Thanks for being here.
Yes, it's weird to be somewhere in person.
I know, it's so nice to see a human face as a 3D person.
You're in town for the Grammys.
And you just walked out to this song
that you actually are nominated for.
You premiered on our show two years ago, is that right?
Yeah, it was my first television performance of The Bones
was two years ago.
Yeah.
Yeah, here.
It's amazing.
It's a full circle being nominated.
So you're nominated for best country song.
And you're also up against yourself
because you're with another band with my friend, Brandi Carlile,
who I love.
Same.
And you're performing, but are you performing with somebody
else as well or just you?
I'm performing with John Mayer.
He's going to come play guitar with me.
And was very gracious enough to do so.
That's fantastic.
And how is your little baby doing?
He's good.
I was just saying to someone backstage
that when I was here with The Highwomen,
I had just found out that I was pregnant.
So I feel like I'm having a lot of full circle moments here
at Ellen.
But now he's about to be one.
Wow.
Yeah, little boy.
That's adorable.
And look, he's musical already.
Look at his little jacket, his little country jacket.
Yeah, Miranda Lambert actually gave him that jacket
with his name on the back.
It was so sweet.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
That's fantastic.
He's got a little [INAUDIBLE] just on top.
How is he?
Is he sleeping through the night or?
He is.
He's a great baby.
And, you know, we have no context as parents.
We've never had a kid before.
So I had him at the beginning of the pandemic.
So his entire life has been inside of this bubble.
But it's been great because even though I
miss being on tour, obviously, and being out and about,
having this first year with him at home,
that probably never would have happened the same way.
So that's our silver lining.
Yeah, that's the thing.
I think all of us have certain little things we hold on
to and go well, had this not happened,
this wouldn't have happened.
So that is a silver lining that you got
to spend so much time with him.
Yeah.
And obviously, for him.
And what did you do for his first birthday?
Well, it's coming up.
It's next week.
So obviously, we can't have a full party or anything yet.
But we're just going to have family over.
And we read Peter Rabbit to him every night.
So I'm going to go all out and do like a Peter Rabbit party.
And I kind of want to buy my husband a bunny costume.
But I think that would just freak everyone out.
I was going to say, let me freak him out with a giant bunny
being in the house.
Yeah, that might be traumatizing.
I don't know if babies at one are making memories yet.
But that might be the first one if I do it.
Right, then he's not going to like bunnies ever again.
Yeah, I know.
So you passed a billion streams on Spotify.
Congratulations.
Thank you.
Thanks.
Billion.
Billion, and then you tweeted this out.
I think we have the quote someplace,
oh, "I would like a plaque to eat pasta out of like Drake."
So obviously, Drake ate pasta out of his plaque.
Yeah.
And so you would like to do the same?
Yeah, his looked like a really classy pasta,
like truffle or something.
I'm going to do, like, straight up Kraft mac and cheese out
of mine.
You do you.
Yeah I'm doing me.
Whatever's right for you.
All right, well, anyway congrat--
I mean, a billion streams.
That's incredible.
Thank you.
Now that's so cool.
I think that with The Bones and a song like The Middle have--
we're all stuck at home.
And I think music has just become so much more intense
in people's lives, because we can't go anywhere.
And I feel like this has just been the most creative time
for me, because it's the only thing on the to-do list.
Is just like, well, I can't go anywhere.
I'm going to write a song today so.
Yeah, but you're going to get to perform.
Like, you must miss it so much.
So to be able to perform on the Grammys
is going to be so much fun.
Yeah, it's been a couple of years
since I've been on the Grammy stage.
And I'm really appreciative to them
for doing something, kind of, in person and safe.
And so it just feels really fun to be back in L.A.
And I'm out here actually with my son.
So this is my first Grammy week as a mother.
So it's not quite as late of nights or after parties
this time around.
But--
Yeah, that's all right.
--I'm excited.
Better to go home with the baby.
Yeah, true.
All right, more with Maren after this.
We'll be right back.
We're back with Maren Morris.
That's your video for Better Than We Found It.
I love that video so much.
And it's up for ACM Award next month, right?
Yeah, I'm so proud of it.
And Gabrielle Woodland, who directed it,
she's an amazing talent.
And she found all the families for the video
and their stories.
And just took such great care of them,
because they're not easy stories to tell, especially
in the case of Daniel Hambrick's family.
He was shot by a Nashville cop a few years ago.
And I'm just so proud of Gabby.
She's so talented.
And this was actually her first official music video to direct.
And for me, someone choosing her out of someone
I haven't worked with before, leading to an ACM nomination
for her, it's just crazy.
These steps that we take that we can do as artists
or as entertainers that really help somebody's resume
is just crazy.
But no, she did such an amazing job.
She did.
But, you know, it's not--
most people are scared, just in general,
to speak out, especially in country music.
And the Dixie Chicks have gotten so much hate for speaking out.
And I know you've gotten some online hate
because you speak out.
And I think it's amazing that you still have the courage
to say what is right.
You're on the right side of history.
Thank you.
Well, and I'm a white woman in country music.
I already, sort of, have this leg up.
And even though there is a huge disparity between men and women
in our genre, there is even more of a disparity
between white women and black women trying
to be in country music.
And there's so many black women and men who
adore country music, and don't feel like the door
is open for them, even a crack.
So yeah, I've just been doing so much of my own homework
the last couple of years.
And especially since George Floyd,
I just feel like country music as a genre,
we all have so much room to grow, myself included.
But I think country music definitely is stepping up
to the plate slowly but surely.
And you're always going to have people
that want to come for you if you say something
that's unpopular to them, or their group
think for the second.
And for me, it's just like, you know
what, I have to think about my son, and the people
in my circle, going forward, who I write with,
who I employ, and think am I making room for everybody?
I don't care if someone on TikTok thinks I suck.
It's not really my issue.
I think I just want to exist in a genre that
is working to be better.
Yeah, and I'm glad you're saying that they're
working to be better, because it just takes a bunch of people
just standing up, and speaking out for what is right,
and to make change.
And so more people like you need to come forward,
especially in country music.
T.J. Osborne came out, and you voiced support for him.
We had him on the day after he came out.
That's a big thing in country music for someone to come out.
Oh my gosh, and I hope that him having the bravery to even do
that has made a few more people that love country music that
are gay feel like they have a home there too.
And I'm just so proud of him.
He was one of my first friends I made when I moved
to Nashville eight years ago.
And he's just so talented, so kind.
And for him to put it all out there is just--
I'm not a sliver of that brave.
So I'm really proud of T.J.
Yeah, I'm proud of him too.
But you're just incredible.
You're an amazing artist.
You're talented, but you're using this platform for good.
And I think that that's really, really important, because we
can have fame, and we can have this platform,
and people don't do anything with it.
And you're doing something with it.
And it's great.
Thank you.
Better Than We Found It is available on streaming services
now.
You should check it out if you haven't seen it.
It's fantastic.
And watch Maren on the Grammys this Sunday.
I can't wait.
Thank you.
We'll be back.