Maren Morris

Maren Larae Morris (born April 10, 1990) is an American country singer and songwriter from Arlington, Texas. Her eclectic music has been described as country pop, incorporating elements of R&B, hip-hop, and rock in addition to country and pop. Her accolades include a Grammy Award, an American Music Award, five Country Music Association Awards, and five Academy of Country Music Awards.

Morris's major-label debut studio album Hero (2016) was released on Columbia Nashville and blended country with R&B. Its lead single "My Church" became her breakout single at country radio and was followed by the commercially successful songs "80s Mercedes", "I Could Use a Love Song" and "Rich". In 2018, Morris was featured on the song "The Middle" written by Grey and Zedd, which reached the top ten in various countries. She followed it in 2019 with her second album titled Girl, which included number one singles "Girl" and "The Bones". Humble Quest (2022) earned Morris a Guinness World Records for most first-day and first-week streams for a country album by a female artist on Amazon Music.

In addition to her solo work, she has recorded as a member of The Highwomen. Morris has had two albums certified for sales certifications in North America. She has scored three number one songs on the Billboard Country Airplay chart and eight top ten songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Morris was featured in Forbes' 30 Under 30 list in 2018. Out Magazine recognized her as one of the most impactful and influential LGBTQ artists of 2024. Morris was included on the Billboard Decade-End of the top 50 most successful Country Artists of the 2010s. In 2024, she was included on the Billboard list of the 100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time.

Morris was born in Arlington, Texas to Scott and Kellie Morris, who met at a bar in Dallas where they both worked. Maren was named after actress Maren Jensen, whose name Kellie came across while watching Battlestar Galactica. She has a sister, Karsen, who is 3 years younger. Maren's parents owned the Maren Karsen Aveda Hair Salon and Morris spent much of her childhood at the salon. She later worked there as a front desk clerk and guest coordinator. In elementary school, she participated in the school choir, performed theater, and played soccer.

When she was around 9 years old, at a party at her house for salon employees, she performed a karaoke version of "Blue" by LeAnn Rimes, who she idolized, at which time her parents discovered that she can sing.

In September 2000, aged 11, one of Morris's first performances was at Johnnie High's, a country music talent show similar in style to the Grand Ole Opry. From that moment, Morris realized that "this [singing] is my calling".

Morris started touring her home state of Texas when she was 11 years old. Her father acted as her roadie, manager, and booking agent. Morris often performed in bars and clubs in Dallas and Fort Worth. She considered music to be her "weekend job".