ARLINGTON -- Long before Maren Morris' name ever appeared on a fancy marquee, it was on a salon in Arlington, any sign of the one who believed in her all along.
"She is living the dream," Maren's mom Kellie said.
Kellie owns the salon and named it after her daughters when she opened more than 20 years ago. It was around that time that Maren, just nine years old, first caught her mom's ear.
"I thought the radio was on," Kellie said. "That was the day I was like, ‘yeah, oh yeah.’”
Kellie and her husband, Scott, were all in. They bought Maren a guitar, got her on stage by 11 and made a major investment when she was just 14.
"We literally sold the furniture out of the house to finance her very first record," Kellie said.
Kellie says that's just what a mom does. But when Maren tried out for "American Idol," "The Voice." and "America's Got Talent," they all said no.
For years, with her mom right behind her, Maren chased her dream but to no avail.
“I mean I can’t tell you how many times we were that close to thinking a record deal was going to come and it didn’t," Kellie said.
Kellie encouraged her daughter to keep performing and work at the salon part-time as much as she needed.
Finally, 16 years after she dreamed it up, Maren signed her first major record deal, thanks to an incredible voice and a mom who is there every step of the way.
"I’m honored to be her mother. I’m so glad we had that journey.," Kellie said.
That's the love of a mom who can now share her daughter's gift with the world.
