A local musician is preparing to set out on a world tour. London-born Connor Morand is leaving Sept. 18 to visit 15-20 countries around the world.
Morand’s tour began out of a desire to travel, as he has never left North America. He began planning the trip in March and has been cold emailing bars since April. He originally planned to travel solo, but is now travelling with a friend from New Brunswick, who will be taking photos and providing support for him. Morand will be leaving Canada with only a backpack. He plans to pick up any gear he needs along the way.
Morand found a love for music early in life. He was steeped in a musical culture from birth.
“Music was always pretty prevalent in (my) household,” said Morand. “My dad was an amazing piano player and was a pretty big influence on my life for sure. My mother grew up as a singer, my grandmother grew up as a singer … I’ve been listening to a bunch of different things for a long, long time, just sort of on a journey of self-exploration, seeing what I like and what I don’t like … You learn so much from your parents, but you have to step into it yourself to really appreciate it.”
Morand released his debut album Matter of Fiction in 2012. This past summer, he and producer Travis Ford created a new single, Everything is Gold, which is expected to be released in February, when he returns from his tour.
Morand is more than just a musician. He recently graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a degree in marketing. Besides that, he has done stints as a tree planter, a voice actor, event organization and has held a variety of leadership positions, to name only a few.
“I’ve never really been one to just stick in one place,” said Morand. “(I’ve) always (had) an interest to try new things. I’m a firm believer in learning new skills. I’m a big, big fan of having a diverse skill set.”
Morand strives to achieve excellence in everything he does. In 2015 he was a part of a team of 100 people in New Brunswick who won the Guinness World Record for the most trees planted in an hour – 30,000 – beating the former champion team from India.
“I’ve always been a type-A personality,” said Morand. “As nice as it is to work with a group of people, I work as a solo musician because I can hold myself accountable for everything I do and not have to rely on everybody else.”
Morand recently returned to his hometown of London after spending 10 years in New Brunswick. For more information about Morand and his music, visit his Facebook page or search for his album on iTunes.
(Ethan Kompf, The Londoner)
A world of music
A local musician is preparing to set out on a world tour. London-born Connor Morand is leaving Sept. 18 to visit 15-20 countries around the world.
Morand’s tour began out of a desire to travel, as he has never left North America. He began planning the trip in March and has been cold emailing bars since April. He originally planned to travel solo, but is now travelling with a friend from New Brunswick, who will be taking photos and providing support for him. Morand will be leaving Canada with only a backpack. He plans to pick up any gear he needs along the way.
Morand found a love for music early in life. He was steeped in a musical culture from birth.
“Music was always pretty prevalent in (my) household,” said Morand. “My dad was an amazing piano player and was a pretty big influence on my life for sure. My mother grew up as a singer, my grandmother grew up as a singer … I’ve been listening to a bunch of different things for a long, long time, just sort of on a journey of self-exploration, seeing what I like and what I don’t like … You learn so much from your parents, but you have to step into it yourself to really appreciate it.”
Morand released his debut album Matter of Fiction in 2012. This past summer, he and producer Travis Ford created a new single, Everything is Gold, which is expected to be released in February, when he returns from his tour.
Morand is more than just a musician. He recently graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a degree in marketing. Besides that, he has done stints as a tree planter, a voice actor, event organization and has held a variety of leadership positions, to name only a few.
“I’ve never really been one to just stick in one place,” said Morand. “(I’ve) always (had) an interest to try new things. I’m a firm believer in learning new skills. I’m a big, big fan of having a diverse skill set.”
Morand strives to achieve excellence in everything he does. In 2015 he was a part of a team of 100 people in New Brunswick who won the Guinness World Record for the most trees planted in an hour – 30,000 – beating the former champion team from India.
“I’ve always been a type-A personality,” said Morand. “As nice as it is to work with a group of people, I work as a solo musician because I can hold myself accountable for everything I do and not have to rely on everybody else.”
Morand recently returned to his hometown of London after spending 10 years in New Brunswick. For more information about Morand and his music, visit his Facebook page or search for his album on iTunes.
(Ethan Kompf, The Londoner)
