Morgxn and JB Somers Reimagine ‘Real Man’ as a Duet for ‘Heartland’ (Deluxe Version)
This powerful new collaboration expands the conversation around masculinity, vulnerability and emotional truth.
Morgxn and JB Somers join forces for a powerful new duet version of “Real Man,” out today as part of Morgxn’s Heartland (Deluxe Version). While the original version introduced Somers’ deeply personal reckoning with inherited ideas of masculinity, the duet transforms the song into a shared dialogue between two Southern-born artists challenging the belief that tenderness must be hidden.
Written from Somers’ perspective as a pastor’s kid growing up in Alabama, “Real Man” examines the expectations placed on boys, where vulnerability is seen as weakness. First released by Somers on February 13, the song earned playlisting with industry leaders the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association, striking a chord for its stripped-back production and lyric-forward honesty. With Morgxn’s voice now woven into the narrative and complementing harmonies, the message broadens into a collective release of the emotional armor so many men are handed early in life.
“This song started as a really personal reflection for me, but music has a funny way of expanding once other voices enter the room,” Somers shared. “Morgxn brought a sense of freedom to it that made the message feel bigger than my own story.”
“Real Man” was written by JB Somers, Fran Litterski, and Nell Maynard, and recorded in Nashville. For Morgxn — born Morgan Karr, a third-generation Nashville native who has spent his career blurring genre lines and advocating for LGBTQ+ visibility — the duet felt like a natural extension of the themes explored throughout Heartland (Deluxe Version), a full-circle return to the city he once left behind, fueled by new love and renewed purpose.
Together, the duo’s voices create a dynamic tension with Somers’ grounded, confessional vulnerability paired with Morgxn’s bright pop lift. The result is a version of “Real Man” that feels both intimate and expansive, serving as a reminder that masculinity can hold hands just as firmly as it can bear arms.
At a time when conversations around identity, faith, queerness, and Southern culture continue to evolve, “Real Man” stands as a timely reflection of how Southern artists are redefining masculinity on their own terms.
The duet version of “Real Man” is available on all streaming platforms now as part of Morgxn’s Heartland (Deluxe Version).
Preview the lyrics below:
“What’s it like to be a real man?
Holding doors, holding tears in
What’s it like a to have a ball and chain
On every little thing you do and say
If it’s more about the fighting
Than seeing both sides and
If it’s more about bearing arms than holding hands
I don’t want to be a real man.”
Tags: morgxn, jb somers, real man, heartland, deluxe version, country music, pop music, duet, masculinity, emotional truth
