Maren Morris, the “nineties baby” in her “80s Mercedes,” recently won the New Artist of the Year Award at the 2016 Country Music Awards on Nov. 2. Morris is the 26 year-old Texas-born singer-songwriter who started with humble beginnings.

Maren Morris is most widely known for two of her songs, “My Church” and “80s Mercedes.” These songs are featured on her new album, “Hero,” which was released on June 3 on Columbia Records. “Hero” contains 11 songs that she co-wrote with other individuals. Some of the featured songs include, “I Wish I Was,” “Second Wind” and “I Could Use a Love Song.”

Morris’s seemingly sudden rise to fame did not just happen out of nowhere. She has been active in the music industry for over 11 years. Prior to the release of “Hero,” she had written a song for Tim McGraw called “Last Turn Home” and the song, “Second Wind,” for Kelly Clarkson. Her debut single, “My Church,” which was released in Jan. 2016, was her opportunity to make a name for herself as a solo artist. With over 2.5 million plays and downloads in a little over a month’s time, “My Church” creates a comparison of a person’s faith to listening to music during a long drive. Morris started and completed the catchy song in a little over an hour.

She grew up in Texas and moved to Nashville when she was 20 years old. There, she continued her songwriting career that had begun in Texas. As a songwriter, Morris never imagined she would become as famous as she has. During the 2015 Country Music Awards, Morris sat at a bar across the street from the event and watched the awards show on the television. The following year at the 2016 CMAs, she performed her song, “My Church,” and later in the evening, won the New Artist of the Year Award.

Maren Morris is currently on tour throughout the United States and continues to write songs. She hopes to release more songs in the near future.