We LOVE us some Maren Morris. Her voice is 🔥🔥🔥, she's on one of the biggest songs of the year (The Middle), she has a duet with one of our favorites (Niall Horan), she sang the national anthem at a Preds playoff game, and now...
SHE GAVE US A SHOUT-OUT!
So, you may have seen that Maren is in Billboard magazine this month, just ahead of her, Zedd, and Grey performing on the BBMAs this weekend.
The article is an interview with Zedd and Maren about "The Middle", her first foray into the pop world and a song that skyrocketed pretty quickly and has been a Top 10 mainstay ever since.
It's a great read that speaks pretty bluntly about genre-blending and how much crossover there is between music formats right now (and, by the way, that's a good thing). For example, this quote from Zedd's portion of the interivew
Maren is so much more than just country. And I’ve hated how people have put me in boxes my whole career, like, “Hey, you’re an EDM guy doing pop.” No, I’m a musician who enjoys making music. I made metal for 10 years, and before that I made classical music. Literally, the first time I ever heard Maren’s voice was on the demo for “The Middle.” But to me, this was just about who sounds the best.
But then, keep on reading, and they talk about the first time they heard the finished product.
MORRIS: I’ll never forget hearing it for the first time. Technically, it was in the Target commercial [aired during the 2018 Grammys], but hearing it on [WRVW] The River, the pop station here in Nashville, there’s something about radio waves coming through your car speakers. Country fans may have been scared of [me] leaving the nest initially, but once the song came out they were just proud of me for making a catchy-as-hell song.
😱😱😱😱😱😱
We got a shout-out from Maren!!
First off, as someone who's been "the boss" at multiple radio stations throughout the country, there is no greater feeling than having an artist hear their work for the first time on YOUR STATION.
It feels even better when that song turns out be the gigantic #1 hit that "The Middle" was.
And it feels EVEN BETTER when the artist lives in your town.
A friend texted me the link to the article and I've honestly been giddy all day because of it. Check the whole interview out here - it's a great read.
And Maren - thanks for the shoutout - we love you and congrats on all the success!!