Lady A on Maren Morris Deciding to Leave Country Music: ‘You’ve Got to Listen to Your Heart’

Maren Morris shook up the world of country music when she announced earlier this month that she would be leaving the genre, and Lady A are wishing her well as she departs.

In an interview with Billboard, the country trio shared that they heard of Morris’ decision to leave the genre, and felt that she needed to follow her instincts. “I think that, at the end of the day, you’ve got to listen to your heart,” lead singer and guitarist Charles Kelley said. “If this is what her heart is saying, then more power to her.”

Kelley also applauded the singer’s musical chops. “I mean, we love her music,” he said. “If [country] doesn’t feel like it’s where she is right now … I’m always gonna be a fan of her music wherever it’s played. If you’re making great music, you’re making great music.”

Along with the release of her latest singles “The Bridge” and “Get the Hell Out of Here,” Morris told The Los Angeles Times that she couldn’t justify staying in a genre that she felt was sociopolitically out of sync with her beliefs. “After the Trump years, people’s biases were on full display. It just revealed who people really were and that they were proud to be misogynistic and racist and homophobic and transphobic. All these things were being celebrated,” she said. “I thought I’d like to burn it to the ground and start over. But it’s burning itself down without my help.”

For Lady A, country music is less about a system of belief and more about a sound that they enjoy playing. “We just try to focus on authentic music that we love, and as country music fans, we feel like this is the genre for us,” Kelley says.

As for online debates about the political leanings of country music, Kelley said he didn’t have much interest in participating. “I try not to focus on too much of the social media world,” he said. “There is definitely a lot of debate out there, but I can tell you, at least speaking for myself, I just want to focus on the music.”

Fellow lead singer Hillary Scott added that it was important for the band to create “safe spaces for the fans to come and enjoy” their music above all else.

Check out Lady A’s latest single “Love You Back” — a song that Scott says is all about “wanting to give the fans what they want” — below: