Maren Morris Says It’s ‘Tough’ Playing Songs Inspired by Ex Ryan Hurd — Why She Still Doesn’t ‘Regret’ Them

Maren Morris knows that sometimes, the show must go on.

In this week’s issue of PEOPLE, the Grammy-winning singer reveals that singing songs inspired by her ex-husband Ryan Hurd can be heartbreaking — but she has no regrets.

“There’s definitely a place for songs that you write about the love of your life,” Morris, 34, tells PEOPLE. “In some ways, I don’t want to say that I automatically steer away from songs like that so that I don’t feel the pain, but it’s true. They’re songs that matter and they mean something to people, so it’s a gift.”

Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd in Beverly Hills in February 2023.Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

The “Push Me Over” singer and fellow singer-songwriter Hurd, 37, first met in 2013 when they co-wrote a track for Tim McGraw. They began dating in 2016, married in 2018 and welcomed son Hayes, 4, before Morris filed for divorce last October, citing irreconcilable differences. (They finalized their divorce in January.)

Before their split, Morris and Hurd continued to collaborate together over the years. He was her muse for multiple songs on her GIRL and Humble Quest albums, and they were even nominated for a Grammy for their 2021 duet “Chasing After You.”

“I don’t really look back on them with shame or regret,” she says of songs Hurd inspired and that they worked on together. “It’s like, ‘That was a really beautiful time, and I truly felt that way when I wrote it; it didn’t work out in the long run, but the song still matters.”

Last fall, Morris performed an intimate concert at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City, where she played the Hurd-inspired “Background Music” at the request of a fan.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s a hard song to sing right now,” said Morris, who is asking fans for input on the setlist for her current RSVP Redux tour.

Some songs, however, have taken on new meaning, she said: “Strangely, when I sing ‘The Bones,’ that song has naturally, over the years, taken on new meanings for me professionally and personally.”

“It’s been a great journey of discovery, as well as the pain of a relationship breaking up and the joy that you find after a trauma or tragedy like that,” she said.

And while the divorce inspired cathartic tracks like “I Hope I Never Fall in Love” and “This Is How a Woman Leaves,” Morris maintains she’s focused on co-parenting Hayes with Hurd.

“I never want to disparage or feel the need to, because I think that we both have so much love for each other and our son, so anything musically that’s coming out is our points of view, and we need to process in our own ways,” she says. “This is my turn. I am just moving on in the ways I know I can.”