Morgan Myles may have completed her stint on Season 22 of NBC’s The Voice, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t continued the friendships she made on the show. The Nashville transplant from Williamsport, PA, and veteran singer/songwriter who placed third in the reality television singing competition represented team Camila Cabello. And, from day one of joining Cabello’s team, the two have become kindred spirits.
“We were just so naturally connected, just friends from the get-go. We were very comfortable with one another because we both don’t take ourselves too seriously, yet are very strong women,” Myles told Music Mayhem of her bond with Cabello. “We fight for what we believe in. It’s like, I knew her before knowing her kind of thing. She turned around, and everything she said, was like, ‘Yep, she gets it.’ “
“During the finale, she’s like, ‘Morgs, you know what I love about you is I respect artists that fight for something, and you are that person, and from day one, you weren’t afraid to do that.’ So we just really had a bond. She’s super close to her parents just like me, and we’re like the same person,” Myles added. “It was just really natural. And, out of all the other artists, she’d let me come sit in her dressing room towards the end, and we’d chat and hang out, and it was just natural.”
Aside from their respect for one another, Myles and Cabello share even more similarities in their backgrounds. Cabello got her start on a reality show. First, the newbie coach considered auditioning for The Voice but later found fame on The X Factor, where she joined a girl group called Fifth Harmony. Like Myles, Cabello placed third in the reality competition series. Cabello later went on to pursue a solo career, charting with pop hits like “Havana,” “Never Be the Same,” and “Señorita,” featuring former boyfriend and fellow artist Shawn Mendes.
“Yeah. I mean she’s been through it, and her family…. You definitely make a lot of sacrifices along the way. She might have been 24, but what people don’t realize is she’s been doing this for a decade, and at a time when you are just trying to find yourself as a person. She’s super mature,” Myles said, praising Cabello’s mindset, hard work ethic, and tenacity.
During Myles’ run on The Voice, she and Cabello shared the stage to trade vocals on “Never Be the Same” as part of The Voice finale. The reimagined version of Cabello’s hit received positive feedback on social media and even had some folks requesting a recorded version of the song featuring both artists.
Of that performance, Myles shares, “It was two females just showing how when women come together, it’s a great thing, and it’s so powerful. And we always came from a place of ‘How do we just make this sound the best?’ Sometimes if people aren’t on the same page, maybe somebody’s trying to overshadow the other, but she was just so cool. She has no ego. I don’t have an ego. So we came from a place of what makes the song sound the best. And, that’s how I’ve always approached music, let it live where it should live.”
“We just truly respected one another and had fun,” she continued. “We enjoyed our friendship, and when you feel good and accepted, that confidence will radiate on stage. You’re not afraid. It just helps deliver the energy and the good vibe.”
On The Voice, Myles earned a rare four-chair turn with her audition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” She also received a standing ovation from all four judges, including Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, John Legend, and Cabello. Unfortunately for Stefani, Cabello blocked her from adding Myles to her team.
Reflecting on her initial shining moment, Myles says, “I mean, it was such an out-of-body experience. I have been going at this for a long time, and it was truly such a validating and encouraging moment that I felt like I really needed as an artist. So coming from people like that was just, I was so honored and grateful. It meant so much. No matter what, I felt like I could always leave the show knowing I would have what they said.”
Myles, who had already been working as an artist in Nashville for over a decade, eventually chose to compete on Team Cabello, where she performed songs like Beyoncé’s “If I Were A Boy,” Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey,” Bonnie Taylor’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” and Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush.” Each time she took the stage, she wowed coaches more and more, earning plenty of high remarks from her coach. At one point, Cabello referred to Myles as her “dream artist,” while Stefani said Myles was “ready for the Grammy stage.”
“I think the most important piece of it was giving me that confidence because you just get beaten down in this industry, and you need comments like that to keep going,” Myles, who attended the 65th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday (Feb. 5), noted the support system she received on the show.
“The weight of their words is so much heavier because they’ve lived through it, and they know what it entails and the perseverance and the determination and all the other behind-the-scenes scenarios that you go through as an artist, and this dream that you’re just trying so hard to achieve,” Myles added. “So when it comes from people, you feel very understood. I felt they knew, without me saying it, that I had been living it and going through it. And I could tell that they appreciated that side of me instead of me feeling ashamed that I hadn’t made it yet. They made me feel like they appreciated that type of work ethic.”
Folks can look for a new series of The Voice to return in just a few weeks with its cast of coaches, including Kelly Clarkson, Nial Horan, Chance The Rapper, and Shelton. The Voice Season 23 premieres Monday, March 6, 2023, at 8/7c on NBC.
