Maren Morris wasn’t expecting to share her Nashville journey through song, but that’s exactly what happened when she stepped into the room with husband Ryan Hurd, Jimmy Robbins and pop singer-songwriter Julia Michaels to write her new single, “Circles Around This Town.” 

Written by the foursome in fall 2020, Maren was brainstorming ideas with Ryan on the front porch of their Nashville home the night before the session when the title “Circles Around This Town” came to her mind. 

“I always try to come into a co-write with something, whether it’s a melody or a title or just a concept,” she explains of her process, adding that she was “trying to think of clever ideas to bring Julia Michaels.”

This marked the first time the superstar wrote with Julia, a master pop songwriter who’s had cuts by Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and more. Julia also co-wrote and is featured on Keith Urban‘s 2018 hit, “Coming Home,” and collaborated with Jordan Davis on “Cool Anymore.”  

Maren certainly came prepared to the session, offering the phrase that turned into a song that chronicles the drive and passion that brought her to Nashville, and continues to motivate her as she amasses musical success. 

“It is very self-referential, I think that I didn’t necessarily go into the write wanting to like dive that deep into it, but I’m so glad that my co-writers pressed me on it,” Maren expresses. “I had never written with Julia before, but I’m a huge fan of hers as a writer and an artist. She’s incredible in both.” 

“Circles Around This Town” is the first look at Maren’s upcoming third studio album.

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