Maren Morris addresses speaking out against racism and homophobia as a country music artist
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In a way, singer-songwriter Maren Morris feels like she’s one of the few artists in the country music genre to speak out against topics like racism and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.
But that said, the I Could Use A Love Song star also confessed during an interview with Apple Music’s proud radio with Hunter Kelly that she doesn’t just want to be known for her “slap back on Twitter,” but she’s eager for people to take notice of her songs.
“I can’t just be this merch store on the internet selling you songs and t-shirts,” said Morris, 32, while considering her personality and personal ethics, referring to her decisions to speak publicly about hot things. topic issues.
Call for more voices: Maren Morris, 32, revealed she often feels like she’s one of the few people in the country music genre to speak out against hot topics like racism and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric
Morris continued: “I have to let people know because the real human aspect of this is when I go on tour and I see the people in my crowd. That’s not the internet, that’s real,” she said, adding, “And you see how your audience starts to change as you let people know where you stand.”
While Morris sometimes finds herself needing to speak out on polarizing topics like race, many other country music artists often choose to to discuss such issues publicly.
“I’m trying to rise above it — not even bad behavior, just expected behavior that’s normalized, that’s bad,” explained the Arlington, Texas native, before recalling a conversation she had with her husband Ryan Hurd, 35.
“He says, ‘I hate that you always feel like you have to be the hall monitor of modern country music’s behavior in and around race and homophobia, transphobia.'”
Socializing: “Actually, I don’t want to be known for my clapping on Twitter. I’d like to be known for my songs,” the star of I Could Use A Love Song said of the cost of speaking out publicly on hot topics; Pictured 2022
When it comes to her colleagues not speaking out against “normalized” hatred within country music, she feels their silence often amplifies her voice when she chooses to go public.
“I don’t have to feel like I always have to be that person who speaks up,” she said. “I think I seem a lot louder than I really am because everyone is so quiet.”
Morris’ comments come a few weeks after she criticized country star Jason Aldean’s wife Brittany Kerr Aldean for making a transphobic comment in an Instagram video about efforts to limit access to gender-affirming care.
“I want to say a big thank you to my parents for not changing my gender as I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life,” Brittany Kerr Aldean wrote in a makeup reveal clip in September.
Support husband: “I hate that you always feel like you have to be the hall monitor of modern country music’s behavior in and around race and homophobia, transphobia,” country singer-songwriter Ryan Hurd previously told Morris; Pictured 2022
Morris couldn’t let go of the comment without a response: ‘It’s so easy, like, not to be an asshole? Sell your clip-ins and zip them up, Insurrection Barbie.’ she shard on Twitter.
That seemed to spark a debate not just between Morris and Kerr Aldean, but other stars like Cassadee Pope, Lindsay Ell, and others.
Fox News’ Tucker Carlson even spoke out on the matter, labeling Morris on his show as a “crazy country music person.”
Debate: Just weeks ago, Morris sparked a back-and-forth debate with Jason Aldean’s wife, Brittany Kerr Aldean, after accusing her of making a transphobic comment; the Aldeans are seen in March 2022
The My Church star would actually put Carlson’s derogatory phrase on T-shirts, which have since raised more than $150,000 for the Trans Lifeline and GLAAD’s Transgender Media Program.
The mother of two-year-old son Hayes also shared how heartwarming it is to see how “diverse” her live audience has become, including a large age group of fans, going along with how people identify, sexual orientation and skin color.
“I think that’s so nice for me because I feel like everyone can come and feel safe there. That’s not the internet. That’s not Twitter. That’s really what you’ve achieved through your honesty,” The Middle star explained.