The country music genre, and its artists, have long been praised for feeling like family. But now, artists are leaving because they feel the community has become more hostile and insular.
Maren Morris is the latest country music giant to raise her voice. Morris, who scored four No. 1 hits on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, announced her departure from the genre with farewell tracks “The Tree” and “Get the Hell Out of Here.”
Country music, and many popular artists within it, vocally support conservative values. Morris is one of the few country stars who has outspokenly advocated for LGBTQ+ rights, Black Lives Matter and other progressive causes — and she’s leaving country music in the dust because of it.
“After the Trump years, people’s biases were on full display,” Morris told The Los Angeles Times. “It just revealed who people really were and that they were proud to be misogynistic and racist and homophobic and transphobic.”
For Steffi Rivera, a senior media studies major, Morris’ decision is a selling point for her music — not a detriment to it.
“[It’s] brave to depart from an entire genre to stand up for what she believes in,” Rivera, who is also a former Spectrum photographer, said. “I would start listening to her now.”
But other students said artists’ political affiliations didn’t make them more or less inclined to listen to their music.
“Honestly, no, I don’t really think that matters,” Connor Achtyl, a senior business management major, said. “As long as they’re respectful about others' opinions then I don’t see a problem.”
When further asked if it is important for a performer to show support for topics such as LGBTQ+ rights and Black Lives Matter, Achtyl shifted his stance.
“Yes, I do think when there is an issue going on that an artist should voice their support and use their fame for good,” Achtyl said.
Even though opinions differ, it seems that many stations across the country stopped playing Morris’ songs following her announcement. Local Buffalo station, Country 106.5 WYRK, didn’t respond to requests for comment on whether it planned to continue playing Morris’ catalog.
Because of her LGBTQ+ activism, Morris became a frequent talking point on Fox News; before he left the network, Tucker Carlson called Morris a “Lunatic Fake Country Music Singer.” Morris branded this title onto shirts and sold them on her website, donating all the proceeds — over $100,000 — to programs that protect transgender individuals.
So, where does Morris go from here? After being ridiculed for supporting ideas that go against many of her colleagues’ opinions, she shows no signs of backing down.
Morris has little reason to worry. She doesn’t need country to top the charts: Her success in pop with “The Bones” going 4x Platinum in the US and “The Middle” with Zedd and Grey garnering over 1 billion Spotify streams proves that much. Instead, fans should ask if country music can return to the inclusivity that it was once celebrated for.
As for how Morris feels about country music and her relationship towards it, she tells The Los Angeles Times: “I don’t want to have an adversarial relationship to country music. I still find myself wanting to protect it.”
The arts desk can be reached at arts@ubspectrum.com
Josh Pawlik is an assistant arts editor for The Spectrum. His hobbies include playing guitar, working out and reading. He can be found on Instagram @joshpawlik
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
