Maren Morris released her new two-song EP (Extended Play), The Bridge, on Friday; Both contain lyrics explaining their decision to leave country music behind.
The singer-songwriter expressed the idea of breaking away from the country genre again in a new interview with the Los Angeles Times.
“I thought I would like to burn it down and start over,” Morris, 33, said while discussing her country music roots. “But it will burn itself down without my help.”
The Arlington, Texas native, who has called Nashville home for about a decade, has taken a stand over the years calling for more diversity within the music genre, moving beyond the white male straight artists that have dominated the industry.
“But the stories that are going on in country music right now, I’ve tried to avoid a lot of that at all costs,” she explained, before admitting that she herself has benefited from the system in place. “I feel very, very distant from it.”
She’s done! Maren Morris, 33, announced she’s moving on from the country music genre, while out promoting her new two-song EP The Bridge; she’s pictured in May 2023
In another example of just how serious she is about leaving the genre and its politics, the Look At Us Now star’s new music is now being released through Columbia Records, instead of the label’s Nashville division, Columbia Nashville.
Her two new songs – The Tree and Get The Hell Out Of Here, which were written back-to-back, mark the start of this new professional chapter for Morris that she has decided to call The Bridge.
‘If you truly love this type of music and you start to see problems arise, it needs to be criticized,’ she said. Anything this popular should be scrutinized if we want to see progress. But I’ve kind of said everything I can say.’
Outspoken about her progressive beliefs, Morris has long been a supporter of LGBTQ+ issues and the Black Lives Matter movement, while critiquing people like Jason Aldean’s wife Brittany Kerr Aldean for making transphobic comments.
‘I’ve always been an asker of questions and a status quo challenger just by being a woman. So it wasn’t really even a choice,’ Morris said. ‘The further you get into the country music business, that’s when you start to see the cracks. And once you see it, you can’t un-see it.’
Morris has also questioned what’s behind the popularity of songs like Aldean’s hit single, Try That In A Small Town, which has been interpreted by some people as having a pro-violent, conservative message.
‘People are streaming these songs out of spite,’ she said. ‘It’s not out of true joy or love of the music. It’s to own the libs [liberals]. And that’s not what music is meant for. Music should be the voice of the oppressed – the actual oppressed. And now it’s being used as a really toxic weapon in culture wars.”
One could argue that Morris’ new music video for “The Tree” contains references to Aldean’s “Try That In A Small Town.” The clip shows her walking out of a small town, past signs that read “Don’t Tread on Me” and “Go Woke Go Broke.”
Morris Makeover: Morris’ new EP “The Bridge” can be interpreted as a bridge to her new studio album, which she is currently working on with prolific pop producer Jack Antonoff
Morris’ EP “The Bridge” can also be interpreted as a bridge to her next studio album, which she is currently working on with prolific pop producer Jack Antonoff, best known for his work with Taylor Swift as well as Lorde and Lana Del Rey, St. Vincent, The Chicks, Florence And The Machine and The 1975, among others.
So far, Morris hasn’t revealed whether the new songs will undergo a massive transformation towards a smooth pop music sound.
Whatever the case, the mother of one child she shares with her husband and country singer Ryan Hurd has had to take a long, hard look at how she creates her songs.
“I was so into country music growing up, and the way I write songs is lyrically very structured, very Nashville style,” she confessed. “But I think I had to consciously focus on making good music and not so much on how we market it. With the last few records, it was always in the back of my mind: Will this work in the country music universe?
Country Review: “The further you get into the country music business, the more you see the cracks. And once you see it, you can’t remove it,” the Arlington, Texas native said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times
Morris further revealed that the new album isn’t finished yet and she still has some writing and recording to do.
“It’s so much fun,” she said of the creation process, adding, “And I feel like myself again when I’m writing songs I love with people I love.”
During her career in country music, Morris has released three studio albums: Hero (2016), Girl (2019) and Humble Quest (2022).
She has achieved three number one songs on the Billboard Country Airplay chart and eight top ten songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
Morris has received several awards including a Grammy, five Academy of Country Music Awards, an American Music Award and five Country Music Association Awards.