As Maren Morris launches tour in NC, she believes in ‘pay-it-forward moments’
Award-winning country music star Maren Morris was ready to go on tour with a newborn baby in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic canceled those plans and put her on a different path — one that led to a new album “Humble Quest” and a new tour that’s kicking off in Raleigh this month.
“I’m excited with the new record, being able to play that live,” said Morris, who will still bring her now 2-year-old son, Hayes, out on the road.
Performing her hit “The Bones” always creates a really emotional moment in her shows, and she usually ends her set end with “My Church,” because that’s the one that gets everyone clapping.
Plus, it “just feels like a spiritual moment in a lot of ways,” she told The News & Observer.
But, she’s excited to perform songs like “Nervous,” “Humble Quest” and “Tall Guys” for a crowd and see how those translate with the audience.
Morris, 32, began writing the songs that became the “Humble Quest” album during the pandemic at home with her husband, Ryan Hurd, and their then-newborn son.
She struggled with postpartum depression, grieving the death of her close friend and collaborator Busbee, who had brain cancer, and adapting to life and work a musician during the pandemic when concerts and performances were canceled. Meanwhile, she won her first Female Vocalist of the Year award at the 2020 Country Music Awards. And her single “The Bones” (from the “Girl” album) became a top country hit, earning Morris three CMA awards and a Grammy nomination for Best Country Song.
Through those life events, she “found herself reckoning with humility in ways she’d never imagined, and a breakthrough for her third album,” according to her bio.
“There are so many things that ended up knocking me down a peg but strengthening me and making me realize what I can withstand,” Morris said in her bio. “That’s why I wanted to name the album after that, because it was just such a humbling experience to make. And I didn’t want it to feel heavy. I wanted to have it sort of be this antidote to this time.“
Morris is eager to share her new music on stage, but this tour will look a little different since she’s bringing her young son.
“This is my first rodeo when it comes to touring with a kid, but I’m excited,” Morris said. “I feel like I’ve had people to look up to that have made it look almost normal and doable.”
She’s seen the magic of kids growing up together on the road with their parents when she toured with Keith Urban and Little Big Town. The kids would have their own catering table like at Thanksgiving, which Morris found so charming. And she’s reached out for advice from a lot of moms who are artists that toured with their kids.
The best pro tips came from Hillary Scott of Lady A about where to build the changing table into the tour bus and more importantly, what you don’t need, Morris said.
Now that Hayes is two, she expects traveling on the bus with him will be a little bit easier because he can walk, chat, sleep in a bunk and enjoy activities like Raleigh’s Marbles Kids Museum with friends and family who will come to town for opening weekend.
“We’ll see how soon he takes over the bus with all of his stuff,” Morris said, laughing.
The singer-songwriter spoke with The N&O ahead of her upcoming headlining Humble Quest Tour that launches June 9 at Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh. She perform June 10 in Asheville and then return to North Carolina for two more shows — Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre on June 16 and Live Oak Bank Pavilion in Wilmington on June 17.
Here are excerpts that have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: Through your big career moments, you’ve been intentional about bringing other people up with you. During your speech at the 2020 CMA Awards, you honored Black women in country music and gave a special shout-out to local artist Rissi Palmer, who’s helping the industry through a racial reckoning. What made you do that? What is it in you that wants to lift up other female artists and women of color? Why is that important to you in this part of your career?
Morris: I feel like the people that have lent me a hand and opened the door for me, have been women and men. Sheryl Crow has always been so kind and supportive. Like when my song “My Church” came out, she got my phone number and called me and I thought it was like a prank phone call. It was an act of kindness from someone who is so inspiring to me.
And then Keith Urban, offering me my first-ever tour opening slot on a major international tour.
There are just a lot of pay-it-forward moments that I don’t think I would be on this path if someone hadn’t seen something in me and just gestured this hand of kindness toward me.
From the get-go, I was learning it’s lonely sometimes to do this. And you need to not have such laser-focused vision and just like, look to your left and look to your right and be like, who else can come up with me because I don’t want to do this alone.
So, that sort of being compounded with the lack of representation, particularly in country music on the radio waves with people of color and women in general, that’s been a conversation for many years. And LGBTQ people being represented on country radio, a lot of people are staying in the closet because they think that their careers will end if they come out.
There are so many things that we’re trying to widen the scope of, so it feels like a more inclusive, safe place. But also, it will help the music get even better. It’s kind of dumb to block people out at this rate, because it’s like, I want to be competing with the best of the best. That’s how you get better.
It’s not just feeling like, “Oh, this is activism. This is the right thing.” It’s just smart. If you want to hear better music and hear different stories, and therapy in all shapes and forms, you’ve got to not just think about yourself.
So, that’s kind of where I was coming from with that speech. This is one of the biggest awards of the night… I felt kind of embarrassed that it had just occurred to me that a Black woman has never been nominated in that category, or even close to it. I wanted to just kind of take a moment and say, “This is weird, we should probably change this, right?”
Q: Who are you currently listening to, or who we should be listening to? Any Black or female artists, in particular?
Morris: Oh my gosh, there are so many.
I was hanging out with Brandi Carlile, my fellow Highwoman, we’re staying at the same hotel, and Yola was also there, which was a lovely surprise. She is an incredible artist. I don’t even know really how to classify her. Probably not just as country but like, Americana, folk, soul, like she’s got it all, blues. And it’s just I mean, her voice is insane.
Also, Brittney Spencer is a wonderful writer, singer and artist that is coming up and you’re starting to hear a lot more about. I’m bringing her out on the Humble Quest tour. She’s an incredible artist.
I mean Mickey Guyton, obviously. Breland is another. There’s so much great music out right now.
Q: Speaking of The Highwomen, what do you see for the future of this group of female artists that includes you, Carlile, Natalie Hemby and Amanda Shires?
Morris: Our only show on the books right now, because I’m doing my tour and we all have our kind of solo projects going on right now, is opening for Chris Stapleton at Wrigley Field in Chicago in July.
We’ve talked about doing another record or maybe, once we’ve got a window of time available, doing a residency somewhere for a week or so.
We love each other so much and we’re just so proud of our coming together and making that first record. So, we would love to make it happen. It’s just, oh my gosh, it’s like you add us all living in different places, plus a pandemic, plus children, plus our own solo projects and it’s like, where do you find the time?
Q: What are some of your earliest memories of singing and performing? How did things start for you?
Morris: I think the first time I realized I liked to sing was my parents — they own a hair salon — and every Christmas or holiday season, they would have all their employees over to our house. They would have a holiday, company Christmas party.
They had a karaoke machine, and I would sneak down from my room when I was supposed to be in bed and just start singing “Over the Rainbow” or LeAnn Rimes’s “Blue.” That was a big favorite.
That when I first realized I loved singing, but then singing live singing in front of crowds, I was probably 11 or 12 in Texas. I would play in a lot of random places — like car dealership parking lots, chili cookoffs. I mean, just anywhere they would let my 12-year-old a-- sing.
Q: You recently announced that you are going to audition for “Wicked” as Elphaba. Is that your dream Broadway role, or do you have your eyes on something else?
Morris: Yeah, Elphaba is the dream role. I just didn’t even consider another character at this point because since I was 14, she was the one. And I used to annoy my sister to death, like just singing “The Wizard and I” in my bedroom, and she would be in the other bedroom and just be like, “Shut up. Stop singing this song.” I mean, she’s so proud of me now, but it would be a hilarious, full-circle moment if I ended up getting the part and doing like opening night on Broadway and my sister is in the front row.
The crazy thing is… So, I sang at the White House Christmas Tree event back in December, and [original “Wicked” star] Kristin Chenoweth was also on the bill. I think I mentioned, “Oh, I grew up, you know, singing ‘Wicked,’ and I love you and you’re an icon.’ And she’s like, “Oh my God, do you want to be in ‘Wicked?’ And I thought she was yanking my chain. But I think I even got tears in my eyes when she said, it because it was like, “Yes!”
I mean, I don’t want to be handed anything, but I will absolutely send an audition tape.
At this point me putting it on Twitter feels like a public campaign. But if I don’t get it, it’s because I wasn’t up to snuff. It’s one of the hardest parts to play because it’s like the hardest songs I think on Broadway for a woman to sing, plus acting.
But I want to take a whack at it.
This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 6:15 AM.
