Maren Morris Sings That She’s Had It With Country Music’s Culture Battles in Provocative Video for ‘The Tree’

variety.com:

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic It’s been a challenging time lately for Maren Morris in the country music world, as her views on key issues of the day have been in conflict with those of some of country’s more right-leaning artists or fans.

She addresses the toll this has taken on her in a music video that came out Friday morning for a new song, “The Tree,” that makes it clear she’s feeling some estrangement from the genre, or even ready to think about moving on — although, ironically, the style of the song couldn’t be more country. “I hung around longer than anyone should / You’ve broken my heart more than anyone could,” she sings in the new song and video, presumably addressing those in the country world with whom she’s been at odds since becoming outspoken on LGBTQ+ and other issues. “The Tree,” produced by Greg Kurstin, is one of two new numbers that Morris has just released in the form of a two-song EP titled “The Bridge,” the other being the Jack Antonoff-produced “Get the Hell Out of Here.” Morris also talked about the theme of the tunes in Instagram posts and a statement she issued concurrent with the release. “These two songs are incredibly key to my next step because they express a very righteously angry and liberating phase of my life these last couple of years, but also how my navigation is finally pointing towards the future, whatever that may be or sound like,” Morris said in the statement. “Honoring where I’ve been and what I’ve achieved in country music, but also freely moving forward.” Speculation that she would be addressing her so-called feud with Jason Aldean and his wife Brittany Aldean over trans issues was rampant after she posted stills from the video shoot a week prior.