Maren Morris is a historic talent. That’s not hyperbole. Her 2022 album Humble Quest set a Guinness World Record for most first-day and first-week streams for a country album by a female artist. Attention like that is not accidental.
Morris’ politics have proven to be more polarizing than her music, however. As a country superstar, Morris has received pushback for her criticism of former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Morris even appeared at the Democratic National Convention to show her support for Trump’s opponent, Kamala Harris.
Maren Morris’ outspoken stances has led some fans to look further into her personal life, and her familial background. Here’s what you need to know about the country singer’s ethnicity.
What is Maren Morris’ nationality?
Maren Morris was born to parents Greg and Kellie Morris in Arlington, Texas. She’s a white woman, and has made it clear that she wants to use her privilege as a white woman to make the country genre more accessible for people of different ethnicities. Morris said as much during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2021:
I’m a white woman in country music. I already have this sort of leg-up. There’s a huge disparity between men and women in our genre, there’s even more of a disparity between white women and black women.
Maren Morris’ quest to make country music more welcoming has resulted in her getting into high-profile feuds with other artists. She openly criticized Morgan Wallen for using a racial slur during a 2022 Country Radio Seminar. “You can’t control a human being, but you absolutely can let them know where you stand,” she said in reference to Wallen’s remarks.
Why is Maren Morris leaving country music?
Maren Morris may have found tremendous success as a white singer in the country genre, but she’s had enough. In 2023, Morris announced that she would be leaving the genre behind due to what she felt was an unconscionable treatment of minorities and different ethnic groups.
During an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Morris blamed this emphasis on bigotry on President Trump. She felt his presidential term brought out the worst tendencies in her country music peers. “It just revealed who people really were and that they were proud to be racist and homophobic and transphobic,” the singer explained.
Morris’ latest EP, Intermission, was billed as a “pop” release.