Maren Morris Gives Herself 'Permission to Fall Apart' on Raw New Song 'Cut!' with Julia Michaels

How does Maren Morris do it?

The "My Church" singer-songwriter is letting her guard down on "Cut!," a new collaboration with Julia Michaels about appearing picture-perfect on the outside but feeling like an emotional mess in private.

"'Cut!' is about me holding myself together through the day, looking well-rested, not a hair out of place, not canceling any plans with friends because that’s how well I want you to think I’m doing," said Morris in a statement about the song, which dropped Friday as the first taste of her upcoming 5-track Intermission EP, out Friday, Aug. 2.

"Perhaps those things are all true, but at night I let the mask slip and let myself scream or fall apart to let the steam out of the kettle," added the Grammy winner.

"It’s a cathartic release that doesn’t require secrecy, but there are worldly expectations to keep it together despite your feelings," continued Morris. "This song gives me permission to fall apart."

"Cut!" marks the two artists' second collaboration, as Michaels co-wrote "Circles Around This Town," the lead single from Morris' most recent album, 2022's Humble Quest.

The song arrives following many recent personal updates in Morris' life. Earlier this month, the musician revealed she identifies as bisexual in a celebratory post.

"happy to be the B in LGBTQ+," wrote Morris alongside photos of herself holding Pride flags during her recent RSVP Redux Tour stop in Phoenix. "happy pride."

The announcement came after she filed for a dissolution of marriage from her ex-husband of five years, Ryan Hurd, citing irreconcilable differences in October 2023. The former couple (who share son Hayes, 4) finalized the divorce three months later in January 2024.

In September 2023, Morris announced she would be stepping back from the country music industry, marking the change with her two-track EP The Bridge, featuring the songs "The Tree" and “Get the Hell Out of Here.”

At the time, she expressed feeling “very, very distanced” from the genre and its politics, noting that she tried to challenge the status quo within country music. “I thought I’d like to burn it to the ground and start over,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “But it’s burning itself down without my help.”

Morris, however, has since clarified her comments and explained she's not exiting the genre entirely but rather hopes to “leave behind” the “toxic parts” of the industry. 

“I want to take the good parts with me,” she said on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. “I’m from Texas, I grew up on all that music, so the way I write, the way I sing, that’s what comes out — whatever genre I’m doing or feature I’m doing."

According to Apple Music, Morris' upcoming Intermission EP is labeled as a pop release.