PJ Morton Shares "Smoke & Mirrors," New Single & Video From Album Made Entirely in Africa:
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Today, PJ Morton takes listeners to another stop on his journey from Cape Town to Cairo. New single "Smoke & Mirrors" is the opening song on the life-changing album he made during a 30-day trip to Africa. With no music, lyrics or preexisting material, he stepped foot onto the continent with a wild dream to fully write and produce his next LP in less than a month, and a mission to immerse himself in as many different cultures, stories and communities as he could. Recorded in Lagos, Nigeria and Johannesburg, South Africa, "Smoke & Mirrors" is about defying preconceptions, inspired by his time abroad and his experience in the music business.
"I was asked so many questions before I went to Africa," says Morton. "I've been told so many things about Africa. Seeing for myself broke many of those narratives that I was told. I realized that perceptions usually depend on who is telling the story. This song is also inspired by my journey through the music industry." The horn-heavy, polyrhythmic arrangement blends sounds both foreign and familiar to Morton, who combines elements of the countries' native styles with his New Orleans roots, and innate affinity for R&B and soul music.
Listen to "Smoke & Mirrors" via Morton Records/EMPIRE, and watch the music video, filmed at a local tire shop in Atlanta, GA: HERE
Out June 14th, Cape Town to Cairo is a collection of the 5x GRAMMY-winner's most sonically-sprawling and immediately-inspired songs to date, created across South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Egypt. Featuring Fireboy DML, Mádé Kuti, Asa, Ndabo Zulu, and Soweto Spiritual Singers, as well as producers like P.Priime and The Cavemen., Morton's own live band and local musicians, the album finds PJ Morton using music as his common language. Always his greatest way of communicating, he expressed his feelings and experiences of Africa through songs he and others were forming together on the spot, side-by-side in different studios, cities and towns for the very first time.
"Smoke & Mirrors" arrives on the heels of lead single "Please Be Good," and "Simunye (We Are One)" feat. Soweto Spiritual Singers, a message of unity that PJ Morton shared for the 30th Anniversary of South African Freedom Day last weekend. Cape Town to Cairo marks PJ Morton's first album since 2022's Watch The Sun, which included collaborations with Stevie Wonder, Nas, JoJo, Wale, Jill Scott, Alex Isley and more. Since then, Morton has become the first Black composer to write an original song for a Disney attraction, having just finished making the music for Tiana's Bayou Adventure, opening soon at Disneyland and Disney World. He also won his latest GRAMMY earlier this year, worked with Samara Joy on "Why I'm Here" for Regina King's Netflix film Shirley, and landed a cover of his song "Don't Let Go" as the soundtrack to Apple's iPhone 15 commercial.
Tomorrow, PJ Morton returns to New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, kicking off an extensive Cape Town to Cairo Tour that will bring him all around North America this spring, summer and fall. Other stops include the Kennedy Center, Roots Picnic, Newport Jazz Fest, New York City's Beacon Theatre, Chicago's Chicago Theatre, Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, Los Angeles' The Wiltern, and dozens of others that are on-sale now. Find tickets at pjmortonmusic.com/#shows
Furthermore, following his headline tour and Maroon 5's upcoming Las Vegas residency, PJ Morton will publish a life-spanning new book titled Saturday Night, Sunday Morning. Arriving November 12th via Worthy Publishing, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, the memoir sees him recounting and reflecting upon a trailblazing path that continues to defy expectations and straddle the tensions of music and faith, race and culture, expression and identity. Through his transformation from preacher's kid to the busiest man in showbiz – performing everywhere from his family congregation to the Super Bowl, collaborating with everyone from his father to Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, Jon Batiste and Lil Wayne – he hopes to inspire readers to overcome obstacles as they seek their own dreams.
Pre-order Cape Town to Cairo, and Saturday Night, Sunday Morning
PJ Morton Tour Dates
5/4 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
5/12 - Washington, DC - The Kennedy Center
6/2 - Philadelphia, PA - Roots Picnic
6/15 - Boston, MA - Berklee Performance Center
7/10 - London, UK - indigo at The O2
7/11 - Paris, FR - Alhambra
7/12 - Rotterdam, NL - North Sea Jazz Festival
7/30 - Cincinnati, OH - Memorial Hall*
7/31 - Detroit, MI - Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre^
8/2 - Newport, RI - Newport Jazz Festival
8/3 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre*
8/4 - Philadelphia, PA - The Met*
8/7 - Richmond, VA - Dominion Energy Center*
8/9 - Atlanta, GA - Coca-Cola Roxy*
8/10 - Orlando, FL - Steinmetz Hall at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts*
8/11 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - The Parker*
8/14 - Baton Rouge, LA - Raising Cane's River Center Arena*
8/15 - Houston, TX - 713 Music Hall*
8/17 - Dallas, TX - Winspear Opera House^
8/18 - Memphis, TN - Orpheum Theatre^
8/20 - Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theatre*
8/21 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant*
8/23 - Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theatre at Old National Centre*
8/24 - Chicago, IL - The Chicago Theatre*
8/26 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium*
8/27 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC Theatre*
8/29 - Charlotte, NC - Knight Theater*
8/30 - Raleigh, NC - Joseph M. Bryan Jr. Amphitheater
10/18 - Chandler, AZ - Chandler Center for the Arts^
10/20 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern^
10/23 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater^
10/24 - Sacramento, CA - Crest Theatre^
10/26 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre^
10/27 - Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theatre^
11/29 - New Orleans, LA - Orpheum Theatre
*w/ The Cavemen.
^w/ Kenyon Dixon
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For more information, contact Matt Hanks or Greg Jakubik at Shore Fire Media,
(718) 522-7171