Variety just released a list of their annual Hitmakers this year and one of the people named under the category of "changemaker of the year" was Maren Morris just months after she left the country music industry due to its toxicity.
According to the outlet, the award honors those people in the field of music like writers, producers, publishers, managers, and many more. More details will be revealed in Variety's November 29 issue.
In addition, there will also be an invitation-only brunch event on December 2, 2023, to give the awards to this year's honorees.
Maren Morris has been awarded Changemaker of the Year by Variety for their annual Hitmakers celebration. pic.twitter.com/nTVlSzjOdX
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) November 6, 2023
Executive music editor of the company, Jem Aswad, issued a statement explaining what the awards are for, saying, "The goal of Hitmakers always has been to honor the top artists and songs of the year, and especially the people behind them."
For this year, SZA is named as Hitmaker of the Year while other honorees include Boygenius, Olivia Rodrigo, Metro Boomin', Billie Eilish and her brother FINNEAS, Mark Ronson, and many more.
Maren Morris Gets Honored With 'Changemaker of the Year' Award
Following her shocking departure from the country music industry, Maren Morris was named as Varierty's changemaker of the year for the annual event.
She further elaborated her decision in an interview with The Los Angeles Times, saying one of the main reasons she wanted to leave the genre was because of the drama surrounding it.
Initially, she wanted to burn the genre and start all over again, but she noted that the country music industry is burning down itself without her help.
READ MORE: Maren Morris Reveals Exit From Country Music Amid 'a Lot of Drama' Within the Genre
"The further you get into the country music business, that's when you start to see the cracks. And once you see it, you can't un-see it," she added.
Morris then added in the conversation that she was trying to be mature by leaving the things that no longer make her happy that's why she left the country music industry.
Maren Morris Gets Physically Affected by Country Music Drama
During her appearance on one of the episodes of The New York Times podcast, Morris said not only did the drama surrounding country music affect her mentally, but she also suffered physically.
She revealed that back in 2021, her hair started falling out all of a sudden possibly because of stress.
Later on, she clarified that she never intended to be an activist, but she was happy that she voiced out her opinions and was able to call out those people who did the wrong thing.
