Maren Morris Got Her Name From a ‘Battlestar Galactica’ Actor
Maren Morris is a talented singer and songwriter who has found success in the music industry thanks to her ability to blend elements of traditional country, classic rock, and hip-hop-influenced pop. Whether or not you are familiar with her name, you have likely encountered and even appreciated her music.
Morris’s lead single, “My Church,” from her first album with a major label, Hero, catapulted her into the limelight. Since then, the 32-year-old has racked up a string of hits, including singles like “I Could Use a Love Song” and the Thomas Rhett duet “Craving You.”
Marren Morris started getting creative at a young age
Morris, a native Texan who grew up with her parents and younger sister in Dallas, spent much of her childhood expressing her artistic side through poetry writing and karaoke performances. When she was 12, her father handed her a guitar, and she rapidly began writing songs and performing them at honky tonks around Texas and Oklahoma.
“I started playing all around Texas—any bar or club that would let me in there,” Morris writes on her website. “I was the only kid in school that had a job on the weekends!”
Morris, who moved to Nashville at age 20, released her debut album, Walk On, independently in 2005 and two more albums under a partnership with Smith Music Group. The country singer had been performing for a decade, but she had no interest in becoming a country music superstar.
“I didn’t move to Nashville with any inkling or dreams of getting a record deal,” she told the New York Times in 2016. “I didn’t have those stars in my eyes. I just wanted to take a break, relax, and figure out songwriting.”
Morris signed a publishing contract and began penning songs for prominent figures in the country music industry. The first song she ever wrote was Tim McGraw’s “Last Turn Home.”
In 2017, Morris’s “My Church” won the Grammy for Best Country Solo Performance. She was up for Best New Artist, Best Country Album, and Best Country Song that year, too. In 2018, the singer and songwriter was again nominated for Best Country Solo Performance for “I Could Use a Love Song,” but she lost to Chris Stapleton this time.
Maren Morris has received numerous awards since then, including five from the Country Music Association, one from American Music, and five from the Academy of Country Music.
Maren Morris got her name from ‘Battlestar Galactica’ actor Maren Jensen
In August, Morris appeared on The Bobby Bones Show and talked about touring with her son and the origin of her name. The country music singer said she got her name “Maren” from Battlestar Galactica actor Maren Jensen.
After noting that Maren was a rare name, Bobby, the show’s host, asked, “Why Maren? Were you named after someone?”
Responding to the question, Morris explained how she was initially going to be named Bailey. However, when her mom was pregnant, she watched an old episode of Battlestar Galactica and learned of the name Maren. She felt Maren would go well with Morris, and that’s how the singer got her name.
Morris also pointed out that Maren was her real name, not a stage name. She further stated that Maren is a variation of the name Mary.
Maren Jensen played Lieutenant Athena on ‘Battlestar Galactica’
Maren Jensen portrayed Lieutenant Athena on Battlestar Galactica, a figure named after the Greek goddess of strategy and warfare. With her role as Athena, Jensen joined a select group of strong female characters in science fiction in the late 1970s.
The actor appeared in several more films after Battlestar Galactica, including Battle of the Network Stars, Fantasy Island, and The Love Boat. She was last seen on screen alongside Sharon Stone in Wes Craven’s 1981 horror film Deadly Blessing. Jensen’s promising career was cut short when she contracted the Epstein-Barr virus. She made a full recovery but decided not to pursue acting again.
These days, Jensen keeps a low profile and avoids the spotlight. She reportedly lives in New York but makes frequent trips to Los Angeles to see friends and relatives.
