Maren Morris Scores First Dance Chart Hit With ‘The Middle’
Maren Morris made a little music history this week, becoming the first country artist to top Billboard‘s Dance Mix/Show Airplay chart since its 2003 inception, thanks to her Zedd and Grey collaboration “The Middle.”
The trio released the electro-pop song in late January, with the track later appearing prominently in commercials for Target, an extended version of which aired during the live telecast of this year’s Grammy Awards. It’s remained a fixture on the pop charts, currently sitting at number 11 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart – just behind another cross-genre collaboration in Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant to Be.” “The Middle” is also the current Number One song on the Hot
Dance/Electronic chart, which measures a mix of airplay, streaming and sales.
“The Middle” isn’t Morris’ only recent Number One song, having scored her first country charttopper in mid-January upon reaching the summit of Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart with the Hero single “I Could Use a Love Song.” Her latest single “Rich,” which also appears on Hero, is at Number 50.
Morris is nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year and in two separate offerings for Vocal Event of the Year – once for “Dear Hate” featuring Vince Gill, again for “Craving You” with Thomas Rhett – at the 2018 ACM Awards. The show airs live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas April 15th on CBS.
Beginning June 1st, Morris will join up with former One Direction member Niall Horan – with whom she recorded the song “Seeing Blind” – on his Flicker World Tour beginning June 1st in Auckland, New Zealand.