Chicago – Morgan Kibby has a resume that’s just as unorthodox as it is impressive. Grammy nomination? Check. Platinum selling single? No big deal. Appearance on 90’s family drama TV series “7^th Heaven”? Wait, what? Vocals used on movie trailer for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire? Really? Remixed a Britney Spears song? Ok, enough. After over a decade of Hollywood auditions, indie classical bands, and chance meetings with electronic French artists, Morgan has finally cashed it in recently after an extensive tour with M83, a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album for her work on “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming”, and co-writing a platinum selling single with “Midnight City”. But If 2013 wasn’t enough for Morgan Kibby, she’ll have plenty to work on in 2014. Her solo project White Sea, which began in 2010 as an EP of bedroom recordings, is in full flourish with her album “In Cold Blood” on the way and world tour planned for 2014. Her first single, “They Don’t Know” has been racking up some buzz lately, and I chatted with Morgan on what she knows about Grammy parties, Halloween costumes, and writing a platinum single after a bottle of wine in her PJ’s.

Q) First off, congrats on the year you’re having so far. Grammy nomination for you and M83 with “Midnight City”, the record going platinum, you’re kind of a big time rock star now! Does going back to your solo project White Sea relieve the stress of success, or is there any inkling of pressure to build upon the momentum you’ve gathered with M83 over the past years?

A) (Laughs) Yeah, rock star. Well I still have to wake up early and pay my bills sadly. Of course it’s natural to keep building the momentum. I’ve been working with Anthony (Gonzalez of M83) for several years now and that’s been great. Now I’m trying to start my own projects and I feel there is some pressure. I think if I did as well on it I’d freak me out, but I’m really proud of the record and taking it one step at a time.

Q) Looking at your evolution as an artist from your first band The Romanovs, to M83, and now White Sea, there’s a progression that’s shifted from more classical musical elements in favor of electronic and new wave components. What prompted the gradual transition from cellos and violins to synthesizers and keyboards?

A) I was raised as a classical musician starting with piano and then cello as a teenager, I guess I was an un-cool Goth teenager back then, so I starting gravitating towards guitars and keyboards when I started composing. Obviously when I began playing with Anthony, that shifted my musical perspective, and opened my musical universe, but I feel like I’m still learning to make music and keep branching out.

Q) With your new single “They Don’t Know”, there’s more of a triumphant and celebratory vibe happening than compared to tracks off of White Sea’s last EP “The Frontier” which had a lighter, catchy poppy feel to it. What experiences and influences have affected your new music as White Sea?

A) I think my new record “In Cold Blood” is a classic break up record. It’s very much like a book from start to finish, and the songs are like chapters. The record is reflective of a beginning, middle, and end, with more aggressive and angry moments, lots drama on there. My influences musically are different than what I was listening to when I was making the first EP. This one definitely has a lot more live elements, an orchestra, horns, and I got an amazing drummer on there, where the EP was more of bedroom recordings by myself.

Q) What’s liberating for you about being the sole writer, producer, singer on your music that you don’t get when collaborating with other artists?

A) They’re just different experiences. When you’re doing something by yourself, you’re responsible for every mistake and there’s something empowering about that. Obviously with a collaboration, and I’ve felt I’ve done my best work with Anthony, but it’s kind of like dating and it doesn’t always work out. You need to find the right people to collaborate with, which is hard.

Q) You’ve remixed many artists ranging from Lord Huron, The Naked and Famous, to the fabulous Britney Spears. What sparks you to add your own flavor into another artist’s music, and do you ever receive feedback from the original artist?

A) Yes, I’ve been lucky enough that I’ve became friends with artists like The Naked and Famous and Active Child after I did remixes for them, and they were very happy about it which was great because I put a lot of time into them. But at first, with doing remixes, I had no idea what I was doing. I just started chopping and rearranging them, but I had no clue really what I was doing. But I kept at it and started building a portfolio for artists, then people started coming to me to remix their music.

Q) What led to you working with M83 and do you plan on continuing to work with them in the future?

A) Yes, absolutely. I think Anthony and I will always be collaborating. We met through a mutual French friend; I speak French and have a director friend who is French, and she asked him to compose the music for her film, to which he asked if I could provide vocals for it. Next thing I know I was on a plane to France to meet and record with him.

Q) I read that you wrote the lyrics to “Midnight City”, “Over a bottle of wine in (your) PJs”. Is this your standard method of songwriting?

A) (Laughs) There are all different kinds of writing. There’s just writing lyrics, which has always been the easier part of writing songs, for me at least. Then there’s being in the studio, being behind the board, producing effects, and writing that way which is more challenging. Wine and PJ’s is not how I make music, but that’s where I was for that song.

Q) What was your most surreal moment while attending the 2013 Grammy’s?

A) I mean, I walk into the Staples Center, and it’s gigantic. The ceremony starts and it’s so surreal having watched it on TV, than to be there and surrounded by all these familiar faces. The whole thing is bizarre. We don’t really participate in a lot of things like that, so we were definitely fish out of water.

Q) You originally moved out to L.A. to become an actress, and your vocals have been featured on various movie trailers, so Hollywood has always intertwined with your career. If you could play any role in a movie, who would you play, and who would you want casted as yourself in a movie?

A) I would happily be anybody in any period piece. I love costume dramas, so maybe “Little Women” or something. Or any zombie movie, I would be stoked for that. For me, I want Monica Bellucci, I think she’s hot.

Q) What does 2014 hold for Morgan Kibby and White Sea? Or has everything peaked in 2013?

A) (Laughs) I’m working on so many different projects outside of White Sea, but the main focus now is to get my record out, which I’m extremely proud of. I’ll be touring to support it, so I feel it will be a very busy year for me, but I’m excited.

Q) What was your favorite Halloween costume you’ve ever donned?

A) My favorite costume was Frida Kahlo, which is always my back up costume, so I might have to pull that out this year. I love group costumes. I did one once where we were a sixteenth century angry mob, with pitchforks and everything. That was good fun.