Hero (Maren Morris album)

Before signing a major-label recording contract, Morris spent nearly a decade releasing independent albums after beginning her recording career at age 15. During that period, she also established herself as a songwriter, with Kelly Clarkson and Tim McGraw among the artists who recorded her compositions.^[2]

In August 2015, Morris self-released five songs as a self-titled extended play (EP), Maren Morris, on Spotify.^[3] It garnered 2.5 million streams on the platform in a month, and its three songs appeared on the Spotify's US and Global "Viral 50" chart. The EP's success attracted the interests from various record labels,^[4] which led Morris eventually sign to Columbia Nashville in September that year. The label then re-released the EP on November 6, with "My Church" as the lead single.^[2]

The success of "My Church" was followed by the release of Morris's major-label debut and fourth overall studio album release, Hero.^[2] All tracks from the self-titled EP are included on the album, with "Company You Keep" included on the deluxe edition. The additional songs in the album were co-written with Chris DeStefano, Natalie Hemby, Shane McAnally, and others.^[5] Morris has writing credits on all the songs in the album.^[2]

"My Church" was released on January 19, 2016, as the Hero's lead single. She released its music video a week later.^[6][7] A commercial success, it reached number 5 on the US Hot Country Songs and number 50 on the US Billboard Hot 100.^[8][9] Nominated for Best Country Song, it won Best Country Solo Performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.^[10] The album's second single "80s Mercedes" was serviced to country radio on June 27, with the accompanying music video released on August 8.^[11] It reached numbers 74 and 11 on the Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs charts, respectively.^[9][8]

Hero's third single, "I Could Use a Love Song", became available on March 13, 2017, later impacted radio on March 27.^[12][13] It peaked at number 56 on the Hot 100,^[9] while reaching at number 7 on the Hot Country Songs.^[8] "Rich" was released February 12, 2018, as the album's fourth single.^[14] Morris embarked on the Hero Tour in 2017, in support of her album.^[15]

A deluxe edition of the album was released on March 17, 2017, which features the songs "Bummin' Cigarettes", "Space" and "Company You Keep".^[16] Hero's tenth anniversary edition was released on June 26, 2026, through Legacy Recordings, to digital and physical. Titled Hero: A Second Wind, it features the tracks created during the recording sessions of Hero—"We Can't Be Friends" and "Hard Liquor and Soft Rock"—as well as a demo version of "Sugar" (released on June 3), "Company You Keep," "I Wish I Was", and "Drunk Girls Don't Cry".^[17][18] "Hard Liquor and Soft Rock" followed on June 5.^[19]

More information Review scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
PopMatters	7/10[20]
Spin	7/10[21]
Sputnikmusic	4.5/5[22]

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Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic praised Morris's inventiveness and how she "skillfully slides between styles, blurring distinctions between genre and eras". Erlewine felt that Hero "belongs to the digital era but it's the songs – smart, sharp, and hooky – that make this a great modern pop album, regardless of genre."^[1] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times considered the album an outstanding country music debut, and "perhaps the canniest country record in recent memory." Caramanica thought Morris an "astute synthesizer" of various styles, and found the album to be "both utterly of its moment and also savvy enough to indicate how the future might sound." He also noted the profanity in some of the songs that Morris used "fluently, casually, and effectively, which is to say, you hardly notice at all as she's breaking what may be country's last remaining taboo."^[23] Sounds Like Nashville referred to Morris' songwriting talent, powerful vocals and eclectic music style that made Hero one of the most unique and enjoyable releases of 2016.^[24]

In the United States, Hero debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 chart with 45,000 equivalent album units; the album sold 37,000 copies in pure sales, with the remainder of its unit total reflecting the album's streaming and track equivalent album units.^[42] It also debuted at number one on the Top Country Albums chart.^[43] As of April 2019, the album has sold 313,100 copies in the United States.^[44] On July 17, 2019, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over a million units.^[45]

All tracks were produced by Morris and Busbee.

Credits were adapted from the deluxe edition's liner notes.^[47]