- New York, where the (bleep) we at?
- [All Cheer] Let it roll!
- Where the (bleep) we at?
- [Crowd] Let it roll!
- [Crowd] Have a great show!
(all cheer)
(inspiring music)
(crowd cheers)
- [Maren] I get a lot of shit for the things I do.
I feel like all the female artists I love
were reamed in the beginning of their careers.
Because they were just like really pushing
to say something different and I hope
that's what my songs are doing.
♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪
(crowd cheers)
♪ Oh, oh, ooh ♪
(crowd cheers)
- [Janet] This moment right now, for Maren,
is just unbelievable to watch.
We've pretty much sold out of every single U.S. date.
And it's her first major headline tour.
- [All] We want Maren Morris!
(cheer)
♪ So why don't you just meet me in the middle? ♪
♪ In the middle? ♪
- Ladies and gentlemen, Maren Morris.
- Our next guest is nominated for
the ACM Female Vocalist of the Year.
- We saw Maren wearing space buns, so we're like,
"We're wearing space buns tonight, honey."
(fans cheer)
- [Maren] I'd like to say that everyone's an overnight
sensation when no one's heard of them before.
But, you don't see all those years
of playing in shitty honkytonks and being stiffed
by the club owner and not getting
paid, but playing the show anyways.
And being, essentially, background music.
- She started when she was 10 years old in Texas.
And every weekend, she'd go to school during the
week and then she'd tour in Texas all weekend long.
- Watching her grow up in Texas and
do the music thing was difficult.
There were times when she was like,
"I just don't know, I think I'm done."
- There are a lot of gatekeepers that just
do not give the same time of day to a new female
artist as they would do to a new male artist.
- The assumption is that we wouldn't sell advertising
for radio, and that we wouldn't sell tickets.
- The biggest challenge in country music is the radio.
In order to have a hit, you have to have all 154,
or whatever stations it is playing your song
in heavy rotation at the same time.
- We actually decided it on our own,
to release some music independently through
Spotify before a label got involved.
- I had a lot of doors slammed in my face.
But one song can change everything.
And that's what happened with 'My Church'.
♪ Turn up the dial ♪
♪ Can I get a Hallelujah? ♪
♪ Can I get an amen? ♪
♪ Feels like the Holy Ghost running through ya ♪
♪ When I play the highway FM ♪
♪ I find my soul revival ♪
♪ Singing every single verse ♪
♪ Yeah I guess that's my church ♪
- Everything just happened so fast after that.
- I loved her voice the first time I heard it.
Loved her voice, loved her songwriting.
The sound of the record; I could tell
she had this really particular artistry.
It wasn't like anybody else.
I just loved it and wanted to take her on tour right away.
- And the Grammy goes to...
- Maren Morris.
(crowd cheers)
♪ Can I get a Hallelujah? ♪
- Sheryl Crowe just gave me a freaking award.
♪ Can I get an Amen? ♪
♪ Feels like the Holy ♪
- [Taylor] We had to do something really special.
This is something really special.
(acoustic guitar)
- Well, like, if you do something
kinda straight like that, with
what I'm doing, it'll be like a cool sort of...
- I don't wanna be doing the same thing.
(country music instrumental)
♪ What's your time machine? ♪
♪ Is it Springsteen or Teenage Dream? ♪
In spite of all of the female-in-music drought
that there's been in country radio,
I have somehow been the most-played
woman in country music in the past two years.
I don't know why me and not them.
- [Female Narrator] Radio stations,
in order to get good ratings, should
not play female artists too often.
- [Male Narrator] The lack of
women on country radio was by design.
- [Female Narrator] The reality for
many women in country music is very different.
- At some point, we have to just stop talking
about it and I try to prove through action.
Okay, if you're not gonna play these girls,
then I'm gonna bring 'em out on the road with me.
So, Cassidy Pope's been out.
RaeLynn is out on the tour with us right now.
I've got Cassy Ashten coming out, Hailey Witters.
A lot of up-and-comers that deserve to be on stage.
- [Janet] We have a female tour manager,
female bass player, female manager.
I definitely feel like the way
to really champion women in the industry,
is to pay them and to have them open up for you.
- [Ryan] She's taken her platform and said,
"All these other women who are great
artists deserve to be played on
the radio just as much as I do."
And that's a big deal, for somebody who has
a lot to lose, speaking out against the one
thing that drives our format more than anything.
♪ Yeah, life sure can try ♪
♪ To put love through it ♪
♪ But we built this right ♪
♪ So nothing's ever gonna move it ♪
♪ When the bones are good ♪
♪ The rest don't matter ♪
♪ Yeah, the paint could peel ♪
♪ The glass could shatter ♪
♪ Let it rain ♪
♪ Cause you and I remain the same ♪
♪ When there ain't a crack ♪
♪ In the foundation ♪
♪ Baby, I know any storm we're facing ♪
♪ Will blow right over ♪
♪ While we stay put ♪
♪ The house don't fall when the bones are good. ♪
Oh, okay, you showed up (laughs).
Just use your weight, use your guitar,
your bass, and just keep playing, yeah.
It makes me feel really good to
have so many women in the crowd.
Because there's this very weird,
untrue, misconception, especially
in country music, that women do
not wanna hear women on the radio.
And, when I look out at my crowd,
the majority are ladies and so, I just feel
like we debunk that theory every night, because
they're the ones buying the tickets, the merch,
and the songs, and singing so loud back to us.
(piano)
♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ Whoa, whoa, yeah ♪
♪ It's Saturday night, about time to go. ♪
♪ Got my white leather jacket and a neon soul. ♪
♪ Once I turn on the radio, I'm ready to roll. ♪
♪ Ready to roll ♪
♪ Feel like a hard-to-get starlet ♪
♪ When I'm driving ♪
♪ Turning every head, hell I ain't even trying ♪
- [Keith] For me, the most exciting part of
watching Maren's career take off has been
the fact that it's justified.
You know, she's the real deal.
She can really write, she can really sing.
- I am most proud of the very strong,
compassionate, woman that's become.
She's a great leader.
- She's just forging ahead with who she is,
and not letting anything interfere with that.
- [Ryan] She's becoming, for so many people that
don't love country music, the only thing
that they know about country music.
And I think that's a really, really
heavy thing to have the responsibility of.
And I think she really does
an amazing job with that responsibility.
- [Sheryl] I mean, she'll wind up being in
the tradition of the Johnny Cash's of the world,
who stand up for what they believe,
for the injustices that they see.
And that will transcend everything else.
- I think that's all we can do.
Is just like go out and play the fucking songs.
Little by little, the dial is gonna shift for the better.
I love you New York, thank you so much, whoa!
(country instrumental)
- I love you to pieces, you're my favorite
country artist, you're my favorite artist.
- We love you, Maren!
- Maren, you're so cool!
- I love Maren, I love you (laughs).
- Maren, I wanna be best friends.
- We love Maren!
(guitar instrumental)