ELEKTRA Records (now a subsidiary under Atlantic Recording Group) has had a love affair with reggae since the 1990’s. The label which has been home to a long list of pop, R&B, rap and hip-hop acts over the years, has had the likes of Beres Hammond, Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers, Snow and Steel Pulse on its roster.

Former LMS member, Laza Morgan, a member of the Morgan Heritage clan, is the latest reggae act signed to this record label. The deal was signed in March of this year, and according to Morgan, it was unexpected.

“It’s a blessing man. This whole journey is something that I never expected,” Morgan related in an interview via telephone earlier this week.

“I had been working with a production team in Malibu, California for about two years now, developing my sound. In January we got a chance to do a showcase in New York for Virgin Records. The next day I did one for Atlantic Records, where they had all their executives in attendance. We did two songs This Girl and Born in the Ghetto. On March 15 I signed with Elektra,” Morgan explained.

But signing with a US-based label is nothing new for Morgan. His group, The Dreads was signed to MCA Records in the 1990s. The Dreads would later emerge as LMS.

LMS would later release four albums for New York-based independent label VP Records.

Morgan has been knocking on the doors of stardom for years. His elder siblings are members of the Morgan Heritage outfit. “I have been wanting this for a long time. But I guess it wasn’t the right time. What I gained over the years was experience in touring and performing, and that’s what has prepared me for the opportunities which are now opening up,” said Morgan.

Asked what he thought a label such as Elektra Records could do for his career at this time, Morgan said, “I am coming from a foundation and going as a solo artiste. Elektra Records can help my career. What is important is that they can break me to the masses.”

Since signing with Elektra, Morgan notes that a number of opportunities have opened up for him. “I’m now getting the opportunity to work with some top producers and I have a song that was featured in the movie Step Up 3D, as well as the movie’s soundtrack album. I have also collaborated with a popular female artiste in Britain,” he explained.

Morgan recently collaborated with UK-based singer Alexandra Burke. Burke is a former winner of the UK’s X-Factor reality talent show. Her parents are Jamaican-born David Burke and British-born Melissa Bell, who is of Jamaican and Irish descent.

Bell is a former member of British soul/funk group Soul II Soul.

Morgan’s debut opus for Elektra is due out early next year. But, in the meantime, the singer/rapper says he will continue to release singles leading up to the album’s release.