Anytime two artists come together for a duet radio single, they’re relying on each other to make the song as hot as possible. But when your duet partner is also your spouse -- not to mention, a country superstar -- it can feel even more important to hold up your end of the team effort.
That’s part of the reason why Ryan Hurd says he felt an “odd sense of relief” when his latest single, “Chasing After You,” hit the top of the charts. He recorded it as a duet with his country hitmaker wife Maren Morris, who already has multiple number-one songs under her belt.
“I remember when we were talking to the label and they really wanted us to release this song and make it a radio single, and it was really important to me that anything Maren’s name is on is successful,” Ryan reflects. “Imagine being the husband who puts out the one thing that flops, right?”
Fortunately, that’s not the case: “Chasing After You” made it to the top earlier this month. It’s Ryan’s first number-one hit as an artist.
While he might have felt some nerves about the song, Ryan and Maren have a lot to celebrate. They’re now among the ranks of other country power couples who’ve released hit songs together.
“Like Tim [McGraw] and Faith [Hill], Blake [Shelton] and Gwen [Stefani]...and you know, you go back to, like, country music before I was born. I mean, those are some big names to be in the same company as,” Ryan continues. “It’s something to be proud of. But at the end of the day, I’m just really thankful to get those moments with her.”