Maren Morris calls for more diversity in country music

Maren Morris repeated her call for more diversity in country music.

The 30-year-old made her views known on The Ellen DeGeneres Show which survived its own scandal last year over the alleged mistreatment of staff.

During her interview this week, Maren referred to black artists who ‘adore’ her genre but ‘don’t feel like the door is open for them even a crack.’ 

Her interview comes shortly after Gabrielle Woodland, the black director of Maren’s Better Than We Found It music video, got nominated for an ACM Award.

Maren gushed that ‘I’m just so proud of Gabby. She’s so talented and this was actually her first official music video to direct.’

She added that ‘for me someone kind of choosing her, out of someone I haven’t worked with before, and it leading to an ACM nomination for her – I mean it’s just crazy, you know, these steps that we take that we can do as artists or as entertainers that really help somebody’s like resume.’

When it came to her public statements about diversity she said that she is unconcerned about any online trolling she may get.

‘Well, I mean and I’m a white woman in country music,’ said Maren Morris, who won best female vocalist at the ACM Awards last year.

‘I mean 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,’ she argued.

‘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.’

Maren said she has ‘been doing so much of my own homework the last couple of years and especially, you know, since George Floyd I just feel like country music as a genre – we all have so much room to grow, myself included.’

The Arlington, Texas native expressed her optimism that ‘country music definitely is stepping up to the plate slowly but surely.’ 

Maren said that ‘you’re always gonna have people that wanna come for you if you say something that’s like unpopular to them or their groupthink for the second.’

She noted: ‘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, you know, am I making room for everybody?’

Maren added: ‘I don’t care if, you know, someone on TikTok thinks I suck. Like, it’s not really my issue. I think I just wanna exist in a genre that is working to be better.’

As the interview went on she praised country star TJ Osborne, ‘one of my first friends I made when I moved to Nashville eight years ago,’ for coming out as gay last month.

‘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,’ said Maren to Ellen, who has been married to Portia De Rossi since 2008.