SUMMARY
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- UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Carla Morrison
- International pop star and renowned singer-songwriter in concert
- After her sold-out concerts at major venues across Peru, Chile, Argentina and Mexico as well as at LA’s 5900-seat Greek Theater, join Carla Morrison for an intimate showcase at UCSB’s Campbell Hall
- Morrison will perform songs from her 2021 release, El Renacimiento, which has been hailed as her “most personal album yet”
- Thursday, Oct. 27 | 8:00 PM | Campbell Hall
- $35-$55 General Public | $15 UCSB Students (Current student ID required)
- Tickets & Info: www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu, (805) 893-3535
- Patrons can take advantage of discounts to see Carla Morrison by creating their own series. For more info, visit: www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu/subscribe-save/
“Pop music with a healthy sense of grandeur.” Pitchfork
“From the gravity and spaciousness of rock… to the surreal depths and computer-aided transparency of 21st-century pop.” The New York Times
SANTA BARBARA — UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) presents Carla Morrison on Thursday, Oct. 27 at Campbell Hall. “One the major lyricists of her generation” (NPR), Latin Grammy Award winner and international sensation Carla Morrison makes her Santa Barbara debut. She describes her 2021 release, El Renacimiento, as her “most personal album yet.” That’s something coming from an artist renowned for her raw, emotional retellings of heartbreak and loss. In concert, Morrison delivers multi-dimensional versions of her songs in a voice saturated with genuine emotions.
Watch the video for Morrison’s track “Diamantes” from the album El Renacimiento
The Lineup
Carla Morrison, lead vocals, guitar
Alejandro Jiménez, guitars, keyboards, programming, backing vocals
Daniel Fraire, keyboards, guitars, backing vocals
Samuel Felix, drums, percussion
About Carla Morrison
Raw retellings of emotional, personal heartbreaks are the bedrock of Carla Morrison’s material, and this honest approach has earned her multiple Grammy nominations and Latin Grammy wins over the course of five albums.
Collaborating over the years with other artists, from Lila Downs to Calexico, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Morrison has ventured out stylistically before, but she hasn’t strayed too far from perpetually looming expectations. An invite from Colombian reggaetonero J Balvin – creating an ethereal intro for his 2018 album Vibras – was an important step toward more open exploration. Rather than cater to anyone else’s expectations, she’s now creating music to meet her own. What Carla Morrison wants today is to be happy, and for her listeners to find happiness for themselves, too.
Welcoming a long-standing love of R&B and pop into the mix – styles she used to shut out for fear of alienating fans – was a boon to the process. “I wanted to put more rhythm, more sassiness, in the music,” she says, adding that a universal appeal was also a goal.
Unexpected opportunities have since rolled in, like pairing with Ricky Martin on “Recuerdo” for his recent Pausa EP. And surprisingly, “Disfruto,” from her 2012 album, was remixed into a club hit and remains a favorite of EDM DJs throughout Latin America and Europe.
While retaining the intimacy and reflection she’s always expressed, there’s a welcome undercurrent of joy to the music she’s making now. It’s a new era for Carla Morrison, and she’s strutting confidently into it, head held high. The sound is new, because so is she.
“I feel like I finally learned who I was, and that’s one of the things that helps you navigate life in a better way,” she says. “That was my rebirth – for my mind and my soul.”
With her newfound sharpness of self comes an acceptance that perfection isn’t possible, but unabashedly being yourself is the closest thing to it. Standing in that knowledge, nobody can shake Carla Morrison’s self-confidence now.
“I now know better who I am,” she says. “Knowing yourself gives you the tools to navigate life. It’s not just a moment but a constant reminder that happiness is not a place you arrive at, but a journey – a learning experience.”
In 2020, Morrison made her explosive return to the spotlight with her powerful track “Ansiedad,” which captured the fragile state of being of the world during a global pandemic. The track received acclaim from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Billboard, MTV, CNN and others.
Shortly after, Morrison released a series of striking songs, “No Me Llames,” “Obra de Arte,” and “Contigo,” that served as a precursor to her highly-anticipated studio album, El Renacimiento. The album, released in April 2022 via her longtime independent label, Cosmica, solidified Morrison’s rightful position as a pioneer and an ever-present force in music to this day.
About UCSB Arts & Lectures
Founded in 1959, UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) is the largest and most influential arts and lectures organization between Los Angeles and San Francisco. A&L annually presents more than a hundred public events, from critically acclaimed concerts and dance performances by world-renowned artists to talks by groundbreaking authors and film series at UCSB and Santa Barbara-area venues. With a mission to “educate, entertain and inspire,” A&L also oversees an outreach program that brings visiting artists and speakers into local classrooms and other venues for master classes, open rehearsals, discussions and more, serving K-12 students, college students and the general public.
Carla Morrison is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures. Tickets are $35-$55 General Public / $15 UCSB Students (Current Student ID required)
For tickets or more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535 or purchase online at www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu.
Special Thanks:
UCSB Arts & Lectures gratefully acknowledges our Community Partners the Natalie Orfalea Foundation & Lou Buglioli for their generous support of the 2022-2023 season.