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Maren Morris Says She’s Leaving Country Music: ‘It’s Burning Itself Down’ on September 15, 2023 at 9:10 pm Us Weekly

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Maren Morris has done her best to change country music from the inside, but she’s tired of fighting a losing battle — and she’s ready to move on.

“I thought I’d like to burn it to the ground and start over,” Morris, 33, said of country music in an interview with the Los Angeles Times published on Friday, September 15. “But it’s burning itself down without my help.”

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Morris has long advocated for greater diversity in the genre, which has traditionally been a branch of the music industry dominated by white male heterosexual artists. “But the stories going on within country music right now, I’ve tried to avoid a lot of it at all costs,” she explained, noting that she’s benefitted from the dominant system as well. “I feel very, very distanced from it.”

Her new songs “The Tree” and “Get the Hell Out of Here” — released on Friday as an EP called The Bridge — are about her decision to leave country music behind. “If you truly love this type of music and you start to see problems arise, it needs to be criticized. Anything this popular should be scrutinized if we want to see progress,” she said. “But I’ve kind of said everything I can say.”

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Related: Maren Morris’ Fiercest Social Media Clapbacks: Brittany Aldean Feud, More

Standing her ground. Maren Morris is no stranger to receiving online criticism about her appearance, her parenting skills or even her career, but she’s not letting that get her down. “If it’s confusing to you, it’s because you think we’re ‘fighting’ over politics. We’re not. This isn’t political,” the “Middle” songstress tweeted in August 2022, […]

Morris has been outspoken about LGBTQ+ issues throughout her career, most famously last year when she feuded with Jason Aldean and his wife, Brittany Aldean, over gender-affirming care for young people. The drama culminated with Tucker Carlson calling Morris a “lunatic country music person” during an interview with Brittany, 36. Morris later sold T-shirts bearing the phrase to benefit GLAAD’s Transgender Media Program and the Trans Lifeline.

Many fans think Morris’ new video for “The Tree” is partly a reference to Jason’s controversial song “Try That in a Small Town,” which some critics believe promotes violence. The clip shows her walking out of a small town where there are signs reading “Don’t Tread on Me” and “Go Woke Go Broke.”

“Try That in a Small Town” recently crossed over to the Billboard pop chart, hitting No. 1 on the Hot 100, but Morris doesn’t think that means people actually like the track.

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Related: Biggest Country Music Controversies Through the Years

Sometimes America’s sweethearts go sour. From Morgan Wallen to The Chicks, the biggest names in country music have been at the center of some major controversies. Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer found themselves in hot water in the early 2000s after sharing their personal politics on a public stage. While performing across the […]

“People are streaming these songs out of spite,” she said. “It’s not out of true joy or love of the music. It’s to own the libs. And that’s so not what music is intended for. Music is supposed to be the voice of the oppressed — the actual oppressed. And now it’s being used as this really toxic weapon in culture wars.”

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Morris, for her part, is busy creating a new album with super-producer Jack Antonoff, who’s worked with Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Lorde, St. Vincent and The Chicks. She didn’t specify whether that means her new music will have more of a pop vibe, but she’s excited to have “freedom” now that she doesn’t have to worry about fitting in with the rigid formula of country radio.

“I’m still writing, so the record’s not done. But there’s a lot of things going on musically in it — quirky jam-band moments to, like, prog rock,” she teased. “It’s so fun, and I feel like my old self back in this space of writing songs I love with people I love.”

Douglas Mason/Getty Images Maren Morris has done her best to change country music from the inside, but she’s tired of fighting a losing battle — and she’s ready to move on. “I thought I’d like to burn it to the ground and start over,” Morris, 33, said of country music in an interview with the 

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How Alix Earle Achieved Her ‘Parisian Bedhead’ Look at Paris Fashion Week on October 3, 2023 at 9:11 pm Us Weekly

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Alix Earle Jacopo Raule/Getty Images

Alix Earle became the talk of the Miu Miu spring/summer 2024 show by flaunting a messy — but chic — look during Paris Fashion Week.

Earle, 22, arrived at the soirée — alongside stars including Emma Chamberlain, Sydney Sweeney, Paris Hilton, Adriana Lima and more — in a laid-back and luxurious ensemble on Tuesday, October 3. For the show, Earle slayed an undone hairstyle featuring a middle part, textured waves, a voluminous crown and strands purposefully out of place.

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After the show, celebrity hairstylist Owen Gould broke down how he created Earle’s “Parisian bedhead” look to Us Weekly. “We wanted it to look effortless and chic,” he said, explaining that “Alix was open to suggestions” when it came to the coiffure. “We decided it would be cooler to do something messy and undone vs. some of the more slick styles she’s been rocking lately,” Gould noted. “She loved the change as it was something she hasn’t tried before.”

First, Gould “prepared her hair with a volumizing mousse and soothing serum.” After her mane dried, “I clipped in 18 inch Hidden Crown Clip-ins for a little extra volume.”

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Related: The Stars Are Showing Out at Paris Fashion Week Spring 2024

Paris Fashion Week served as the perfect grand finale for the weeks-long string of runway shows across the globe. The highly anticipated event, which followed Milan Fashion Week, London Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week, kicked off on September 25 and ended on October 3. The most popular and sought-after fashion houses, including Chanel, […]

Gould added, “This look was supposed to look undone so we didn’t want any curl. Instead of using a curler, he reached for a flat iron and “alternated directions to give the hair a very subtle bend.”

“I finished with a little smoothing serum for separation,” the stylist told Us. He gave Earle even more of a “relaxed feel” by tucking her locks into the Miu Miu jacket she donned.

Her outfit featured a zip-up jacket and matching skirt embellished with the Italian fashion house’s logo, a white T-shirt and a tan leather purse. She accessorized with black sunglasses, frosted tights, strappy nude heels, silver rings and a long light pink manicure.

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@alixearle

I am so obsessed with Miu Miu this is a dream come true

♬ original sound – alix earle

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For glam, makeup artist Ash K. Holm created a timeless look including rosy cheeks, a soft contour, feathered eyebrows, bronzy eyeshadow shades blended into her lids, a winged eyeliner and mascara. She topped it off by using pink lipstick.

Earle took to TikTok to document her getting ready process on Tuesday. In the social media video, she put on her jacket and told fans, “I think we’re gonna leave it open and we’re tucking my hair into the jacket.” She gushed over the ‘do, “It’s honestly kinda fun! I feel like my hair is shorter and now I’m gonna wanna cut it.”

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Related: A Guide to Alix Earle’s Family — and Controversies

Alix Earle has a large family – and Us is taking a deep dive into it. Earle went viral in December 2022 for her “Get Ready With Me” TikToks and has since become an A-list influencer, gaining millions of followers, starring on magazine covers, attending celebrity events and more. In a September 2023 podcast episode […]

In the background of the clip, Gould could be seen applying a few last touches to her strands.

“I am so obsessed with Miu Miu this is a dream come true,” she captioned the post.

Alix Earle became the talk of the Miu Miu spring/summer 2024 show by flaunting a messy — but chic — look during Paris Fashion Week. Earle, 22, arrived at the soirée — alongside stars including Emma Chamberlain, Sydney Sweeney, Paris Hilton, Adriana Lima and more — in a laid-back and luxurious ensemble on Tuesday, October 

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Kevin Federline Is ‘Rooting’ for Jamie Lynn Spears on ‘DWTS’ on October 3, 2023 at 9:25 pm Us Weekly

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Kevin Federline, Jamie Lynn Spears Bryan Steffy/WireImage; ABC/Andrew Eccles ;

Jamie Lynn Spears is receiving Dancing with the Stars support from an unexpected source: her former brother-in-law Kevin Federline.

Federline, 45 — who was married to Britney Spears from 2004 to 2006 — told TMZ in a video posted on Tuesday, October 3, that he’s “rooting for her, that’s for sure.”

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The Zoey 101 alum, 32, is one of the 14 celebrities competing for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy on season 32 of Dancing with the Stars. She’s partnered with professional dancer Alan Bersten, who told Us Weekly in September that he has such a “fun” dynamic with Jamie Lynn.

“It’s been nice. Jamie Lynn’s awesome, and we’re able to just work and not really get distracted,” Bersten, 29, said. “She is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met, honestly. We have a lot of fun rehearsals, but she really cares [and] you can’t ask for anything [better] in a partner.”

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Related: ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 32 Cast Revealed: Meet the Duos

Mauricio Umansky, Alyson Hannigan and more are gearing up to compete for the mirrorball trophy on season 32 of Dancing With the Stars. The full cast was announced during the Wednesday, September 13, episode of Good Morning America. The season’s pros led a high-energy choreographed routine before the big reveal. Ariana Madix was the first […]

He continued: “[We] get a lot done, but at the same time, it’s like everything is so enjoyable about it. There’s something about Jamie Lynn’s energy that there’s not a lot of toughness. It’s not really hard. It’s all just kind of flowing really easily, and I’m very grateful for that.”

While the Sweet Magnolias star has fans in both Bersten and Federline, she and Britney, 41, have had their fair share of ups and downs over the years — particularly due to Britney’s 13-year conservatorship and its aftermath.

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Recently, Jamie Lynn and Britney have been on good terms. Jamie Lynn opened up to Variety in July about their relationship and how she told her daughter Maddie to be “so proud” of her aunt.

“I have nothing but absolute love for every single one of my family members,” she said. “If I learned anything from last year, being so open and feeling like I had to defend myself at times, I don’t feel like there’s anything else that I need to say. I just have to leave it where it is because those conversations are meant to be personal.”

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Related: Britney Spears and Sister Jamie Lynn Spears’ Ups and Downs

A dramatic relationship. Britney Spears and Jamie Lynn Spears have had a bumpy ride through the years — and haven’t always kept that drama under wraps. In June 2021, the pop star spoke out in court for the first time since being put under a conservatorship in 2008. During the explosive hearing, she explained why […]

Britney, for her part, gushed about spending time with her younger sister in June.

“It was nice to visit my sister on set last week !!! I’ve missed you guys so much !!!” the Grammy winner, wrote via Instagram. “Loyal girls stay home but it’s so nice to visit family !!!”

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The “Toxic” singer has recently made headlines for her split from personal trainer Sam Asghari after 14 months of marriage. Asghari, 29, filed for divorce from Britney in August and cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason the pair were calling it quits.

Prior to her respective marriages to Asghari and Federline — the latter of whom she shares sons Sean Preston, 18, and Jayden James, 17 — Britney was briefly married to her childhood friend, Jason Alexander, in 2002.

Jamie Lynn Spears is receiving Dancing with the Stars support from an unexpected source: her former brother-in-law Kevin Federline. Federline, 45 — who was married to Britney Spears from 2004 to 2006 — told TMZ in a video posted on Tuesday, October 3, that he’s “rooting for her, that’s for sure.” The Zoey 101 alum, 

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Seth Meyers Shares His Son’s Heartwarming Reaction to Him Returning to Late Night (Exclusive) on October 3, 2023 at 9:31 pm News

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Late-night talk shows returned Monday following the end of the WGA strike.Late-night talk shows returned Monday following the end of the WGA strike. 

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