PJ Morton Flies High After His Computer Crashed

As a songwriter and musician, PJ Morton has basically done it all. For the past half-decade, Morton has earned Grammy Award nominations (and wins) every calendar year (including most recently this year for his work on Jon Batiste’s seminal record, We Are, which won Album of the Year). Morton, who grew up in New Orleans, has played multiple instruments, sang in the church, and collaborated with some of the biggest names in the history of the art form. But while all of this makes for amazing memories and has allowed for many accolades, it can burn someone out. And that’s exactly what happened to Morton.

In fact, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he felt it acutely. When the pandemic hit, Morton figured he could take a break for a few weeks, not knowing the crisis would continue for a few years. But the time off helped a great deal. When it first hit, Morton went back to his native New Orleans and began working on some music on his computer. But when his computer subsequently crashed, he had to take a real deep breath.