Maren Morris debuts ‘Intermission’ with song about Ryan Hurd divorce: ‘I don’t have to protect anyone anymore’

MAREN Morris has released her new five-track EP Intermission that includes a song seemingly about her divorce from Ryan Hurd.

Maren, 34, filed for divorce from her husband of five years in October 2023, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split.

The Grammy-winning country music star appeared to reflect on her separation from Ryan, 37, on the EP’s final song How a Woman Leaves.

The lyrics of the song read, “Not gonna try and be your friend / All I want is you to get out of me heart, out of my head.

“This is how a woman leaves.”

The track continues, “Even though it’s killing me / I’ll make it look so easy / That even I believe me / Go ahead and look me in the eye / Go ahead and tell me you’re surprised.”

Maren delivers a final blow with the lines, “You have the nerve to ask why I’m not crying.

“I did all my crying lying next to you.”

Maren explained the significance of the EP’s title in an Instagram video on July 29, calling the collection a “break in the act” and the start of a “new chapter”.

“Calling this project Intermission was intentional,” she began. “It’s obviously a lyric at the end of the song Cut!, but it’s also meaning that there’s more to come.

The EP’s lead single Cut! was released in June and the song is a collaboration with Julia Michaels.

“[Intermission is] a break in the act, and for me, it’s definitely an act break and new chapter of my life, and I’m so ready to see what’s on the other page,” Maren continued, in the Instagram video.

“I just am so proud of this music. It wasn’t easy to write because I’m going through a lot, and this is the diary of that.”

She added that Intermission, which marks a departure from her country music roots, is “the most fun music as well as the most heartbreaking” because it’s an honest exploration of her feelings.

The singer-songwriter revealed, “I’m allowing myself to go there – ’cause I don’t have to protect anyone anymore.”

Other tracks on Intermission include Hope I Never Fall In Love, Because, Of Course, and Push Me Over, which is seemingly about Maren’s sexuality.

Intermission is Maren’s first new project since her divorce from Ryan was finalized in January 2024.

The former couple share custody of their four-year-old son Hayes Andrew.

Maren said she gave herself permission to “fall apart” in Cut!, calling the song a “cathartic release” in a statement.

“It’s a cathartic release that doesn’t require secrecy, but there are worldly expectations to keep it together despite your feelings,” the My Church hitmaker elaborated.

“This song gives me permission to fall apart.”

MOVING ON

Maren first met fellow country musician Ryan while co-writing a love song for Tim McGraw in 2013.

The meeting, Maren told People, was the start of a “wonderful writing relationship” that blossomed into romance.

They tied the knot during a ceremony in Nashville in 2018 after Maren and Ryan got engaged the previous year.

Eight months after Maren filed for divorce from Ryan, the My Church singer came out as bisexual during Pride Month.

On June 9, she shared photos of herself holding a Pride flag during a concert in Phoenix, Arizona on Instagram, and captioned her post, “Happy to be the B in LGBTQ+.”

In Push Me Over, the fourth song on her new EP, Maren reflects on her sexual awakening, writing, “I’ve been waiting for a night like this / West side, red lips / We can test out my hypothesis / Your hands, my hips.”

“Want you in my bed cause I don’t need more friends / The more that you come closer want you to push me over,” she sings in the chorus.

“Sitting on the fence feels good between my legs/ The more that you come closer, want you to push me over.”