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Maren Morris: “We All Win When One of Us Does”

CMA’s New Artist of the Year Shares Win With Nashville’s Songwriting Community

Backstage at Wednesday’s (Nov. 2) CMA Awards, Maren Morris was still coming down from the shock of being named new artist of the year.

“When they called my name, I really was in genuine shock,” she said. “I couldn’t quite get it back together by the time I got to the microphone. I was just so overcome with emotion because I do think about what’s happened in one year -- sitting across the street last year at the Palm in the bar watching it on TV and seeing performances like Chris Stapleton and having his career explode and just seeing dreams come true. ... I’m still processing it, I think.”

She admitted she wouldn’t be holding her new artist of the year trophy without the support of the Nashville songwriting community that helped shaped her career as a recording artist.

“Being a songwriter, coming from this community, we all win when one of us does,” she said. “It’s a village that made this record happen and made ‘My Church’ happen.”

It also meant the world to her to follow in the footsteps of country icons Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn who were seated near her section inside Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.

“These people that have walked this room plenty of times have stood where I stood tonight,” she said, “I wouldn’t be here without them paving that way. They said what they believed in. They didn’t care what the trend was. They didn’t care what anyone was telling them was appropriate.

"And I feel like the tide is turning and people are wanting to hear honest songs again. Women like that, it’s just such an honor to even breathe the same air as them for a night.”

Morris will launch her Hero Tour 2017 on Feb. 3 in Boston.

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