Maren Morris clarifies why she had to remove herself from the "toxic arms" of country music
Morris, who found fame and acclaim in the Nashville scene, will no longer submit her work for country music award consideration
Country music blew up in a big way this summer, with songs like Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night,” Luke Combs’ “Fast Car,” Oliver Anthony’s political hot rod “Rich Men North Of Richmond,” and Jason Aldean’s bigoted “Try That In A Small Town” consistently sitting atop the Billboard Hot 100. For some in the scene, though, this genre ascendence isn’t exactly something to celebrate.
Maren Morris, an undeniably liberal artist who has repeatedly clashed with Aldean and his wife over trans rights and other issues, is one such figure. Last month, she announced her departure from the genre in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “I’ve kind of said everything I can say,” she commented at the time. “I always thought I’d have to do middle fingers in the air jumping out of an airplane, but I’m trying to mature here and realize I can just walk away from the parts of this that no longer make me happy.”
Morris elaborated on her decision to step away in a recent episode of the New York Times “Popcast,” which she clarified specifically meant that she’d no longer allow her music to be submitted for country radio or award show consideration. “I’m not shutting off fans of country music, or that’s not my intention,” she noted. “It’s just the music industry that I have to walk away from.”