Ryan Hurd Defends Maren Morris’ Choice To Leave Country Music

Maren Morris & Ryan Hurd

John Shearer / Getty Images for Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row Nashville

Maren Morris’ Husband Ryan Hurd Speaks Up Following Her Interview In Which She Announced Her Departure From Country Music

Ryan Hurd, who married Maren Morris in 2018, has spoken up in her defense. Recently, The LA Times released an interview with Morris, in which she shared her choice to walk away from the country music genre.

RELATED: MAREN MORRIS SAYS SHE’S LEAVING COUNTRY MUSIC

Morris admitted to feeling “very distanced” from the country music community because of her views and political beliefs. She said:

“I’ve always been an asker of questions and a status quo challenger just by being a woman. So it wasn’t really even a choice. The further you get into the country music business, that’s when you start to see the cracks. And once you see it, you can’t un-see it.”

She added:

“I thought I’d like to burn it to the ground and start over. But it’s burning itself down without my help.”

Morris also spoke about the success of songs such as Jason Aldean‘s #1 hit “Try That in a Small Town.” She said, “It’s not [getting popular] out of true joy or love of the music. It’s to own the libs.”

Maren Bid Farewell To Country Music With A Two-Song Project

In addition to her interview, Morris said “goodbye” to country music by releasing a two-song EP, The Bridge.

Morris explained the two songs’ meanings in a post on Instagram. Of “The Tree,” she said:

This song evokes the pain of exhausting all your love and time for this person or “entity” but realizing it’s just a draining, transactional relationship that isn’t nourishing in any healthy way. By the end of the song, I give myself permission to face the sun, plant new seeds where it’s safer to grow and realize that sometimes there IS greener grass elsewhere.

In regard to “Get the Hell Out of Here,” Morris said:

I relinquish control of trying to change everyone’s mind or bad faith behavior and focus on my own power going forward. Doing the right thing can feel lonely at times, but there are more friends than foes, so I finally quit making myself one of them.”

Ryan Hurd Publishes Post Defending Maren’s Actions

Hurd, who is a country artist himself, shared a post on Instagram on Wednesday (September 20) defending Morris’ decision to bid the genre farewell. He said:

“She deserves to be celebrated, not just tolerated. I love the response from people who don’t just love these two songs, they needed them. I knew it would strike a chord. Most people would just shut up and keep collecting the paycheck, because the wave of vitriol is real and it’s hard.”

Hurd added:

I’m so sick of watching my wife get the shit kicked out of her by the internet. I’m sick of every talking head having some kind of stupid opinion about what she says. It’s the same every time, why are you surprised when she calls out something racist or homophobic, I’m sick of people getting rewarded for it. To me the Bridge is beautiful and so rock and roll. She deserves a little sunshine for the burden she has carried for every artist and fan that feels the same way.”

Maren Morris & Ryan Hurd
Taylor Hill / Contributor / Getty Images

Hurd ended his message by saying, “I can’t wait to make music that follows the same path, whatever that is…Love you, MM. Keep on keepin’ on.”

You can read Hurd’s entire post below.

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