2024-08-23 05:20:02
Grammy award singer Maren Morris lent her pipes to the 2024 Democratic National Convention after finding her voice as an activist.
Morris took to the national convention stage Wednesday night ahead of some of the most prominent names in the Democratic party and former Trumpers. Country music has often been associated with conservative stereotypes, but Morris is among the artists who have worked to show that country music is broader than stereotypes. She’s an advocate for ethnic and gender-based American minorities and has not been afraid to call out fellow musicians (or their spouses) for transphobic comments.
“I am honored to be performing at the Democratic National Convention for the first time ever. It’s a moment where we, as a country, can come together and hear rational plans for the future of women’s and LGBTQ rights. We can be inspired by people’s stories and navigate a safe path forward for our children,” Morris said to The Tennessean.
Who is Maren Morris?
Morris is an award-winning country and pop artist. And while Morris may have gained her chops in the country industry, she decided to leave country music in 2023.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Morris said the country music industry is unwilling to own up to its history of racism and misogyny and to be more accepting of women, queer people and people of color.
“I thought I’d like to burn it to the ground and start over,” she said to the Los Angeles Times. “But it’s burning itself down without my help.”
Morris has also not been afraid to talk about her progressive beliefs and has spoken, often times loudly, on LGBTQ+ rights and gender-affirming health care.
What did Maren Morris sing at the DNC?
Morris took to the stage around 7 p.m. CT and sang her song “Better Than We Found It” for the national convention attendees. Listen to it below.
Released in 2020, the song came from her support of the Black Lives Matter movement, immigrants and others. She has called it a “protest song.”
“…It’s a protest song—it’s the most American thing to protest and protest songs have been so embedded in American culture: Bob Dylan, Nina Simone. I think the world right now is sort of in a perpetual mourning period, and I wanted to have a song that had weight, but also had hope. I still have hope for this country and for the future of it, and as a new mother, I wanted to promise my son that I’m going to do everything in my power to leave this world better than the one I came into, and the one I see right now.”
Maren Morris stands by tweet calling out Brittany Aldean
Brittany and her husband Jason Aldean were prominent figures at the Republican National Convention in July, sitting next to the Republican nominee and former president Donald Trump. Jason Aldean’s controversial song “Try That In A Small Town” has found a home in conservative circles, and he and his wife Brittany have found a home in Trump’s conservative movement.
In 2022, Brittany Aldean found herself butting heads with Morris and other singers after she posted a video taking a stab at gender-affirming care.
“I’d really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life,” Brittany Aldean captioned on a 2022 Instagram makeup reveal video.
Morris, along with fellow musicians Cassadee Pope and Joy Oladokun, called Brittany Aldean out over her transphobic comment.
“You’d think celebs with beauty brands would see the positives in including LGBTQ+ people in their messaging. But instead here we are, hearing someone compare their “tomboy phase” to someone wanting to transition. Real nice,” Pope tweeted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“It’s so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human? Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie,” wrote Morris in response to Pope’s tweet.
In Cosmopolitan’s “Cheap Shots” broadcast Morris was asked if she had any tweets she “regretted,” the 34-year-old performer immediately quipped, “I will say I didn’t think my ‘Insurrection Barbie’ tweet to a certain someone would have picked up so much momentum, but I stand by it.”
Tennessean reporter Marcus Dowling contributed to this report.
