First Listen: Maren Morris’ Musical Letter To Hate

Maren Morris just delivered what might be the perfect musical response to Sunday's (10/1) tragic mass shooting in Las Vegas. The song, a duet with Vince Gill, is called "Dear Hate."

Maren, who performed at the site of the shooting one night earlier, woke up Monday to the tragic news as friends and family tried to find out if she was okay. "I felt this sick pit in my stomach," she tells Rolling Stone Country. "I had been there the night before and, reading that the shooter had checked into the hotel Thursday, he could have picked any of the days of the festival to carry out this horrific plan. It gives you a bit of survivor's guilt."

One of the first things Maren thought of when she heard what happened was a song she'd written shortly after the 2015 Charleston, South Carolina church shooting. "It was a really emotional day to write that song," she continues. "I've had the song in my pocket for the last few years and I never knew when to release it. I wanted to be precious with it because it is such a sensitive subject. It's just insane how relevant the message still is today."

"Dear Hate"

Maren asked Vince Gill to sing on the track last year. "He immediately called me and said he was on board and did the whole thing for free," she recalls.

"Dear Hate" ft. Vince Gill is available via iTunes here. A portion of sales will be donated to the Music City Cares Fund for victims in Las Vegas. Read more in Rolling Stone Country here.

Teddy McDonald is a fun-lovin' country music fan man living in Nashville, Tennessee.