Kendra Morris

Kendra Morris crafts vintage-tinged soul steeped in funk, delivering it through a commanding vocal presence and a deliberate, detail-oriented method of composition. Her independent solo work stretches back to the late 2000s, yet wider recognition arrived early in the next decade via the Wax Poetics-affiliated releases Banshee (2012) and Mockingbird (2013), highlighted by the title track from the former that surfaced in an episode of Ray Donovan. Subsequent self-released projects, among them the Babble EP (2016) and assorted singles, coincided with her contributions to several Czarface recordings; these activities preceded the 2022 album Nine Lives, cut alongside longtime collaborator Jeremy Page and issued on the Karma Chief imprint. For her fourth long-player, 2023’s I Am What I’m Waiting For, she enlisted producer Little Shalimar, widely recognized for his productions with Run the Jewels. Additional partnerships have included sessions with Dennis Coffey, Scarlett Johansson, and David Sitek.

Her parents’ extensive holdings of late-’60s and early-’70s soul and funk recordings first shaped her musical sensibilities while she was growing up in St. Petersburg. Access to a karaoke machine further acquainted the future songwriter with layered recording techniques during those formative years. At the University of South Florida she immersed herself in Tampa’s local scene, began playing guitar, started writing original material, and co-founded the band Pinktricity. The group relocated to New York in 2003 and disbanded soon afterward, yet Morris remained in the city, launching a solo career that yielded several EPs between 2007 and 2010, cemented her creative partnership with Jeremy Page, and led to touring alongside Dennis Coffey. Her debut for the Wax Poetics label arrived in 2011 with the single “Concrete Waves,” which later received a remix from DJ Premier. Over the ensuing two years she issued her initial pair of albums: Banshee, comprising twelve original compositions, and the stylistically consistent Mockingbird, whose tracklist drew from Pink Floyd, Soundgarden, Isaac Hayes, and David Porter.

Morris later joined Julia Haltigan, Holly Miranda, and Scarlett Johansson for occasional side projects under the names the Singles and Sugar for Sugar. The former’s track “Candy,” featuring Este Haim on drums, was produced and released by David Sitek in 2015, while the latter’s rendition of New Order’s “Bizarre Love Triangle” appeared on the 2016 amfAR benefit compilation The Time Is Now!. That same year she returned to solo work with the independent EP Babble. Between full-lengths she guested on several Czarface cuts, supporting the group’s collaborations with MF Doom and Ghostface Killah, and she also created and directed the animated video for “Bomb Thrown.” Following additional independent singles and guest spots, she joined the roster of Colemine’s Karma Chief subsidiary. Singles issued on the label in 2021 paved the way for the 2022 album Nine Lives, again recorded with Jeremy Page.

Seeking a fresh direction, Morris resumed playing guitar both live and in the studio and recruited Little Shalimar—known for extensive work with Run the Jewels as well as Killer Mike and El-P—to helm her subsequent project. The resulting album, I Am What I’m Waiting For, surfaced on Karma Chief in August 2023. In the months after its release she embarked on a wide-ranging tour spanning North America and Europe.