If you needed proof that things work out in the end, then you need not look further than country star Maren Morris. Morris is a country singer famous for hits such as ‘My Church’ and ‘The Bones’ which have gained significant fame and topped the charts. Additionally, some of her songs have been covered in reality singing, and talent competition shows such as The Voice and American Idol. You may be wondering what that has to do with anything. Well, here is the gist of the story. The ‘My Church’ singer was once, or a couple of times according to how you see it, rejected by these shows.
Who Is Maren Morris?
Maren Larae Morris is an American record producer, singer and songwriter. She has two studio albums to her name so far and the ‘Maren Morris 2015 Extended Play’ topped on two Billboard charts. ‘Hero’, her debut album, reached top five on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top Country Albums chart. Additionally, Morris is a member of an all-girl group called ‘The Highwomen’ consisting of Amanda Shires, Brandi Carlile and Natalie Hemby.
Early Life
Maren Morris was born in 1990 in Arlington Texas to Kellie and Greg Morris. She has a sister called Karsen. Her parents owned a hair salon where Morris spent most of her childhood. At 12, Maren’s father bought her a guitar. Her music career began in 2005 with the album ‘Walk On’ being released on June 14, 2005. ‘All That It Takes’ was subsequently released on October 22, 2007. In 2010, she graduated from the University of North Texas. ‘Live Wire’ was her third studio release in 2011. Before Maren Morris delved deep into recording music, she used to write songs for other major country stars such as Tim McGraw and Kelly Clarkson. She has been credited with writing ‘Last Turn Home’ for Tim McGraw’s ‘Sundown Heaven Town’ album and ‘Second Wind’ for Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Piece By Piece’ album.
Personal Life
In 2015, Maren Morris and country singer Ryan Hurd began dating after they had met in a co-write in 2013. In July 2017, the two got engaged and got married in Nashville, Tennessee on March 24, 2018. Morris and Hurd announced in October 2019 that they were expecting their first child in March 2020. Before all the fame and success that Morris is enjoying currently, she had tried her hand at singing competitions such as The Voice and American Idol. These shows are synonymous with promoting and growing talent and everyone who has it usually goes to try their luck. For Morris, however, things didn’t go as planned as she got rejected at every turn.
The Story Of How Maren Morris Got Rejected By Talent Shows
While on an interview with Andy Cohen, Morris told the talk show host that she had auditioned more than once for shows like America’s Got Talent, American Idol, The Voice and even Star Search. She stated that all these shows rejected her unanimously. Maren addressed the issue after a caller on the show asked her how it felt being as successful after her numerous rejections. According to Talent Recap, Morris auditioned for American Idol’s 17th cycle. The unfortunate bit was that she didn’t even get to audition in front of the judges. She alongside a group of eight other contestants got rejected after singing for what she said was eight seconds.
She stated that she cried all the way home with her mom, but she noted that it all eventually worked out. It is evident from her success now that she didn’t need these shows to make her a star. Morris has since released two albums which have been nothing short of a success. She has 11 Grammy nominations and won one for The Best Country Solo Performance category for her song ‘My Church’. The twist is that contestants who audition for the said shows now audition with her songs. She is therefore not saddened by the rejection calling the situation ‘poetic justice’.
Morris added that not only is she excited that she gets to hear her songs on live TV she also gets paid for it and have some sweet revenge while at it. She has so far collaborated with major stars such as Zedd and Grey for the song ‘The Middle’ which she lent vocals. The song combined elements of pop, country and electronic dance music and reached top 5 on the billboard hot 100 charts. According to Taste Of Country, a fan speculated rumors that other major stars such as Demi Lovato and Camilla Cabello had auditioned for the song, but Morris was quick to downplay the rumours. She noted that Lovato and Cabello had other projects, but she was unaware of their audition since she joined the project a little later on
She also collaborated with Thomas Rhettin in 2017 for the song ‘Craving You’. She additionally appeared as a special guest in the Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour where she performed ‘The Middle’ with the singer. It is no secret that none-winners on these talent shows usually end up being more successful than actual winners. American Idol and the Got Talent franchise produced talents such as The Fifth Harmony and Calum Scott who have attained much bigger success than the winners of their subsequent cycles. Such is life in reality competitions shows. According to Nicki Swift, Morris is much content and glad that she got rejected. At the 2016 Country Music Association, she got nominated for five categories. That is an impressive feat for a young musician. In 2017, Maren won the Music Business Association’s prestigious Breakthrough Artist Award.
Summary
Maren Morris may not have gotten the breakthrough or exposure she wanted, but the universe was preparing her for much bigger success. With her very successful studio albums and more being in the works, Maren Morris is looking to change the world’s opinion on the country music genre and still get paid while at it.
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