Maren Morris on how she became fearless

I drove circles around this town
Trying to write circles around this town
Trying to say something with meaning
Something worth singing about
I've been kind and I've been ruthless
Yeah, got here, but the truth is
Thought when I hit it, it'd all look different

In her new song, "Circles Around This Town," Maren Morris writes about arriving in Nashville nearly a decade ago as an unknown songwriter. "I was 23 when I moved here," she told correspondent Anthony Mason.

Now, she can't walk down the street without getting noticed by a passing tour bus. "We love your music!" announced the tour guide through the loudspeaker. "How are you?"

"Thanks! I'm good. How are you?"

"We love your songs. We're proud of you and all your accomplishments!"

Mason said, "That tells you a lot's changed since you first came here."

"Yeah, that was amazing. They're so sweet."

Morris took Mason to the offices of Big Yellow Dog music publishing, where owner Carla Wallace gave Morris her big break. "The day that I signed with y'all and I got my first, like, actual advance to be a writer here, I think I had 200 bucks left in my checking account," she said.

Within a few years, "My Church" would make Maren Morris a star

Mason asked Wallace, "How did you know to sign her?"

"Well, she had something to say," she replied. "I mean, you could just hear it in her voice."

Morris' most recent smash, "The Bones," spent 19 weeks at #1 on the country charts

In March, Maren performed at the Houston Rodeo, her first live gig since she last played there two years ago, when she was just weeks away from giving birth.

Mason asked, "How'd that feel?"

"It felt great. I mean, it was crazy how much easier it is to sing when you're not nine months pregnant!" she laughed. "I feel like I'm becoming fearless again. Because I just don't know what there is to be afraid of after, like, the last couple of years. I've done things that have scared the ever-loving hell out of me, and I made it through it."

"What scared the ever-loving hell out of you?"

"Having my son, and having, like, a really rough labor and birth with him," Morris said. "I had an emergency C-section and, like, both our heart rates were dropping, and it had been, like, 31 hours and he still wasn't coming.

"And then, yeah, like, postpartum depression, that was, like, another surprise. And yeah, it's just like a lot of reality checks, and knowing that, like, I wasn't in control, and I probably never was."

Her new album and upcoming tour are called "Humble Quest."

"Did you feel humbled in the pandemic?" Mason asked.

"Yeah. I think we all did," she replied.

Haven't looked up in a while
Been biting my tongue behind a smile
Falling on swords that I can't see
Poison my well on the daily

Got easier not to ask
Just kept hitting my head on the glass
I was so nice 'til I woke up
I was polite 'til I spoke up

Morris has not been afraid to speak up for social justice and diversity in Nashville. She said, "I thought country music was three chords and the truth. But, 'Oh, you don't like this truth.' But you have to say it. Because you know it's right."

"You got beaten up a little bit on social media for a while. How hard did that hurt?" asked Mason.

"I would be lying if I said it didn't still hurt," she replied. "But it's also, like, I'm really glad the people that go out of their way to be so awful and send death threats to, like, me and my son will never be at my show again."

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Maren Morris on being criticized for crossing over

Her son, Hayes, now two, makes a cameo appearance on the song "Hummingbird." "He was able to, like, be my little duet partner!" she laughed.

And her husband, Ryan Hurd, is nominated for a Grammy with her for their duet, "Chasing After You":

At Big Yellow Dog, Morris said, "I really was set up to write with Ryan nine years ago on a co-write, like, through this office."

Her career has unfurled, hit after hit, since those early days in Nashville – and Maren Morris is hoping for another banner year.

You can stream Maren Morris' album "Humble Quest" by clicking on the embed below (Free Spotify registration required to hear the tracks in full):

For more info:

• Maren Morris | Tour info
• "Humble Quest" by Maren Morris (Columbia Nashville)
• Big Yellow Dog Music Publishing

     
Story produced by Jon Carras. Editor: Joseph Frandino.