I wrote "Hummingbird" the day I found out I was pregnant,
and I was on my way to a write, with the Love Junkies.
But I told Ryan, I was like, we're having a baby
and I'm on my way to this write.
[LAUGHTER]
Love you.
I'll see you at the house.
[COUNTRY MUSIC]
It was 2013, she packed up her Montero
even though the AC was busted and came to Nashville.
And this girl did not take no for an answer.
Maren Morris has been running circles around this town
ever since.
And now, she's joining us to talk about her new album,
"Humble Quest."
Maren, thanks for coming in.
Hi.
Thank you for having me.
I'm honored.
This is such a cute little space y'all have here.
We like it.
Thanks.
Yeah.
Where do you want to start?
Well, let's start with the story that you tell in "Circles
Around This Town."
That song is amazing.
I know the first time we heard it,
especially when you talk about my church in '80s Mercedes--
[LAUGHTER] --in that song.
And I think to just moving here to Nashville
and working in this industry and seeing
how so many people are moving here and trying
to find their way, I just feel like it is
a story that needs to be told.
And it's so important.
So that chronicled year you moved to Nashville,
tell us about that decision.
It was January, 13?
Yeah.
So I was 23, or about to be 23.
And I was saving money for a few months to move to Nashville.
So when I got here, I didn't immediately
have to like wait tables.
And so I saved a little bit of money to get here
and just start writing right away.
And I think it was like eight months to the day
almost that I moved to Nashville that I
got an offer from a publishing company, which is actually
like right near here.
So this whole block is very nostalgic to me.
Yeah.
So I was, yeah for a few years a working songwriter.
I would come in five days a week and write with random people,
they would place me with on my calendar.
And we would try to get a song to get recorded by an artist
and/or synced to a TV show or something.
So I had a couple of songs in the bank
and was able to play them for publishing houses
around Music Row.
And then I got an offer.
And so, yeah.
And I feel like now, almost 10 years later, most of my friends
here, I met through those weird co-writes, one of which
is my husband, Ryan Hurd.
We met on a co-write.
We didn't know each other, but we just hit it off
and started writing.
And we've written hundreds of songs since then.
I remember the first time I ever saw you play.
It was around at Belcourt Taps.
I remember the place was just quiet,
but it was like, it was the crew.
It was like the Googlers crew.
Yeah.
You know, Joey Hyde and Ryan Beaver
and all these people, that it has
been so amazing to watch you guys all come into your own.
But I think that's what makes Nashville so special
is because all these songwriters that we talked to,
a lot of artists, they find their peoples
and they stick together.
And then you all help each other and you all become successful.
And it's just that much more rewarding, I would imagine.
I know a lot of young songwriters
that they'll ask me, what would your advice
be to getting a record deal or a publishing deal?
Ryan and I both being writers, were like, don't.
I mean, you can aim for the stars,
but find people that are like you.
Like, find people in your same like graduating class almost.
[LAUGHTER]
Like your freshman class.
You need to find people that are doing the same exact thing
at the same level, because then you get to all rise together.
And so, it's funny you say Belcourt Taps because that's
actually where I met Ryan--
[LAUGHTER] --like nine years ago.
Describe, that to us.
What was that meeting like?
What do you remember seeing?
Were you immediately, like, who is that?
Well, we both were in other relationships at the time.
So I just remember, I was a little nervous
because I was going to get up as a guest
and sing with my friend, Bret Tyler, a song
that we had written.
And he knew Ryan and all those guys, I didn't.
So I was like, yeah, I'll come and sing harmonies with you.
I might as well.
And so I met Ryan and all those guys.
And they're like, thanks for being here.
And they meet so many people and Ryan went to Belmont.
So he was like already sort of like King of Nashville
in his own mind, but--
[LAUGHTER]
--but yeah, we wrote.
I guess like a week later, we wrote a song that was terrible.
But I just knew that he was talented
and he knew that I was talented.
So we were like, we're not going to count this one.
Let's write one more time and see if it works.
And then the next time we wrote, was a week after that
and we wrote this song called "Last Turn Home."
A day later, Tim McGraw recorded.
And so that was my first cut as a writer was with Tim.
And it was a song that Ryan and I wrote.
So yeah.
We just kept doing it.
We're like it worked.
Yeah.
Yes.
We're really happy about that.
So obviously making this album definitely
different than the first two.
The World shut down and went into a pandemic.
You lost your producer.
With Busby's unfortunate passing,
tell us about the process and how
you approached making "Humble Quest" during this time?
I mean, I definitely wouldn't consider
"Humble Quest" like this pandemic record,
but it was made during one.
And it was born out of a time with a lot of uncertainty
as a human race.
And I think just all the things that had humbled me like,
having my son; having kind of a rough like postpartum era;
losing Buzbee as a friend, as a producer;
just as a real presence in my life.
And yeah, just not being able to tour for two years.
It was a lot of changes.
Yeah.
So I think these songs like could have easily
been super depressing and heavy and met the times in that way.
But for me, writing them actually brought me out
of the heaviness.
And that's why they sound light and comforting.
And even though there are songs on this record
that deal with heavy subjects like death.
It's still, I feel like leaves myself
and the listener in a hopeful place.
And that's where I didn't want to take it heavier in a time
where it was like already too much.
Like we're trying to keep our heads above water.
Music should move you.
It should transform and reflect the time it came from.
But I don't know if it necessarily
needs to drag you deeper into the wallowing depression.
Yeah.
So--
We've all been sitting in it for two years.
We don't need to sit anymore.
[LAUGHTER]
We're done.
Yeah.
So obviously we talked about you and Ryan.
You write a lot of songs.
Some that we will never hear, but the first song
that you wrote after you found out you were pregnant,
tell us about "Hummingbird" and what that song means to you?
I wrote "Hummingbird" the day I found out I was pregnant.
And I was on my way to a write with the Love Junkies,
which are, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose, and Hillary Lindsey.
My heroes all separately, but then together,
they're like a supergroup.
And I had never written with them all as a trio.
So I was obviously not canceling, but I told Ryan,
I was like, we're having a baby and I'm on my way
to this write.
[LAUGHTER]
Love you.
I'll see you at the house, later today.
And I
[LAUGHTER]
Is that how you told him?
[LAUGHTER]
Yeah.
I was like-- he wasn't with me.
So I was like calling him and he was somewhere else.
But I was like, yeah, I'll see you later tonight,
but the test is positive and we're having a baby.
And it was like--
We'll discuss later.
Yeah.
We'll discuss--
I'll see you later.
We'll high-five later.
So yeah.
We wrote "Hummingbird" that day.
And by the time I was recording this record
and sending Greg songs that I wanted to record,
it was like late 2020.
And so my son was like almost a year old.
And so he was starting to talk.
So I recorded on my phone just Hayes saying, mama.
And so who you hear at the top of "Hummingbird"
is actually my son.
And it was just crazy because I wrote it the day
I found out I was having him.
And then by the time I got to record it,
he was able to contribute to it [LAUGHTER] So it's so good.
OK.
So you and Ryan have some great date nights.
I mean, like when you're going to different award shows,
next up is the Grammy's.
Yeah.
Which is pretty fantastic, double nominee?
Yeah.
You're like, yeah.
This is great.
Yeah.
No.
I'm just like shocked.
I am so proud of Ryan.
He's gone to so many of these things with me as my date.
And so now, him getting his first Grammy nomination
with "Chasing After You," It's like, yeah, this is yours.
I mean, I'm glad to be a part of it, but it's his first.
So it's going to be really special to be
out there in Vegas.
I've never gone to a Vegas Grammy's.
So I'm interested to see how this all shakes out--
Yeah.
--in the desert.
That's awesome.
So you've had a couple of years to dream up this next tour.
Let's talk about the "Humble Quest" tour.
What can you tell us about it?
I'm so excited because I just got to handpick
every single opener.
We're doing like a rotating opener,
so every show you see in any city,
you're getting like a brand new show.
And so I've got like we said, Natalie Hemby.
She's coming out to do a few.
Joy Oladokun is doing a couple.
Brittney Spencer.
Brent Cobb.
Ruston Kelly is coming out to do a few dates.
And then one of my favorite bands, the Lone Bellow
is doing a few.
So it's like a really diverse roster of just genre.
And I feel like it complements the record of mine so well.
And I'm just fans of all those people, but Yeah.
I'm so excited to see my fans again.
And it's just going to feel so good to play new music for them
as well like after finally coming back.
And we'll see you December 2 at Bridgestone.
Yes.
Oh my God, that feels very far away.
I know.
It'll be here before you know it.
Maren, thank you so much for coming in and talking with us.
Thank y'all.
Thanks.
It's good to see you so soon after the ACMs.
I know.
Yes.
We're glad you came in.
Yeah.
We're pumped.
[COUNTRY MUSIC]