Maren Morris Doesn't Think of Herself 'as a Bada--' for Advocating for Change in the Music Industry: 'It Took a Lot of Sleepless Nights to Get Here'
Maren Morris made headlines when she announced she would be leaving country music — however, the star confirmed that is not entirely true.
“Obviously no — like, that’s hilarious," the singer, 33, told Variety in a new interview when asked about the rumors. “You don’t fight for what you don’t love. I do all of this because I want it to be better for everybody, not just for the few.”
The star isn't leaving country music.
“I don’t think of myself as this bada-- or anything; I just got so sick of being a yes person to get ahead,” the Texas native, who stands up for the LGBTQ+ community and others, stated. “I’ve been successful, but — I think — at a moral cost. I couldn’t keep doing the same song and dance.”
The singer is happy to be a voice for others.
The mom-of-one, who recently split from husband Ryan Hurd, noted how she can't change the industry alone.
“We’ve been trying to figure out who can actually make the genre evolve for years,” Morris shared. “Is it labels? Is it streaming platforms? Is it publishers? Is it writers? Who’s truly at the top? Feelings aside, I look at the facts — and the fact is, the country chart is worse [for women and minorities] than it was a decade ago. Whether I said s--- or not, it got worse.”
Maren Morris hopes the music industry can continue to change.
One thing the "Girl" songstress made clear is that she is not leaving her roots behind — and she hopes to continue to speak up for others who may not have the platform like she does.
“I’m not getting out of Dodge. I love living in Nashville, and I don’t consider myself an expat of country music,” she stated. “There’s so many amazing people here making music that matters. I’m a piece of this town, and I want to make it better in the same ways I want the music industry to be better.”
Though there's been challenges along the way, she wouldn't change her trajectory at all. “The moral is that it took a lot of sleepless nights and traumas and depressions and manic episodes to get here,” she said. “It’s a lot of work, and I’m still very much in it. But I sleep heavier at night.”