Five years ago, Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd sang together at the Nashman Ryman Auditorium for the first time when Morris opened the historic venue for Chris Stapleton.
A lot has happened since then. Morris is one of the brightest and most outspoken stars in country music today. Hurd’s career is on a steep rise with a number of popular EPs and singles. Oh, and the two musicians got married and started a family: their son Hayes celebrated his first birthday last month.
On Sunday, Morris and Hurd were back on the Ryman stage for another premiere Award ceremony.
They sang their new first duet “Chasing After You” at the 56th Annual ACM Awards, which aired live on CBS from several iconic Nashville venues.
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The ballad, written by Brinley Addington and Jerry Flowers, is about two people who can’t stop themselves from falling in love.
“Every time you say we’re done, you come back to the love you ran for,” they sing. “I don’t know why I left you, but I know I love to chase you.”
“We heard the demo years ago and it set us both on fire,” says Morris. “And I think by the time we heard it, it really reflected our relationship in that moment. It was very much about longing. Now it’s gotten so nostalgic for us. But it’s also such a relatable topic, even if You are in a relationship or married to chase someone and not lose the need for someone. “
Between the birth of a child and the restrictions of the lockdown, the two musicians didn’t have to locate much in the past year. And in any setting, they are open to each other’s musical input – the two eventually met through a songwriting session.
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“To be honest, I think we are the safe place to be for creativity,” says Hurd. “… Maren doesn’t need any help creating albums, but it’s really fun to be creative with because that’s how we started.”
In terms of album creation, Morris is working on her third major label project, the 2019 sequel to “Girl” – and progress has increased since she decided to make her “RSVP” tour permanent due to the pandemic to cancel.
“I think it’s really healthy for me to just be at home and make music and my fans are some of the most patient and understanding people in the world. Let me just finish this record and then I promise we’ll get on It’s big and does everything we wanted to do last year, but more. “
“We try to set the time so that we both go (on tour) at the same time so that we can soak up as much time as possible at home,” says Hurd. “But as soon as we push the button, we’ll go up to full speed.”
The 56th Annual ACM Awards will air on Sunday at 7 p.m. CST on CBS and Paramount +.
