Maren Morris to appear at DNC convention: How Grammy-winner's performance highlights recent activism
Maren Morris' just-announced Wednesday evening appearance at 2024's Democratic National Convention highlights how the ties between music and American politics are deepening ten weeks out from the finish of the race between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
In an exclusive statement to The Tennessean, Democratic National Convention officials offered the following:
"We are excited to welcome Grammy Award-winning artist Maren Morris to our historic convention stage, where she will help us share the story of the Harris-Walz ticket and engage Americans from every corner of the country. As we highlight a future full of possibilities under Vice President Harris and Governor Walz, Maren's unique talent and authenticity will play a critical role in our mission to make this the most successful and inclusive convention in history."
Morris' inclusion in shaping the Democratic platform in Chicago arrives following the work she's publicly done recently as both an advocate for ethnic and gender-based American minorities and in distancing herself from conservative stereotypes attributed to country music's mainstream industry.
“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," offered Morris in an exclusive statement for The Tennessean.
Maren Morris takes a stance against country's conservatism
Notably, Morris is not just a Grammy winner. She's a five-time victor at the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Awards, with 10 top-10 singles (four chart-toppers) in the genre.
In a Sept. 2023 Los Angeles Times interview, Morris highlighted that because, in her opinion, the country music industry was not willing to more aggressively distance itself from a history associated with racism and misogyny and be more accepting of women, queer people and people of color, she offered that "(burning the genre to) the ground and (starting) over” was ideal.
For many, this move was directly linked to public spats in recent years with Brittany Aldean, the wife of nearly 30-time country chart-topper Jason Aldean.
Notably, Aldean and his wife attended the final night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 18. The pair sat in the friends and family box next to Trump.
Trump called Aldean the "biggest star in country music" during his acceptance speech. "He's good," Trump continued. "I like his wife even better, by the way," the former president said, referencing Aldean's wife.
Alongside her Los Angeles Times interview, Morris released a music video for her track "The Tree."
The video features a miniature town featuring a sign that reads, "Welcome to our perfect small town," which many believed to be a direct reference to Jason Aldean's widely discussed, controversial song and Billboard all-genre Hot 100 chart-topping 2023 song, "Try That in a Small Town."
Also seen in the music video are miniature "Don't tread on me" and "Go woke go broke" yard signs, mimicking rhetoric printed on merchandise designed and sold by Brittany Aldean.
Morris' pro-LGBTQ stances
Morris has also been vocal in supporting LGBTQ+ rights and gender-affirming health care while a frequent resident of Tennessee, a state where the two are often met with pushback.
Notably, alongside many names, she performed at March 2023's "Love Rising" benefit concert for LGBTQ+ causes. The event was organized in response to legislation that aimed to ban gender-affirming health care and "adult-oriented" drag performances in public spaces.
"And yes, I introduced my son to some drag queens today," said Morris via social media. "So Tennessee, f------ arrest me."
Her LGBTQ+ support has also intersected with her public and political feud with Aldean.
Recently, when asked by Cosmopolitan's "Cheap Shots" broadcast 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.”
Morris was referring to an Aug. 2022 social media post in response to Brittany Aldean's Instagram comments regarding gender affirmation.
Brittany Aldean had posted a video saying, '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."
Morris responded to Aldean's statement on X by calling her "Insurrection Barbie" and saying it was easy to "not be a scumbag human."
The Democratic National Convention musically reflects political, party vibes
Alongside Morris' forthcoming appearance, the first evening of the 2024 Democratic National Convention at Chicago's United Center has featured country star Mickey Guyton plus Grammy winners Common, Jason Isbell, Patti Labelle and Lil Jon.
Notably, the latter rap favorite performed his 2013 DJ Snake collaboration "Turn Down for What" preceding COVID quarantine era favorite disc jockey (and de-facto convention roll call co-host) DJ Cassidy introducing Georgia's Tuesday night delegate roll call at the Democratic National Convention.
When Georgia was called to cast their votes, the cameras panned to Lil Jon atop the United Center stadium stairs.
"YEEEEEEEAHHHHHHHHHH," the Atlanta rapper said as the intro to "Turn Down for What," played on the speaker.
Isbell, a politically outspoken artist and Alabama native — who shared the stage with Morris at 2023's previously-mentioned "Love Rising" event — performed his 2015 song, “Something More Than Free,” while standing in front of a screen that showed a barn painted with the American flag.
Texas-born and Grammy-nominated singer Guyton took the stage at the DNC to perform her 2021 song "All American."
Philadephia-born Patti LaBelle also accompanied an "In Memoriam" segment with "You Are My Friend." Chicago natives Common and Grammy Award-winning gospel musician Jonathan McReynolds also performed the former's "Fortunate" and McReynolds' hit "God is Good."
The Tennessean's Audrey Gibbs and Diana Leyva, USA TODAY's Kinsey Crowley, contributed to this reporting
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Maren Morris performing at 2024 DNC: Part of singer's recent activism
