12 Things You Didn't Know About Maren Morris

In just a few short years, Maren Morris has gone from aspiring singer-songwriter to one of the most popular new stars in Nashville. She bridges the gap between country and pop effortlessly with her unique songwriting skills. Since her major label debut in 2016, Morris has earned countless accolades, including New Female Vocalist of the Year at the ACM Awards, Album of the Year at the CMA Awards and a Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance, in addition to numerous other wins and nominations. Maren Morris is on fire and we're all just along for the ride.

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Many fans might be familiar with the fact that Morris actually recorded three albums before her major label debut album, Hero. But other than that, it might seen like the country artist skyrocketed to fame out of nowhere. She actually had been performing and playing her guitar for years, so, despite her young age, Morris caught the public's attention at the perfect time. Now she's not only a major star in her own right, but she's also a member of the female powerhouse group the Highwomen with Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires and Natalie Hemby.

Here are 12 things you might not have known about Maren Morris.

12. She has an estimated net worth of $5 million

Just six years after her major debut, that's a pretty impressive number. The lead single of her debut album made it to the Billboard Hot 100 and paved the way for her next hits, "80s Mercedes", "I Could Use a Love Song" and "Rich." The album itself landed on the top country albums chart. Her follow up album Girl was also a major success with hits like the massively popular "The Bones" and we don't see that trajectory slowing down anytime soon.

11. She had her own band in high school

Well, she was a member of a teen band at least. Morris played keyboard and offered harmonizing vocals for They Were Stars...I wonder what her former band mates think of her now?

10. She briefly went to University of North Texas

As a Texas native, University of North Texas wasn't too far from her hometown Arlington (outside of Dallas). She decided after just one semester school wasn't for her and she opted to focus on music full time.

9. LeAnn Rimes was an early inspiration

As a young girl with dreams of becoming a professional singer, it makes sense that someone who made it as a kid would serve as inspiration. For Morris, it made the dream not seem so unattainable; who cares how old you are if you have something special to offer the world of country music?

"I was obsessed with LeAnn Rimes as a kid. I really looked up to her because she was only a few years older than me," Morris told the Dallas Observer.

"It didn't seem like this far away dream...It really got me into the idea that I already love to sing."

8. She was rejected by American Idol, The Voice, and America's Got Talent

It's hard to imagine that someone with so many hit songs could have actually been rejected by not one, but three major singing competition shows. Somehow, they all passed on Morris but the joke's on them. Her debut single "My Church" turned her into an instant star who has now released three studio albums with Columbia Nashville and constantly tops the billboard charts.

"I think about all of the freaking talent shows I've tried out for in my life and I'm so glad I didn't make any of them," she told Rolling Stone Country. "It's full circle because I was rejected from The Voice. I was rejected from American Idol — and I'm happier for it now."

7. Kacey Musgraves encouraged her to move to Nashville

While performing throughout the Texas music scene, Morris met a young Kacey Musgraves. Kacey encouraged her to get to Nashville were the action was, which seems to have been a life-changing moment for Morris, who, obviously took her advice.

"Kacey played a big role in my life just by getting my ass to this town," Morris told us. "I had no idea before I moved here that songwriting was a 'five days a week' job. She enlightened me and it was really cool to see because I was like, 'Oh my God, I can actually write for a living and go into an office.' I felt like it was very grown up, even though you're still writing songs."

6. She started out as a songwriter

Like many other country stars, when Morris first got to Music City she was writing her songs for other people. She was only 20 years old when Nashville publishing company Big Yellow Dog brought her on. She has written for some of the biggest names in music too — "Last Turn Home" for Tim McGraw, "Second Wind" for Kelly Clarkson and "Greener Pastures" for Brothers Osbourne to name a few. When she finally wrote what would be her breakout single "My Church," she decided to save it for herself. Probably a good call.

5. Her parents own a hair salon in her hometown of Arlington, Texas

Maren was the first child of Scott and Kellie Morris, with her sister Karsen following a few years later. Morris's parents met while her father was finishing college and her mother was in hair school. They went on to open multiple salons together over the course of their marriage including their current salon they operate in the superstar's hometown, Maren Karsen AVEDA Salon. Maren and Karsen Morris grew up spending a lot of time in their parents' hair salon...apparently it was there where Morris first realized she could sing, leading her father to buy her a guitar when she was just 12 years old and help her land gigs around town.

4. She wrote some of the music from the TV series Nashville

As if it wasn't cool enough that Morris has written for some of the biggest names in country music, she's also written for the fictional country stars of the hit TV show Nashville. She helped co-write songs for nearly every major character including those played by Connie Britton, Clare Bowen, Sam Palladio, Hayden Panettiere and Will Chase, as well as multiple for Aubrey Peeples, like the song above.

3. She met her husband Ryan Hurd writing a Tim McGraw song

The country singers met for the first time in 2013 when they collaborated on the song "Last Turn Home" for Tim McGraw's Sundown Heaven Town album. The couple started dating a couple of years later and then tied the knot in 2018. They welcomed their first child together, Hayes Andrew Hurd in 2020. Morris is open with her fans about important moments in her personal life, like her experience with postpartum depression after the birth of her son.

2. She was 9 months pregnant during a Houston Rodeo performance

Somehow, Morris was able to not only walk on the stage to perform at the Houston Rodeo when she was 9 months pregnant, but gave an amazing performance of her collaboration with Zedd, "The Middle." Apparently her team was on standby in case her water broke while she was on stage. If you're wondering...thankfully, that did not happen.

1. She played herself on TV

Morris has even had the opportunity to play herself in an episode of NCIS: New Orleans. In the episode "Pandora's Box II," she performed an acoustic set of "My Church" at the historic Roosevelt Hotel Sazerac Bar while onlookers watch in their Mardi Gras masks.

READ MORE: Maren Morris Announces 2022 U.S. Tour