Maren Morris Maintains She Was 'Never Talking About' Leaving Country Music but Rather the Genre's 'Business Machine'

Jack IrvinWed, May 13, 2026 at 3:17 PM UTC

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Maren Morris
Credit: Maren Morris/TikTok (2) -

In a new TikTok video, Maren Morris clarified she loves country music and her past comments about leaving elements of the genre were about the music industry, not the genre itself

The Grammy winner addressed criticism of her genre-blending work

Morris emphasized her goal is to make the music industry safer and more inclusive while continuing to create in Nashville

Maren Morris would like to set the record straight.

The Grammy winner, 36, made headlines in 2023 after speaking to the Los Angeles Times about her choice to step away from elements of country music and subsequently faced backlash from some of the genre's fans. In a TikTok video posted earlier this week, Morris clarified her comments and urged she never wanted to leave the genre overall.

"As an artist, and as a Texan, I feel like I have pretty thick skin," began Morris. "You kind of have to if you’re in this line of work. But for years I’ve seen comments on my videos, or articles posted about me that say, ‘She said she hates country music.’ And it’s exhausting because I can’t reply to all of them and be like, ‘Cite your source.’"

The "Girl" singer-songwriter explained the Los Angeles Times interview featured her "talking about the music industry part, not country music as a genre" and noted she's had to "clarify" that ever since.

Morris continued, "I love country music, full stop. It’s my home. I grew up loving it in Texas, being so proud that so many of my country heroes are from that state. It made me want to be a songwriter. My dad bought me an acoustic guitar. I taught myself how to play and write songs in my bedroom as a kid. And then I moved to Nashville and made my dreams come true."

The star recalled facing criticism upon releasing her debut single "My Church" in 2016 from people who thought she was "disrespecting religion" with its lyrics. "It’s literally just a song about me loving driving around in my car listening to music. That’s my version of church," she said. "But even since then, the comments are like, ‘She’s not country.’"

Morris acknowledged that she blends genres in her work, which ranges from the traditional country of The Highwomen to full-blown pop with her hit "The Middle." She noted, "I’ve kind of done everything and in between, which is the fun part of this."

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The artist spoke about understanding people believe "what they've been fed" but explained, "I was always talking about the music business side of things because I think in country music particularly — I’m sure in other genres this is prevalent — but in country music, where it’s like, this is almost religion, and then the music business machine of it is like, you kiss the ring."

"You always say ‘thank you.’ You pave over the cracks. If you see something, don’t say something. And me and my friends, we’re just trying to write songs and have fun and make this feel safer," added Morris. "And I think I even say in that article, when you love something it’s okay to criticize it because you’re not doing it because you hate it, you’re doing that because you love it and want to make it better."

While some people in Morris' life who work behind the scenes of country music "understand" her point of view, she said, "I also know that’s kind of a part of my life that’s not a part of it anymore," citing radio and "country categories at the Grammys."

Maren Morris in September 2025
Credit: Tibrina Hobson/Getty

"But I do love country music because it’s about storytelling, and my heroes were truth tellers even when it was unpopular. Because country music should be for everybody," she continued. "But the two sides of the coin with country music particularly is like, this is not just music, it is a way of life. Which is a beautiful thing about it, but it is also like, if you criticize any part of it, people will take offense because they’re like, ‘You’re not just criticizing music I like, you’re criticizing me.’"

Morris noted, "I just want to clarify here, I was never talking about country music, I was talking really about the machine of the music industry, which as any artist will tell you, is more business than music at times."

The "Bones" artist explained she still lives and creates music with friends in Nashville and doesn't plan to stop doing so. Ultimately, she urged fans against "jumping to a conclusion because you have a bias already."

"I do think when you love something, and I love country music, I do think you should have a say in how to make it better and it’s not in a way that’s shitting all over it," said Morris. "I really, from the jump, and I think even The Chicks from the jump were really trying to make this safer for everyone, and sometimes that can be absolutely misconstrued. But yeah, it is what it is."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”