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NPR Must Premieres Special Maren Morris Live Performance Video Of “Once” Filmed at Historic RCA Studio A

August 22, 2016

Nashville, TN – (August 22, 2016) – NPR Music exclusively premiered the special live performance video by Columbia Nashville’s singer/songwriter Maren Morris for the song “Once” which appears as the final track on Morris’ critically acclaimed album, HERO. The performance of the song that NPR calls “a true showstopper” was shot in black and white and filmed at the historic RCA Studio A located on iconic Music Row in Nashville, Tenn. Comparing her vocal stylings to the legendary likes of Beyonce and Adele, NPR declares Morris is now “claiming her space among the divas.” With the performance of “Once”, NPR touts that Morris “continues to prove that she doesn’t intend to stay within one musical zone – except that one labeled ‘excellence.’”

Watch Morris’ live performance of “Once” on NPR

The song “Once” is the final track that makes up HERO, but is not a current radio single, which makes for an interesting choice for a music video. The reason Morris decided to create a special performance video for the song spawned from when she opened for Chris Stapleton this past February at the Ryman Auditorium. At the time she hit the iconic “Mother Church” stage, her album HERO was well in the distance from release thus her ever growing fan base had not quite heard “Once” yet.

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This specific evening was a special treat for both fans and Morris herself, for when she began belting the chorus “Know that if somehow we make it alive / And both get out on the other side / Know this might be asking a lot / When it’s all said and done / Don’t forget that you loved me once” backed only by two side guitar players and two back ground vocalists, Morris’ incomparable voice soared, and the room was electric.

Maren decided to create another special performance, acknowledging that the first one would never be copied, for her fans to enjoy. Instead of taking away from the special night at the Ryman Auditorium months ago, Morris chose the historic RCA Studio A to set the scene for “Once.”

Morris now becoming no stranger to special and monumental moments, as recently announce she has teamed up with GRAMMY Award-winning singer/songwriter and producer Alicia Keys for the next installment of CMT Cross Roads, to air Friday, December 2nd at 10pm ET/PT.

About Maren Morris
26 Year-old Columbia Nashville singer/songwriter Maren Morris has quickly established herself with vocal styling’s that reflect her country, soul and pop influences. Armed with sheer talent, honest lyrics and a completely magnetic presence, Morris has entered the Country music genre like a lioness. The Arlington, Texas native was named as one of CMT’s Next Women of Country as well as a CMT Listen Up Artist of 2016, a VEVO Discover Artist, a SiriusXM “Artist To Watch in 2016,” one of Rolling Stone Country’s “10 New Country Artists You Need To Know,” Spotify’s “Spotlight on Country 2016” Artists and many 2016 Watch Lists including USA Today, Billboard, Huffington Post and the Boston Globe to name a few. Morris’ label-debut album, HERO, released via Columbia Nashville on June 3 and one week after it was available HERO entered the Billboard Country Albums chart at No. 1 and No. 5 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart, which spans across all genres. With this, Morris became the first artist in the history of Columbia Nashville to open at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Charts with a debut album in the Soundscan era. Morris’ debut single from HERO, “My Church,” set a record at Country radio by having the most chart reporting stations to play a debut single by a country artist with 107 stations the week it hit the airwaves in addition to being certified PLATINUM by the RIAA. Her current single at radio is the fan favorite “80s Mercedes” a song that Billboard says “will set the mood for summertime” and was written by Morris and busbee, who also co-wrote “My Church.” Morris has appeared on Good Morning America, NBC’s Today, CBS Sunday Morning, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Sprout’s Sunny Side Up, Late Night with Seth Meyers and currently on tour on the Keith Urban RipCORD World Tour 2016 in addition to her own headlining dates.

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