Why are Dancing With the Stars fans criticizing Maren Morris' performance of “The Middle” on Grammy Night?

Maren Morris performed on Dancing With the Stars for its Grammy Night episode, but her live performance of “The Middle” brought more attention for the criticism that followed. Several viewers questioned the singer's vocals as she performed during the cha-cha dance-off between Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy and Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik on Tuesday night.

Previously, Morris had promoted her appearance on X a day earlier, writing, “excited to be performing on @officialdwts tomorrow for #GrammyNight!”

What is the fan’s reaction to her performance

Several viewers questioned her vocals. One viewer wrote, “Find The Note,” while another questioned whether Morris sounded “pitchy.” Some fans also complained about the camera focusing on Morris at the beginning of the performance instead of showing the dancers.

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One user wrote, “Is Maren Morris sounding pitchy asf to anyone else??” Another commented, “maren’s commitment to not hitting a single note.” A third viewer complained about the camera direction, writing, “I’m glad I watched marren morris for the first 40 seconds of the dance instead of the dancers.”

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The episode also featured performances by other music stars, including Brandy and Monica, who sang their hit “The Boy Is Mine” for the rumba dance-off between Amber Glenn and Ezra Frech.

Glenn won the round. Sheryl Crow also performed “All I Wanna Do” during the cha-cha dance-off between Connor Wood and Maura Higgins, with Higgins taking the win. Meanwhile, Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy won their dance-off and earned the extra points.

However, the couple were eliminated at the end of the episode after they received the lowest combined votes and judges' scores. Judge Bruno Tonioli described the dance-off decision as “Very difficult to call,” according to Gold Derby.

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Who is Maren Morris?

Maren Morris is an American singer and songwriter born on April 10, 1990, in Arlington, Texas. She rose to fame with her debut full-length album, Hero, released in 2016. The album reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and featured songs such as “My Church” and “80s Mercedes.”

Morris won her first Grammy Award in 2017 for Best Country Solo Performance for “My Church.” She also made her Grammy stage debut that year, when she performed “Once” with Alicia Keys.

She has a connection to the Grammy Camp program, too. Morris attended its first-ever edition and became the first Grammy Camp alumnus to win a Grammy Award. In 2016, she also took part in the Grammy U Off The Record series, where she discussed her career and collaborations with songwriters and producers busbee, Natalie Hemby and Laura Veltz.