American country star reveals two of her favourite men are famous Irish exports

Sunday World

02-07-2025

'Maybe I'm just lucky and have met only wonderful Irish people, but Niall and Hozier are such good people. Y'all grow them different over there.'
American country pop superstar Maren Morris reveals that two of her favourite men on the planet are Irish — Niall Horan and Hozier.
And the singer and songwriter is besotted with another young male in her life — her five-year-old son Hayes, who she describes as 'a perfect little human.'
Maren (35), who will play Dublin's National Stadium in November, was the opening act for Mullingar heart-throb Horan on his 2018 Flicker World Tour.
'Oh my goodness, one of the faves, he's just such a gem of a human being,' she tells Magazine+ as we chat by Zoom this week.
Maren doesn't have her camera on while we talk because, she explains, 'I look like sh*t.'
Country pop star Maren Morris
But back to the former One Direction idol Horan, the straight-talking entertainer goes on: 'We opened for him and he's just one of the most down to earth people.
'And most Irish people that I have worked with or met are… but Niall, for what he has gone through being in one of the biggest boybands of all time and to come out of that so humble and down to earth is remarkable.'
He has handled it so well. 'Yeah, I think he's just that sort of guy, he doesn't care about any of that [fame]. It was definitely one of the most fun tours we have done.
'It's just nice when the headliner and the opener can hang out off stage and on stage, and there's a rapport.
'On those days off on tour you are sort of all in this camp together and some people aren't as approachable.
Maren Morris and Hozier on stage
'But with Niall and his team we all became friends on that tour, and whenever we tour in Ireland or in the UK I feel like those people will come out to our shows and support us and it's just so fun.'
He kept his friends from his home town close to him. 'Yeah, that's the ticket, isn't it?' Maren says. 'Your friends are loyal, they humble you, they knew you before everyone else in the world did and there's just a really special connection there, and I have the same with my friends from Texas.
'They've been my best friends since sixth grade and obviously they're so excited for me and proud of me. They come to shows, but we also go on vacations together. We've built this life over decades… that's such an amazing thing when you can hold on to a piece of home in this crazy business. They are definitely my anchor, them and my family for sure.'
Speaking about Hozier, who duetted on her song, The Bones, and has shared many stages with her, Morris says: 'Over the years we have done so many shows. He has been so kind to come out to my shows. He came out to my show in the Hollywood Bowl a couple of years ago and we just did a festival this past fall together and he came out and sang with me.
Maren and Niall Horan perform on stage
'Hozier is such a good human and has a talent level unmatched on this earth. He's a really sweet guy. Maybe I'm just lucky and have met only wonderful Irish people, but Niall and Hozier are such good people. Y'all grow them different over there.'
Just like Niall Horan, Morris had a shot at reality TV shows such as American Idol, The Voice and America's Got Talent starting out — but was rejected by all of them.
Later, after hitting the big time, she would see contestants singing her hits on those shows.
'Yeah, I think that was the way it was supposed to happen,' Maren tells me. 'I don't think I would have done particularly well on those shows. It's so high pressure, I'm glad I took the longer road.'
It can be very damaging if you're not prepared for it? 'No one can really prepare you, there's not like school on fame or global success and what it does to you as a person,' she points out.
'I am so fortunate that I was like, 26, when my first record came out, instead of being 16 on a TV talent show. I really would have burned myself out. No one should be famous until they are at least 25.
'And I say that as someone who, for me, has a perfect amount of fame and success. I can still function and go out in public and not really be recognised, but I still get to live out my dream simultaneously.'
Morris has had a traumatic few years, during which she suffered with postpartum depression after the birth of her son, Hayes, and cancelled all her work.
She later split from her husband, Ryan Hurd, and the couple, who remain amicable, finalised their divorce in January of last year.
Then in June of last year Maren came out publicly as bisexual announcing during Pride Month that she was 'happy to be the B in LGBTQ+.'
Maren, whose latest album, Dreamsicle, was released last month, uses her songwriting to process what's going on in her life.
'Music is a vehicle for me and it's deeply personal and therapeutic,' she tells me.
She has come in for criticism for publicly voicing her opinions and beliefs, including the country music industry's handling of issues like racism, homophobia and sexism.
'I'm a human being and I have feelings and morals and ethics and anything I feel I need to use my platform for I will do it,' she says.
But Maren says she's optimistic for the future and what young people like her son will bring to it.
'He just gives me so much hope because he is such a sweet boy and so thoughtful and kind and, yes, that's partially nurture, but it's also his nature and he just is that way and he is his own person
'He's not me, he's not his dad, he's himself and I think that whatever combination there is of our teaching and genetics, he just came out the other side such a perfect little human and gives me hope for how people and especially boys can treat other people.'
Maren Morris's new album, Dreamsicle, is out now. Tickets are now on sale for Maren Morris Dreamsicle World Tour which plays The National Stadium, Dublin, on November 3.