Maren Morris Reacts to Critics Saying She’s Not “Country” Enough

Maren Morris defended her place in country music after her critics said she's "not country," despite a handful of CMA trophies that say otherwise. See her fierce response below.

By Lindsay Weinberg Nov 14, 2020 12:10 AMTags
Watch: Maren Morris Won't Filter Her Songs Because She's a Mother

Much like her celebrity lookalike Khloe Kardashian, Maren Morris is becoming a clapback queen.

"The Bones" singer had the perfect response to critics saying she isn't country enough—just two days after she swept the 2020 CMA Awards. Maren wrote on Twitter, "I still can get hurt when people claim I'm 'not country.'" 

She added, "but when I stood there accepting @cma Song of the Year, I realized it is much harder to forge your own path & sound than attempt to be a knock off of someone who's already pioneered the genre. Thank you for accepting me." 

Among those embracing and congratulating the 30-year-old on social media: Reese Witherspoon, Lily Aldridge and Kristin Cavallari. As for the haters? The rest don't matter.

After all, "The Middle" musician proved she has earned her place in the genre by winning Single of the Year, Song of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year on Wednesday night. Not to mention, she showed up in a fiery, lingerie-inspired outfit by Dolce & Gabbana to seal the deal. 

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Behind the Scenes With Maren Morris at the 2020 ACM Awards

During her speech at the award show, Maren used the opportunity to highlight Black women in country that paved the way before her. She named Linda Martell, Rissi PalmerMickey GuytonBrittney Spencer and Rhiannon Giddens as some of her inspirations.

She tweeted again on Friday to say she's still "Coming down from the other night. I am still in awe."

Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for CMA

On that note, it's clear that Maren has really found her voice this year. She already called out online mommy shamers and vowed that she won't filter her songs just because she welcomed 8-month-old son Hayes in March.

The Grammy winner said after the CMA Awards, "I'm always going to say s--t in songs probably, so being a mom or not I don't think that's going to filter it." 

However, Maren's Twitter clapback was not the biggest scandal to come out of Wednesday's CMA Awards. Kelsea Ballerini had to shoot down "insensitive" pregnancy rumors, while viewers are still trying to decipher Carrie Underwood's sneaky wink after she lost the Entertainer of the Year prize to Eric Church.

While we ruminate on that, we'll also be counting down to the next award show: the 2020 E! People's Choice Awards. Tune in on Sunday, Nov. 15, to catch performances by Justin Bieber and Chloe x Halle.

Watch the 2024 People’s Choice Awards anytime on Peacock or online.