The start of spring also means the start of festival season, from Coachella in California to Lollapalooza in Chicago, and every shoreside concert in between. As fans brave the Ticketmaster queues and start prepping their outfits for the weekend, though, our favorite artists and musicians are fueling up to take the stage and put on the best show they can — Maren Morris, especially.
Not only is the Grammy Award-winning singer kicking off Coachella by headlining the White Claw Sessions concert later this month, Morris is also releasing a new album, being a mom, and gearing up for a tour. As fans prepare to flock to festivals all summer long, Spoon University chatted with the “Carry Me Through” singer, 34, about all things food, festivals, and new music.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Spoon University: As a touring musician, what role does food play in your life?
Maren Morris: The best thing about tour is catering. Our whole comfort hangs around that room, you have your meals with everybody. That’s where you converse, where you catch up. So I would say like 75% of the day is in catering.
And then having the stamina for tour mode takes a second. I try to remain active and play tennis and do yoga off the road and on the road, so before shows, food is about fueling properly. I don’t love to eat super close to showtime, but every day [on tour] is so routine and regimented, and food is stabilizing. And then there are the weeks I have my son out on tour with me, so that’s an even longer day. The first half is being a mom, and then he goes to bed, and I still have two hours until my show starts, so there’s a lot of pacing. I’ve had to adapt since he’s come into the fold, but it’s so fun.
SU: Do you like to cook?
MM: I didn’t really pick up cooking until COVID, and it was just purely out of boredom and being so over takeout. We were trying to keep the local restaurants in business and doing takeout every night, but eventually I just wanted to do something creative while we were stuck inside. And cooking just felt like something that I probably should have learned a long time ago, but better late than never.
But then I just fell in love with it, and I fell in love with the ritual of it, and just being able to chop an onion and not doing anything else is so therapeutic. I love when I’m home and have the brain space to do so to cook in my kitchen. And I feel like it just makes me feel human again, to be able to create something about nothing and enjoy a meal.
SU: What do you like to cook?
MM: I’m not the greatest to cook. I’m not a great improviser, and I am definitely a follow-the-recipe kind of girl, but if my son’s home, I love comfort meals that can last us several days. I love anything starchy, like baked ziti. That usually lasts four days and is a fan-favorite. There are so many ways to adjust it and sometimes I’ll make my own sauce, but then other days, it’s just a Carbone jar — the spicy vodka sauce is so good — and heaps of cheese, of course.
SU: You’re touring and travelling a lot. What’s your go-to comfort meal when you’re at home?
MM: When I’m at home, I love good classics that seem difficult, but you can’t really mess up. A really easy, good roast chicken and just some oven-baked veggies is always really comforting for me when I’m home. It just feels like you did something amazing, but it’s a roast chicken. And then I also love just really thin chicken cutlets fried with some Panko, a lemon wedge, and a nice, fresh salad. It just feels special, but it didn’t take any work.
SU: You’ve been a touring musician for over a decade. When you were a young adult, what kind of meals were you making for yourself?
MM: Oh, it was survival. It wasn’t anything to write home about. It was easy meals, and a lot of ordering out. I went to one semester of college, and even college-aged, it was a lot of the cliché ramen and 79-cent chicken pot pies. I had no money, so it was just like, “What’s going to feed me cheaply, and last long?”
SU: What inspired your partnership with White Claw ahead of festival season?
MM: It felt like a natural partnership for me, because I drink White Claw and it’s such a staple, especially on the road. Touring musicians want to be able to drink and have a good time and socialize and put on a playlist pre-show to hype yourselves up, and then also have something after the show that is refreshing but isn’t gonna tilt the night in a crazy way. The whole point of touring is having stamina, so you have to keep it together because it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
SU: Tell me more about the White Claw Sessions!
MM: It’s iconic to be kicking off Coachella in this capacity, and just being able to have this intimate vibe with fans is always really special for me. A festival is so fun, and it’s like summer camp, but something that feels a little bit closer to each other will be nice to kick Coachella off with.
And I’m also just excited because I just announced my fourth album, which is out next month, and this is my first show to be performing since announcing that. So I’m just excited to see people and maybe play some new songs at this show. And it’s gonna be my birthday that night, so that’s exciting!
SU: If you could pair any White Claw flavor with any one of your songs, what would it be?
MM: Well, White Claw actually came up with this really cute name — I was like, “Why didn’t I think of this?” My song “Carry Me Through” just came out, and they came up with a cocktail [for the show] called Cherry Me Through, which features Black Cherry White Claw. Black Cherry is my favorite of the White Claw flavors, so it’s perfect.
SU: What is your favorite food to pair with a White Claw?
MM: When I think of White Claw, I think of a show, or summertime on the boat with friends. So it’s just American barbecue food. I’m also from Texas, so I’m gonna go full Texan: street tacos with some crema cilantro, fresh lime, and a White Claw Lime.
SU: It’s 2 a.m. and you need a late night snack. Are you cooking or ordering in? Are you making something? Just scrounging in the fridge? What’s your go to?
MM: I’m probably not ordering at 2 a.m. but I always have easy stuff stocked in my pantry. I love those Momofuku restaurant wavy noodles, and if I’m feeling up for it, I’ll soft-boil some eggs to make it a little bit fancy. But, if I’m hungry at that hour, it’s gonna have to be something starchy and easy to do.
SU: Are there any TikTok food trends that you have been obsessed with?
MM: I never tried the feta pasta, but I did try the spicy vodka rigatoni, and it’s delicious. And even if it’s not viral, I always see stuff I want to try on TikTok. Like the other day, I saw a video for crispy artichoke pasta, and I was like, “you know what? Let’s do it.” I’m a pasta girl through and through.
You can catch Maren Morris at the Coachella White Claw Session on April 10 in Indio, California, and stay tuned for her new album “Dreamsicle” out May 9.