14 January 2021

Maren Morris has revealed that she has pretty much written her third record and will be heading into the studio very soon to start recording it. The as for now untitled third record is greatly anticipated as it follows in the footsteps of 2019’s ‘GIRL’, which won a CMA Award for Album of the Year and also spawned the huge hit The Bones. Speaking to Zane Lowe on Apple Music, Morris explained that she is pretty much there in terms of having the album written, while also going on to say that she found the positives in having to cancel her tour due to the pandemic. “I have got, I would say, mostly a full record written,” Morris said. “And I’m leaving in a couple of weeks to start recording with Greg Kurstin. It (cancelling her tour) was definitely sad, but at the same time, I’ve never had this much time to myself to write and not have an end point or some sort of time lock on it. “With my second record, I feel like I had to write that so quickly. And I’m not trying to disparage it by any means — I just think now, I’m just so excited to have some space to write.” Maren Morris recently won Female Vocalist of the Year, Single of the Year (The Bones) and Song of the Year (also The Bones) at the 2020 CMA Awards.

Garth Brooks has started his 2021 well after it was announced that he would be a recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor, along with a number of notable musicians. Alongside Brooks will be Debbie Allen, Joan Baez, Midori and Dick Van Dyke, as the Kennedy Center seek to award those most prominent in their musical genres over many years. Speaking about the induction, Kennedy Center Chairman, David M. Rubenstein, said that given Brooks’ achievements within the genre for three and a half decades is unprecedented and that in line with how the Kennedy Center Honors work, Brooks was a certainty. “The Kennedy Center Honors serves as a moment to celebrate the remarkable artists who have spent their lives elevating the cultural history of our nation and world,” said Rubenstein. “Garth Brooks heightened country music’s profile like no other singer before him; with an international presence for over 35 years.” Garth Brooks is one of country music’s biggest names and has been consistently at the top of his game for many decades. Throughout his career, Brooks has won 22 ACM Awards, 20 CMA Awards, two Grammy Awards and has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Last year, Brooks was also presented with the Billboard Icon Award, which was given to him by Cher.