3 Singers Choosing Peace Over Pressure in 2025

Navigating the pressures of touring, public scrutiny and personal change isn’t easy, even for music’s biggest names.

Three of country music’s most recognizable stars are redefining what success looks like by choosing peace over pressure this year.

Pop-country superstar Kelly Clarkson, powerhouse vocalist Maren Morris and living legend Dolly Parton are each taking intentional steps to put their mental and emotional well-being first in 2025.

This year, their reset is a reminder that sometimes the bravest move is to slow down.

Kelly Clarkson: Resetting Her Pace

Known worldwide as a pop powerhouse, Clarkson’s crossover into country has earned her a loyal following.

In 2025, after years of juggling her talk show, music career and family life, the original Idol winner is learning to slow her pace.

Clarkson took several breaks from The Kelly Clarkson Show this spring, sparking speculation about a possible exit.

She also delayed the opening of her Studio Sessions Las Vegas residency by a week after feeling signs of burnout.

With her residency now underway and Season 7 of her talk show set to return this fall, Clarkson is setting her own rhythm, choosing balance over burnout.

Maren Morris: Taking Control and Resetting

Morris is embracing a personal and artistic reset in 2025. Her latest album, Dreamsicle, explores healing, growth, and resilience after a public divorce and period of deep reflection.

Ahead of the album’s May release, she told Grammy.com: “I would stay in my sessions late, and also write on days that I probably should have just taken a nap or gone to see my therapist.”

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She also admitted that performing heavy material night after night became emotionally exhausting.

“There’s artists that do heartbreak records every night … I can’t emotionally handle that every night on stage,” the “My Church” singer continued.

Now, Morris is embracing a slower pace — one rooted in authenticity, rest and letting her music speak for itself.

Dolly Parton: Embracing Healing and Grief

Earlier this year, Parton faced an unimaginable loss with the death of her husband, Carl Dean. In response, the country icon has pressed pause on songwriting to grieve and process privately.

“My husband passed away three months ago … Several things I’ve wanted to start, but I can’t do it,” she told Khloé Kardashian on her Khloé in Wonder Land podcast. “I will later … but I think I won’t finish it.”

Despite the pause, the “9 to 5” singer assured fans that she isn’t done with music, just taking the time she needs before returning, adding, “There are times like that … I’ll write something else, though, if it comes.”

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This moment of reset is about healing, reflection and honoring the personal before the public.

Clarkson, Morris and Parton prove that sometimes the boldest move is stepping back.

In a business that rarely slows down, their choice to prioritize peace, healing and balance offers a powerful message — one that resonates far beyond country music.