While accepting the award for Album of the Year at the CMA Awards, Maren Morris got choked up as she remembered her friend and collaborator, Busbee, who died in September.
Maren Morris took home one of the most sought-after awards at the 2019 CMA Awards on Nov. 13 — Album of the Year! The country superstar won the honor for her 2019 record, GIRL, beating out Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, Dan + Shay and Eric Church for the trophy. From the second she got onstage to give her acceptance speech, Maren was emotional as she thanked her family, husband, Ryan Hurd, and others who worked on the album with her. However, she also made sure to take time to give a very special tribute at the end of her speech.
Maren’s biggest dedication was to Busbee, a beloved producer in the country music community who sadly passed away in September at the young age of 43 after a battle with Glioblastoma (a form of brain cancer). Busbee produced 11 of the 14 songs on GIRL, and Maren was absolutely devastated by his loss earlier this year. In her speech, Maren gave a shoutout to Busbee’s wife and daughters, and made sure that the little girls were aware of just how much of an impact that their dad had on her and so many others in the industry.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a huge facet of why this album sounds the way it does and we miss him so dearly. He texted me the morning that we got the nomination for Album of the Year this year and we were so excited, and that’s our friend, Busbee. His wife, Jess, is here tonight and she looks so beautiful. Thank you for sharing your husband with us once a month. My heart just goes out to you and your beautiful daughters. I hope when they listen to this record, or any of the songs that he made that made us all better, they know how amazing their father was.”
A big congrats to @MarenMorris for winning Album of the Year for "Girl"! https://t.co/hA9ahoa4Mp#CMAawards pic.twitter.com/pw1HGKHT9m
— Good Morning America (@GMA) November 14, 2019
The CMAs were a massive night for Maren. Aside from just winning Album of the Year, she was also nominated in FIVE other categories, making her the most-nominated artist of the night. Plus, she helped open the show with an epic performance that paid tribute to women in country music AND she sang “GIRL” (the song) during the ceremony. WHOA!
This was the first major award show that Maren attended while pregnant with her first child, and her baby bump was on full display as she wore various looks throughout the evening. Maren confirmed her pregnancy with an Instagram post in October, and revealed that her and Ryan’s baby boy is due this March. So exciting!
Sourse: hollywoodlife.com
