Maren Morris admitted her outspoken political views came with a cost in the country music industry.
Morris, 35, opened up about how the political atmosphere of country music has evolved over the past 10 years amid President Donald Trump’s two terms.
“No one is very friendly,” she noted in a lengthy TikTok video. “Some people are cool, but like, it’s been very dicey at these award shows and s—. And I don’t really go to them anymore, but it’s very heated.”
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The release of “My Church” in 2016 led to big initial success for Morris in the country music industry, but since then she’s felt put off by the reaction to her political views.
“You cannot be a full songwriter and, you know, reflect reality and life through song without being political,” Morris said. “I’m sorry, it just – it is what it is. That’s John Prine, babe.”
“And I try to be kind, I try to be benevolent, but there are people and energies in the sphere of my work the last few years that have really put me off,” she added. “So I’ve stepped away in certain facets, but I still love country music, obviously, like there’s no choice. I grew up in it, so it’s there. It’s in your bones. It’s in your DNA, but I definitely think I’m lucky that I get to have a fan base and be honest.”
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Morris didn’t blame anyone but herself for the fallout over her political views, noting fans had every right to walk away.
“I’ve lost a lot of fans over the years because of my viewpoints and I think that’s fair,” Morris explained. “If you don’t agree with me, and you can’t enjoy my music because of my viewpoints, you are absolutely allowed to do that.”
“I do feel like I’ve sacrificed a lot of my mental health, my financial standing, my family just because I’m so deeply concerned and uncomfortable with the weird status quo of country music,” the country singer said.
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Morris said nobody will stop her from making music, not now or when she’s 90, but gave a warning to aspiring artists about the consequences of publicly backing what you believe.
“… I think for these upcomers in music or country music, just know it is a sacrifice to stick to your guns, and you will lose people along the way. Whether it’s fans or f—ing friends or family members, you will lose people because you are breaking a lot of norms and cycles.”
“But I’m fortunate that I can be here and make music and people buy tickets to my shows. And I’m very fortunate, and it’s a weird time right now. I’m very broken-hearted. I love my country, but it is so f—ing broken. And I wish I could snap my fingers and make it better. I’m here as an observant, like a songwriter. I just write about what I see and what I feel. And sometimes you break trends with even the machine that made you successful. And that’s OK. And it’s weird as f—. And a lot of people in my life don’t understand it. And they don’t understand what I’ve done. But I understand it and I have a beautiful life, and I have a beautiful son. And I’m very lucky.”
