Maren Morris has experienced plenty of success since catapulting to fame with her 2016 debut country smash, “My Church.” And, while her debut single brought in a swath of listeners, her 2018 collaboration with Zedd and Grey, “The Middle,” not only broke her into the pop world but introduced her to a broader audience.
Now the outspoken superstar says she is noticing even more changes in her fan-base. And, for her, that’s a good thing.
“I feel like I’ve seen my audience grow over the years, not just in quantity, but in quality,” Morris explains in a press audio clip. “I think my crowd has become really diverse, not just in orientation or race, but like age.”
“I think being able to look out at your crowd and see everyone from like little kids to people in their nineties jamming to ’80s Mercedes’ is such a huge honor to be an artist that can speak to people of any generation, in a way,” she continued. “So yeah, I feel like it’s definitely changed in terms of getting more diverse over the years and more, just, I think solidified its acceptance and love of everyone. So it feels like a really safe and loving environment when you go to my crowd.”
Along with changes to her audience, Morris, herself, has experienced plenty of life changes. On the personal side, she is learning all that comes with being a mother since welcoming her first child, son Hayes Andrew, 2, with her husband, singer/songwriter Ryan Hurd.
Maren Morris has been vocal about giving birth to her son, who arrived in March of 2020, as the world went into lockdown due to a major health crisis. While in the delivery room, she had to undergo an emergency C-section after experiencing 30 hours of labor. Following her child’s birth, Morris faced another hurdle – quarantine coupled with postpartum depression.
“I think a lot of identity crises happened there,” Morris told TODAY’s Willie Geist in a recent Sunday Sitdown interview.
View this post on Instagram
After having gone through the challenges she faced during her child’s birth and while on maternity leave, Morris’ perception of what she deems important began to change. She no longer faces the fear of being rejected if she speaks out against things that matter to her.
“I feel like I’m becoming fearless again,” Morris previously told CBS News. “Because I just don’t know what there is to be afraid of after, like, the last couple of years. I’ve done things that have scared the ever-loving hell out of me, and I made it through it.”
“Having my son and having, like, a really rough labor and birth with him. I had an emergency C-section, and like both our heart rates were dropping, and it had been, like, 31 hours, and he still wasn’t coming. And then, yeah, like, postpartum depression, that was, like, another surprise. And yeah, it’s just like a lot of reality checks, and knowing that, like, I wasn’t in control, and I probably never was.”
With that realization, Morris hopes to continue utilizing her platform to be vocal and create an environment where others can be fearless without worry.
“I think it’s gotten more galvanized since I’ve had my son that I am really trying to make something beyond the music,” she said. “I want people to look around at my shows and realize, ‘OK, this is really loving and safe and comfortable.’”
As for the professional side of things, Morris has truly evolved in her artistry. Following “My Church,” the country-pop hitmaker has earned numerous awards, including a GRAMMY for her debut hit – the lead-off single from her major label debut album, Hero.
Reflecting on the 10th anniversary of her moving from her native Texas to Nashville, Tenn., to chase her dreams, Morris took to social media, writing, “10 years ago, I packed up the u-haul with a dream and a healthy dose of delusion. Moved into a Craigslist place with two roommates I didn’t know and hustled to get into any writing room I could. 10 years later, I’m still driving circles around this town”
View this post on Instagram
“Today this dream looks a lot different than the one I packed up with,” ” she continued her post, which included a photo and video of her singing “My Church.” “A lot of miracles and a lot more lessons than I cared to learn, but it has a pretty patina that makes it mine. I want to give my younger self a hug and say, “Brace yourself, bitch. It’s gonna get weird, but you’re gonna be so proud.” Everything in my bones says this next decade will look even more different. Happier, untethered, and more lived in. I’m excited to know her. Happy ten years, Nashville.”
