Maren Morris Said People Saying ‘She’s Not Country’ Hurt Her Feelings
Celebrities often deal with detractors who think they know better about the person’s life. As time goes by, many of these famous people develop a thick skin, but that doesn’t mean that a few hateful or negative comments don’t sting. Maren Morris said people saying “she’s not country” hurt her feelings.
A look at Maren Morris’s genre-blending career
Morris’s career began when she was only 11, as she toured with her father as her manager. It wasn’t until she was 15 years old that she recorded her debut album. She also auditioned for several competition shows like Nashville Star, America Idol, The Voice, and America’s Got Talent without success.
Her breakthrough came in 2016 when her eponymous EP produced songs that went viral on Spotify. This led to major labels developing interest in signing her, with Columbia Nashville winning in 2015. Later that year, Morris released “My Church,” which became her first hit and won the singer her first Grammy.
Since then, Morris has released several chart-toppers, including “I Could Use a Love Song,” “’80s Mercedes,” and “Rich.” In 2018 Morris crossed over from country to pop with the help of DJ and producer Zedd and the duo Grey who wanted Morris to record the leading vocals for their song “The Middle.”
The song was a success peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. She performed the song with Taylor Swift on her Reputations Stadium Tour. Critics loved Morris’s second album, Girl, terming it the project which fully sees the singer move to pop.
The album’s lead eponymous single topped the Billboard Country Airplay Chart, and the second song, “The Bones,” topped charts in the country genre. Morris further solidified her pop crossover when she did a duet version of “The Bones” with Hozier, which was a success.
Maren Morris stopped apologizing for crossing over to pop
Morris isn’t the first artist to shift. When Katy Perry started singing, she was a gospel music artist. Similarly, Swift got onto the industry as a country singer before transitioning to pop with her 2014 album 1989. However, Morris received significant backlash from fans who felt she was selling out.
Morris went on Twitter days after her 2020 CMA wins and detailed her gratitude and insecurities. She thanked her fans and family for standing by her but also clapped back at her haters, saying:
“I still can get hurt when people claim I’m not country, but when I stood there accepting @cma song of the year, I realized it’s much harder to forge your own path & sound than attempt to be a knock-off of someone who’s already pioneered the genre.”
Morris echoed the sentiments in her 2022 CBS Mornings interview, telling Anthony Mason that she had to “stop apologizing” for her crossover sound. She told Mason that when she did “The Middle” and “’80s Mercedes,” some detractors tried calling her out, saying, “she’s not country.”
Morris said such statements used to hurt her feelings and noted that while she agreed it’s crucial that people always remember where they came from, she didn’t believe in being “beholden and captive to it.”
What is Maren Morris up to now?
Morris went on tour in March to support her sixth album, Humble Quest. The singer worked with her husband Ryan Hurd on the album, which dropped on March 25, 2022. According to American Songwriter, the tour of the same name kicked off on March 8 at the Houston Rodeo. The tour is scheduled to continue until December 12 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Morris and her husband Hurd secured Grammy nominations in 2022 for their song “Chasing After You.” She was also nominated for “Better Than We Found It,” in the Best Country Song category.
