10 Things You Didn’t Know about Shaun Morgan
Shaun Morgan Welgemoed tends to be better-known to people as Shaun Morgan. For those who are unfamiliar, he is the singer and songwriter for Seether, thus making him one of the bigger names to come out of the post-grunge period. Interested individuals might have seen Morgan’s name come up in recent times because of his marriage to his long-time girlfriend Jordan Kirby.
1. Born in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal
Morgan was born in Pietermaritzburg, which is the capital of the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. It is interesting to note that the public sector is one of the city’s biggest employers because it is home to the municipal government, the district government, and the provincial government. Besides this, Pietermaritzburg is something of an industrial hub for the surrounding region as well.
2. Grew Up on a Pig Farm
Having said that, Morgan grew up on a pig farm. In modern times, this can take on a number of forms. The most popular would be factory farming because it can produce a lot of pigs without consuming a lot of resources in the process. Meanwhile, free range has become popular in recent decades because of ethical as well as environmental concerns. However, it comes with a serious drawback in that it is much more expensive. As for extensive farming, well, suffice to say that the source of its affordability is also the source of its inability to be scaled up.
3. Played Rugby
When Morgan was still in high school, he was very serious about rugby. This can be seen in how he was on a team for a total of three years. Unfortunately, Morgan injured his back in his third year, with the result that he moved on to playing the guitar because he couldn’t play rugby anymore.
4. Got Inspired by Grunge
Morgan isn’t old enough to have been a member of the grunge movement. After all, he was born in 1978, meaning that he would have been a child when grunge emerged in the mid 1980s. On top of that, the latter was very much a product of Seattle as well as Seattle’s surroundings. Still, Morgan did have access to the products of the grunge movement. In fact, he was inspired to become a musician when he heard Nirvana’s Nevermind, which was one of the most iconic releases of grunge.
5. His Band Used to Be Called Saron Gas
In any case, Morgan formed a band called Saron Gas in May of 1999. The name winded up being changed in 2002 because of a couple of reasons. One, Saron Gas saw a line-up change following its relocation to the United States. Two, the remaining band members plus their record label didn’t want it to be confused with sarin gas. After all, said substance was quite infamous in those times. In part, this was because of a Japanese doomsday cult that carried out an attack using sarin gas in 1994. However, people were also extremely on edge because of the events of September 11, 2001.
6. His Band Is Named for a Rock Song
There isn’t anything mysterious about why Seether winded up being called Seether. Morgan and his last band member renamed their band for the most famous release from Veruca Salt. For those who are curious, said band is a band that formed in 1992, had lost all but one of its original line-up by 1998, had a hiatus in 2012, and then reformed with its original line-up in 2013. Genre-wise, Veruca Salt has a foot in grunge as well as a foot in alt rock. As for the band’s name, well, it is exactly what interested individuals would expect, which is to say, it is a reference to the character from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Chip Factory.
7. Chose to Go By Morgan Because of Convenience
Speaking of which, Morgan made the choice to go by Morgan at around the same time because of convenience. Simply put, a lot of Americans couldn’t pronounce Welgemoed. As a result, switching over to Morgan was a practical choice for himself as well as a practical choice for building up the band’s fan base.
8. Dated Amy Lee At One Point in Time
For a time in the mid 2000s, Morgan dated Amy Lee, who tends to be best-known because of her role as the singer for Evanescence. Their breakup seems to have been unpleasant. Something that can be seen in how Lee wrote “Call Me When You Are Sober” because of it. Initially, she tried to keep its source of inspiration a secret, but she eventually revealed it because of extensive speculation on the matter. Interestingly, Morgan cancelled his tour before going into rehab when the song hit the airwaves. There was some speculation that his song “Breakdown” was a response, but he has always been insistent that he has no interest in telling his side of the story.
9. His Brother Has Passed Away
In total, Morgan has two siblings, with one being a brother and the other being a sister. His brother Eugene passed away on August 13 of 2007 after jumping from an eighth-floor window, which was ruled to have been a suicide following an investigation. Unsurprisingly, said incident had a huge impact on Morgan. For example, the song “Rise Above This” is a tribute to his brother. Similarly, he has 1308 tattooed on his right fingers as well as 2007 tattooed on his left fingers, which are meant to commemorate his brother.
10. Now Lives in Nashville, TN
Currently, Morgan is married to Jordan Kirby, with whom he has a daughter named Lily. The entire family now lives in Nashville, TN. Said city is famous for being one of the centers of the U.S. music industry, which plays a very important role in its overall identity. This is particularly notable because the country’s other centers would be Los Angeles and New York City, both of which feature more prominently in the popular consciousness.
