Say what you want about Maren Morris: at least she stopped pretending to want to stay in country.

All the drama from people like Brittany Aldean and Morgan Wallen, it makes sense why she left. Moreover, some of her critiques can seem like more of an issue with Nashville as an industry versus the music itself.

Regardless, Maren took her leave for pop and didn’t try to toe the line between both genres. Oftentimes, these new imports into country feel so aggressively phony and desperate. A lot of these artists are clearly trying their hardest to cash in another hit because they’re creatively bankrupt. They don’t stand for anything and migrate to Nashville for a quick buck.

As much as Maren doesn’t care for country anymore, she still can’t stand to see pop stars put on a cowboy hat and think they fit the genre all of a sudden. Consequently, Morris takes a stand for country music in a surprising twist of fate.

Maren Morris Slams Pop Stars Shamelessly ‘Cosplaying’ as Country

Recently, she spoke to TZR in promotion of her latest album Dreamsicle. Given her move from country to pop, the publication is clearly intrigued to see what she thinks of so many pop stars migrating to country instead. Ultimately, Maren feels like a lot of these artists are desperately chasing trends in order to gain relevance again. At least with Morris, she doesn’t hide from her stomping grounds, even if she doesn’t embrace it like she used to in the past.

“I think people like cosplaying at it or doing it because it’s trendy. That’s never been me,” Maren says. “You can Google my history very easily and find articles from the Star-Telegram when I was 10, and you’ll see the same little girl playing the guitar, singing country music. I think I always have to remind myself that that’s the same girl.”

Additionally, Maren doubles down on her roots in country music. Even though she doesn’t want in on the industry anymore, that lifestyle will always remain a part of her. “I’m taking the stuff that is a part of my identity, which is being from the South and growing up on country music. Country music is not a classroom that you just leave. It’s a family. It’s a sound, a feeling, an emotion,” Maren stresses. “That’s not what I meant when I was going through that transition. It was about: ‘Do I want to put my life’s work in the hands of some of these gatekeepers of mainstream country music?’”