Interview: Maren Morris
Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Maren Morris began touring her home state of Texas as a preteen, then moved to Nashville nearly a decade ago to pursue a career in country music. After gaining valuable experience as a songwriter for some of the genre’s biggest stars, Morris’ debut 2016 single, “My Church,” cemented her as a talented artist in her own right. While still firmly rooted in country music, she’s successfully blended genres over the years, most notably in her collaboration with Russian/German DJ Zedd and electronica duo Grey for the 2018 crossover hit, “The Middle.”
Morris’ most recent album, Humble Quest, reflects on her journey as an artist, wife, friend, and mother. Written and recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic and released after the birth of her first son, the 11-song collection captures a deeply honest and personal side of Morris — fitting for an artist unabashed in her pursuit of truth. Outspoken about the racial and gender inequalities in the country music industry, NPR’s Ann Powers described Morris as “the country artist most gracefully poised at the spot where future thinking meets time-honored ways.”
Ahead of her Friday, June 10, show at Rabbit Rabbit, Morris spoke with Asheville Stages about writing and recording an album during quarantine, new motherhood, and the role activism plays in her life and work.
Morgan Bost: You just released your third studio album, Humble Quest — a breathtaking album, by the way. What was it like creating and releasing an album in the midst of lockdown?
Maren Morris: The actual recording of it was easier than I thought it would be, just because you could safely quarantine with whoever you were working with that day, then go into the studio and just have your little bubble and spend hours a day creating sound. But the writing portion, we had to get a little creative with. I did a few Zoom co-writes, which I didn’t love, but you do what you can to make it happen and then it all came together in a very chaotic time.
But it was really fun and one of the most beautiful periods of time in my life. Just having my son, getting to spend that time at home for his first year of life with him, was such a beautiful gift. And then making this record, partially in Hawaii and then partially in Nashville, was just a really beautiful experience, considering the times it was made in.
MB: Speaking of your son, Hayes, you have a song on the album called, “Hummingbird,” which I believe might have a bit of a feature from him. Can you speak a little bit about that song and his role in making it?
MM: I wrote it the day that I found out I was pregnant with my son. I was on my way to write, and so that day we wrote “Hummingbird.” And then flash forward like a year and a half later, almost two years later, my son was one and he was starting to talk and I was making this album. And one morning on my porch, it was like 7 a.m. the birds are chirping if you listen closely enough to the recording — I just pulled my phone out and recorded my son saying “mama,” and I sent it to Greg Kurstin, my producer. I said, “This song is about Hayes and I got this cute little recording of him, so do you mind putting this somewhere in the song?” And Greg put it at the very beginning. And I just…I loved it so much that we kept it there.
MB: And you have a hummingbird tattoo, correct?
MM: I do! Also, my first guitar — like, my first real, quality guitar that I got for my 18th birthday — was a Gibson Hummingbird. And I have just always been really transfixed with that bird. I feel like they’re really symbolic and I see them in the most random places. And metaphorically, me being pregnant with Hayes is like this quick, baby heartbeat. So, I kind of tied it all into that song.
MB: I watched an interview that you did with People and you talked about just how parenthood changes you in a way, that you’re aware of everything all the time. How has being a parent influenced you as an artist?
MM: I think it’s made me a lot more open to being vulnerable. And not just in my songs, but in life. When you become a parent, it’s scary as hell but also exciting and everything is new and you’re seeing it through new eyes. He’s only two, so I don’t have all the wisdom of a mother twice my age, but I definitely think it’s opened me up as a lyricist and I’m able to just access more empathy.
MB: I’m a huge fan of music videos, and by the end of your video for “Circles Around This Town,” I was sobbing. Specifically, the part where you’re picking up the cake off the porch. It’s just such a powerful anthem for pursuing your passion and your dreams. What was your inspiration for both the song and the video?
MM: I wrote “Circles Around This Town” in late 2020, and it was kind of the first song, aside from “Hummingbird,” that I really had to go off of for album three. “Circles Around This Town” definitely felt like the first song that jump started this album into creation because it was really reminding me why I moved to Nashville in the first place nine years ago, to chase this crazy music dream down. And even though I’ve achieved really amazing things in those nine years, I still do feel like such a beginner and a hustler. I’m still chasing it.
And I think the last two years have demonstrated that if you really love something and this is your passion, you find new ways to fall in love with it — to keep it fresh and to keep yourself motivated and excited to continue. And I think that’s why you saw a ton of people during the last two years realize they hate their jobs. Or maybe they’re in a relationship that doesn’t serve them anymore. There was so much change and transformation through the last couple of years for everybody.
For me, when it came to music and writing “Circles Around This Town,” making this record, it was really forcing me to hold up a mirror to myself and say, “Do you truly love this in the way that you once did?” And I had to really answer that honestly and say, “I do, but there’s a lot I need to change in order for me to continue loving it.” The whole thing was humbling in that way, and so that’s kind of why I titled this album Humble Quest.
MB: You’ve been in the industry — well, maybe not the industry, but you’ve been in music for a long time. I think you were 10 or 11 when you started touring around Texas?
MM: Yeah. I mean, I was a child performer and never really stopped. You know, it’s almost 16 years later and I am still doing it. But I do feel like it’s mine now. As an adult, I can look at it and not look back from my child version of myself, where I was maybe doing it partially for fun and partially for other people. But now it really is my thing and I get to create how I want it to look now, which I’m very lucky to do. And there’s a lot of stuff I say “no” to, to keep myself protected. And my family protected. And my love of writing protected. I’m still here but, yeah, it’s been a journey. It has.
MB: Through your music and also in your collaboration with the country supergroup, The Highwomen — which consists of you, Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, and Amanda Shires — you’re a vocal proponent of female empowerment. And during your acceptance speech at the 2020 CMAs, you actually gave a shout-out to several Black, female country singers and talked about not only how they shaped the industry, but you as an artist. Can you speak to some of these women and how they influenced you?
MM: A few of them that I mentioned in that speech you're referencing — Mickey Guyton, Yola, Brittney Spencer — these were women that I had already known and been inspired by and knew personally. Linda Martell was the first Black woman to ever play the Grand Ole Opry. She still to this day is the highest charting Black female country artist, and that was in 1970, so that’s far too long of a gap — I’m sorry. I am inspired by the fact that they pioneered this genre. And then getting completely erased from it is such a travesty. I think just becoming more knowledgeable and doing the homework and realizing, because this is my genre and this is what I grew up in, doing my homework on the history of it is important to continue going forward.
MB: In 2020, you released a song called “Better Than We Found It,” which was in support of the Black Lives Matter protests happening that summer. I think I read that some of those proceeds went to benefit the Black Women’s Health Imperative, which is a nonprofit that aims to protect and advance the health and wellness of Black women and girls. You spoke a little bit to this a minute ago, but what role does activism and social justice play in your life and your career?
MM: Well, I never really thought of myself as an activist getting into this. I think I just wanted to write songs and I wanted to write the truth — which is what country music prides itself on: three cords and the truth; and it was just a lot of cutting corners with that truth. I don’t even know if I would put that in my Insta[gram] bio: “activist.” But definitely when I’m asked about it and when something really fires me up and I’m passionate about something, whether it’s in my songs or something I want to share with my fans just personally, I do speak up on it when it’s just a matter of right and wrong. It’s not a matter of politics or partisanship.
MB: Going back to your current album: your husband, Ryan Hurd, is also a musician. I know he co-wrote a few songs on the album and you all have collaborated together in the past. What’s it like working with your spouse, especially in lockdown?
MM: For a while, before we started writing this record, I didn’t want to talk about music. I was like, “If I can’t write in person with people and I have to write over Zoom, I really don’t want to do it. This just doesn’t sound inspiring at all to me.” I eventually succumbed to it a few times, and had to, just out of necessity. But I love writing with Ryan. I think that’s always going to be a thread of our tapestry as a relationship because that’s how we met. But it’s also not this end-all, be-all with each other anymore either. It’s kind of an added bonus that we get to write and enjoy writing together, but there are also times at the end of the day where we’re just like, ‘Please don’t talk to me about anything music related! I can’t hear another word about it.” [laughs] We have our moments.
IF YOU GO
Who: Maren Morris with Brent Cobb
When: Friday, June 10, 7 p.m.
Where: Rabbit Rabbit, 75 Coxe Ave., rabbitrabbitavl.com
Tickets: $50 advance
(Photos by Harper Smith)
