attention.
The highlight was a video of his other passion. His career as a mortician and funeral home director.
“The seniors in the high school for eight years had been coming to the funeral home, and I’d been giving them a tour of the process. This is the care behind the curtain. We’d take them behind the scenes,” Morris said. “The funeral profession is so beautiful. It’s gone unchanged for the most part for 200-plus years. People deserve to know why, how, what kind of beautiful care they’re receiving.”
The thought of funerals is far from uplifting, but Morris is painting the profession more positively.
His experience has also blended into his songwriting, trying to be relatable and “real” about the reality of death and the appreciation of every moment life gives us.
“Mental health awareness is something I’m very passionate about and an advocate for. There’s tragedy, there’s loss of infants and children. You carry it in this metaphorical backpack with you for always when you’re in the funeral profession,” Morris said. “Writing saved me, therapy saved me. I think all of that wrapped into making sure people, including myself, know they are worth it.”
If you want to follow Morris’s journey as a musician or a mortician, click here.
