Women's Health - USA (2019-06)

Maren has seemed more like a country-sparked wild-

fire than a songwriter turned performer who’s been at

it since the age of 11. Back then, she sang Patsy Cline in

honky-tonks throughout her native Texas, and all those

bars and tours before this have taught her that a space

will feel concrete and cold if you don’t make it your

ow n. “On- or off st age, I l i ke to m a ke p e ople fe el c om-

fortable,” she says, at ease in her cutoffs, a pale-blue

button-down, and chunky black Gucci boots. “I love

every creative facet of being the headliner.”

The GIRL tour—a nine-month international caval-

c ade w it h more t ha n 60 stops—ha s be en sel l i ng out so

m a ny t he ater s t hat it w i l l move to la r ger a mph it he ater

venues in the fall. While Maren’s last headline tour

took place in clubs with intimate setups, this one’s lofty

landscape features bolts of neon light, disco balls,

confetti, and scented bubbles. The leveled-up decor

matches what’s happening in Maren’s orbit now: She’s

working out with fitness expert Erin Oprea, who trains

Carrie Underwood. She’s dressed (in every pair of

bedazzled cutoffs available) by Joseph Cassell, who

styles Taylor Swift. She performed on Ellen. She sang

at the Grammys with Dolly and Miley. And depending

on your definition of “leveling up,” she appeared on

Watch What Happens Live to discuss the fact that her

husband, singer-songwriter Ryan Hurd, included a

promise to watch Housewives in their vows.

aren is outspoken and “sassy,” in her own

words. She sings about lost nights in bars

and her lack of reverence for the country es-

tablishment if it doesn’t approve of her poli-

tics or her sound. But nothing about her is

unrestrained or undisciplined; to reach the potential in

her sights, she puts in the work. Her life is timed out

and hyperscheduled, starting every morning with

breakfast on her bus: three egg whites and spinach

cooked in olive oil, and wheat toast. She usually eats

sa lad s w it h protei n for lu nch, t hen pau se s on e at i ng

after 5 p.m. on show days. As a result, she comes off-

stage ravenous. “When I’m out there, I make it count.

I know I’ll feel awful if I don’t eat right after burning all

those calories in the show.” She usually then consumes

another salad—skinless chicken over spinach with

lemon vinaigrette, for example—and she might have a

glass of rosé, though her trainer would prefer it were

lower-cal tequila and soda.

She started working with Oprea a year and a half ago

and has received more compliments on her toned body

than at any time before. When she’s on the road, three

times a week she rolls out a mat on her bus, puts on Car-

di B’s Money, and props up Oprea on an iPad via Face-

Time for an hour. She jumps rope to warm up before

mov i ng i nto st reng t h t r a i n i ng u si ng her b o dy weig ht a s

resistance: front and side planks, pushups, squats,

lunges, and a combo of the latter two. “Squat lunges are

the worst,” she says. “They’re so hard because that’s the

area I need it most—my thighs and butt.” She moves to

the BOSU ball and does crunches and core

work, then lifts free weights for arm strength.

She says she appreciates Oprea’s knack for

“carving pretty muscles” and originally told

her she wanted to “look like Tomb Raider.”

She holds up her phone to show me the screen,

but a stack of texts obscures it completely.

She clears them to reveal Alicia Vikander as

Lara Croft. “This is what I have to look at ev-

ery time I unlock it—if I’m at a bar, or eating a

f rench f r y. S o t hat ’s mot ivat i ng,” she laug h s.

This is also the first time in her life that Maren has

felt truly strong. “I’ve gone through ups and downs,”

she says, when I ask about a photo she posted in ad-

vance of her San Francisco concert with the caption

Five years and 20 lbs ago. “A f ter t a k i ng t hat pic t u re, I

went through this horrible breakup, and I lost so much

weig ht. I d id n’t lo ok at my b o dy l i ke it wa s he a lt hy—

when you’re going through emotional turmoil, it’s

hard to eat. That was a wake-up call: I need to address

my mental and physical health.” Working excavated

Ma ren f rom t hat plac e. “I put weig ht back on when I

st a r te d re a l ly lay i ng i nto my c a re er a nd tou r —t h i ng s

that brought me happiness.”

Si ng i ng on st age, a s much joy a s it br i ng s her, ha s a l-

most always given her anxiety too. “It’s stage fright.

Some parts of it never go away. When I get out there

and relax into it, I’m fine,” she says. “It’s a gift to sing

well and make people emotional, so I don’t take it for

granted.” To that end, she’s also given up one of her old

coping mechanisms: cigarettes. “It used to be such a

stress reliever,” she says of the habit, which ultimately

impacted her vocals. Now, to relieve stress, she likes

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