Maren Morris

After first rising to fame with her Grammy-winning song “My Church”, the lead single off her major label debut album Hero in 2016, Morris’ success only continued to climb after her pop collaboration with Zedd and Grey, “The Middle,” and she continues to top charts and collaborate with other artists (including country supergroup The Highwomen).

The singer, 32, has also used her voice in support of equality and fairness, which has made her a standout in the country music scene.

In October 2020 she released “Better Than We Found It,” a protest song inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement that earned her a Grammy nomination (her 13th overall), for best country song.

“It’s not going to be an overnight thing to feel like it’s more inclusive, but I am seeing it change for the better,” she told PEOPLE in 2022. “Even if I’ve lost fans along the way, I’m truly willing to put my own ass on the line to stand up for what’s right. When you come to a show of mine, I want it to feel fun and safe. And anyone from any walk of life can show up that night and know that they will be accepted. So if I have to slap off some randos along the way, it’s honestly for the betterment of country music.”

The “Bones” singer has also used her platform to speak out against anti-LGBTQ behavior, calling out Candace Cameron Bure in November 2022 after the actress said that her new partnership with the Great American Family network will “keep traditional marriage at the core.”

Morris was also one of several to call out Jason Aldean‘s wife Brittany Kerr Aldean over a transphobic comment she made on Instagram in August 2022 which resulted in Morris raising more than $150,000 within a day for the Trans Lifeline and GLAAD’s Transgender Media Program. To do so, Morris sold shirts on her website printed with “Lunatic Country Music Person,” referencing a dig made by Tucker Carlson during an interview with Brittany.

Morris told PEOPLE in 2022 that she “didn’t start making music to become an activist” but was inspired to speak up after “seeing the inequality in the genre I happened to come up in.”