Maren Morris, renowned American singer-songwriter who won a Grammy in 2017 for Best Country Solo Performance, electrified the Newport Folk Festival stages this past weekend.
Morris spoke with What’sUpNewp before her Sunday set on the Quad Stage.
Having played Newport Folk in the past, Morris shared how this year was different. “It was the most I’ve walked around on different people’s sets, which is so fun, and it’s the point of Newport, this camaraderie. All your friends are here, so you just jump in on each other’s stuff,” Morris said.
“I flew in after a crazy long travel day, with lots of delays on Friday, and made it just in time for The Bleachers set. I got up with Jack [Antonoff] and sang a song, and then yesterday I sang with Remi Wolf, and last night Lukas Nelson and I did the [Jane] Pickens Theater which was so fun. And then I’ve got three different things today,” Morris said on Sunday afternoon.
What makes Newport so special for Morris? “It’s just so beautiful,” she said. “And being at a festival where you’re not sweating your ass off is already heaven. Also the stages being so close together here, being able to just walk easily and see a friend’s show. We actually were staying in town this time—we were here all three days, we got a hotel in the little downtown area.” Morris gave a shout out to some local Newport spots, complimenting the sushi at Stoneacre Brasserie and the coffee at Picnic Bakery.
During her solo set, Morris performed multiple songs from her new album, including the live debut of the song “grand bouquet” from her Dreamsicle record.
Writing seems to come naturally for Morris, who wrote 95 songs in the process of creating her Dreamsicle album. Morris talked about the upcoming deluxe version of Dreamsicle, which is set for release on August 1 and will feature four new songs. “A month or six weeks ago I was writing all week and got so much stuff that I loved, that I was like, ‘Let’s just do a deluxe [album] for the tour kickoff,’” Morris stated.
On her new song “be a bitch” released last Friday, Morris said, “I’m really excited to get that one in the set list. There’s one song called ‘Running,’ and that one’s a sad but empowering Wilson Phillips-style song. But I’m excited to incorporate all of them on the set list.”
Morris’ merch, available for purchase on her website, stands out with its bold creativity. When asked how Morris goes about the design process, she said, “I always use a graphic designer, because there’s so much I can’t visualize. But sometimes I’ll have fluky ideas. I’m obsessed with fonts. I really do care what it looks like on the other end, and I want it to be comfortable, so I always wear the merch samples myself, and make sure they feel lived in before someone’s buying them. But I also love ridiculous merch. We just came out with a bumper sticker that says, ‘honk if you’re a bitch.’ I love a normal tour tee that has the face and the dates on it, but I also love kooky merch as well.”
Music isn’t the only creative medium that inspires Morris. “One of my favorite things to do is to go to movies by myself. I consider it filling the well of inspiration, and no one is there to form an opinion for you, it’s just you.” On what film genre speaks to her at present, Morris said, “I love scary movies: I went and saw 28 Years Later and I loved that. I love anything Danny Boyle. I love Ari Aster; I need to see the new one, Eddington, with Joaquin [Phoenix]. I love anything that’s a little bit creepy right now. I don’t need a tearjerker or anything heartwarming, I just need something that’s going to scare me. But I also love Steel Magnolias.”
Morris’ Dreamsicle tour kicks off today, July 29, in Park City, Utah. Morris will play in Boston with Jade LeMac at the Leader Bank Pavilion on September 5. Morris’ fiery new release, “be a bitch,” is now available on streaming platforms.