‘It Just Feels Like Dynamite’: Maren Morris and More on Writing ‘The Wild Robot’ Song ‘Kiss the Sky’

Though their first collaboration resulted in one of the most memorable pop crossovers of the 2010s, it had been years since singer Maren Morris had worked with “The Middle” producers Jordan and Stefan Johnson of The Monsters & Strangerz. Not until after the latter party had been brought in by fellow hitmaker Ali Tamposi (co-writer of hits like “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” by Kelly Clarkson and “Señorita” by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello) to work on original music for DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot” did the Johnson brothers pitch a reunion between them and the Nashville superstar, resulting in the emotional rollercoaster ride that is “Kiss the Sky.”

“When we saw the scene for the first time, it was outside. It was in the wilderness. So the idea of it being organic and a bit fingerpicking guitar just came from what we felt like the mood was, just kind of that outdoor feel,” said Stefan of the Best Original Song contender, which soundtracks a key sequence in the film where robot protagonist Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) coaches goose runt Brightbill to finally take flight. “Maren was the first name that we all were in the room like, ‘Man, she would be so [great].’ Her voice is just such a special voice. It’s very unique. You know it as soon as she’s singing.” 

On her end, Morris said she received an email from Mike Knobloch, president of music and publishing at NBCUniversal, with a kernel of the demo completed. “This is the first time I’ve ever been involved with a film, so I didn’t really know any direction or how it would go, but I definitely wanted to hear the early demo, and I loved it. I saw the synopsis of what was going on in this scene,” said the singer. “I had not read ‘The Wild Robot’ books yet, but I think it just really resonated with me at the time and now, but at the time, my son was two. So I was in this fresh glow still of motherhood and the scariness of it and the thrill. And I really wanted to be a part of it. And then I had worked with Stefan and Jordan before on ‘The Middle’ back in 2018.”

Stefan added, “Sometimes, when you’re writing a song, you imagine a voice. We were all imagining her voice and she loved it, so it was just very special that she was into it. And then she brought so much to the table once she came on board and helped finish writing it.” 

“Kiss the Sky” was written by the trio, plus Tamposi, and fellow musicians Delacey and Michael Pollack. For Morris specifically, what made this particular songwriting process unique was the idea she was writing from the characters’ perspectives this time. “It’s almost acting in a way. And I like that exercise of it not being totally from your background. You have to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, which is a really unique task to do as an artist because, usually, you’re just writing about your own experience and feeling,” she said. 

However, the narrative around a robot with a female voice taking on the responsibility of raising an orphaned wild animal “was a parallel to my own life as a new mother and the challenge and knowing that you’re giving this advice and you hopefully abide by it yourself, but they are their own person. They’re not you. They’re not anyone but themselves. So they can only use your advice to their own advantage or disadvantage, but it’s ultimately their decision,” said Morris. “And that’s such a scary thing when you’re a parent. You’re like this lighthouse for them. You’re not in control. So that was something that I wanted to bring to the performance of this vocal.”

In addition to how parents relate to “Kiss the Sky,” The Monsters and Strangerz note that there is also an angle for which creatives can appreciate the song’s message. “All of us as musicians could really relate to the story of just going for it because there’s no guarantees in this life of pursuing a life in music, and you really have to just bet on faith,” said Jordan. 

All that said, much of the song takes direct inspiration from “The Wild Robot” visuals that were shared with them early on. “The thing that is so special about writing to the scene is that even though it was sketches, it’s all laid out. So even when we’re in the room, we’re able to come up with lines like ‘I know those feet ain’t made for walking’ or ‘What if the falling feels a little bit like you’re flying’ when [Brightbill] starts falling a little bit, but then he starts flying. And so the writing to a prompt aspect is very helpful, especially when you’re visually looking at it,” said Stefan.

The scene they were writing to was on constant loop on the TV monitor in their studio as the musicians wrote “Kiss the Sky” in order to make sure the song was completely aligned with the emotions the film evoked. “There’s a feeling you get when you’re listening to the music and watching the film that encapsulates the best of both worlds,” said Stefan. “We were watching the scene, and we started three or four little ideas before we committed because we would start something, and then we’d play it along to the scene while it’s playing like, ‘No, that’s not it.’ Even just down to chords or a riff, not even melody or title yet, just the feel of it. It took a second to be like, ‘Ok, this chord progression, this guitar, if this is married with the visual,’” said Jordan.

‘The Wild Robot’DreamWorks Animation/Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

As a writer/performer, Morris made sure how she sang the song also complemented what was going on as it soundtracked the film. “I was like, ‘It would be so weird if I attacked this vocal in verse at full voice,’ because there’s such a ramp-up that needs to be happening emotionally in the scene visually and within the song. So it was really helpful for me to have some sort of guide and be like, ‘Ok, Maren, this is not the time to be going full chest doing a ton of runs, because this is a moment where there’s a really tender dialogue between Brightbill and Roz,’” said the singer. “And then by the end when all the gang vocal choir stuff is happening, he’s in the air, so it just makes sense there. I love this sort of collaboration of nothing being the final product until the movie is fully done, and being able to see back and forth.”

Jordan said that Universal’s initial request for “Kiss the Sky” was “they want the song to be a song that lives in the scene but also stands alone, you can just listen to it, and it’s a record.” But at one point, the songwriters were asked to try and expand it to better fit the scene, leading to a meeting with “The Wild Robot” director Chris Sanders and composer Kris Bowers. “We were toying with the idea, ‘Do we need to write new sections and make the song last longer? Do we need to go do a crazy switch-up bridge or something?’,” said Jordan. 

Eventually, more people from Universal and other producers from the film got involved, until the conclusion became that an expansion of the song should be in collaboration with Bowers, and incorporated into the film score in order to maintain the ability for “Kiss the Sky” to stand on its own. “If we start doing this, it’s going to get into a real musical territory, which is ok if that’s what you want, but if you want to stay on the record, I feel like this is a job for Kris,” said the producer, recalling the conversation. “And thank God. The way he executed it, he did it to perfection where he kept the soul of the song in there, even muting and isolating different parts of the track, and just figured out a way to stretch it as long as he did.”

Kris Bowers, Maren Morris, Stefan Johnson and Jordan K. Johnson attend ‘The Wild Robot’ Los Angeles screening and tastemaker event presented by DreamWorks Animation.Leon Bennett/Getty Images for DreamWorks Animation

Morris gave credit to her collaborators for their willingness to put what would serve the film first. “Producers are interesting. They don’t always want to send over stems, and Kris Bowers is so grateful that Stefan and Jordan sent over stems so he could tweak it and elongate the scene and lower that key at the very end of the sequence,” she said. “Being able to trust each other in the dark, that must be a thing in the movie world where you don’t know until you go.” 

Stefan echoed the sentiments of his fellow songwriters, saying “​​We knew it was going to be special, but specifically when you see it in the scene and what Kris Bowers did, he needs all his flowers over and over because he just really delivered at the highest level for this entire film, and this scene specifically.” He added, “You have high hopes for a song, but to see it in the film while it’s happening at such a pivotal scene, it really did feel really special. And it enhances the experience of listening to the song even more to me.”

This being all three of their first times writing an original song for a film, especially an animated one, which can be an even longer process, Morris and the Johnsons take a lot of pride in the final product, still getting emotional when “Kiss the Sky” plays within the context of the film. “You’re already on this journey emotionally with Kris Bowers’ score, and obviously the visuals and the story, but once ‘Kiss the Sky’ kicks in, every single time I’ve watched this movie and every screening, it just feels like dynamite. The movie was already taking you on this really emotional trajectory, and then that acoustic kicks in and you’re like, ‘Oh, shit,’” said Morris. 

“It’s when the tears officially start to come, and from then on, there’s multiple scenes where the tears flow, but this is definitely the kickoff point,” said Stefan.

“Yeah, it’s almost diabolical,” said Morris in agreement. “You don’t ever want to make your wife cry, but in this moment that means you’re at the top,” said Jordan, who also mentioned that she and their daughters made a huge sign in their house, complete with glitter and confetti, to congratulate him for his work on the movie, which they’re now obsessed with.

‘The Wild Robot’DreamWorks

Morris is still processing how something she worked on can now be a core memory for not just her four-year-old son, but for children around the world. “Every time I hear Hans Zimmer’s score for ‘The Lion King,’ I’m just instantly transported and in tears. And the fact that Kris has already done that for millions of families, it’s just so emotional,” she said. “And then having this song in the film, it made me realize Hayes is going to grow up someday and maybe have a family of his own, and his whole life know that this song was inspired by my relationship with him — that just rocked my world.”

To have their first song together, “The Middle,” be the phenomenon that is was, and then come back together years later to write a second song that is now pegged for an Oscar nomination, is almost like catching lightning in a bottle twice in a row—especially with how “Kiss the Sky” required Morris and the Johnson to sync up with even more creatives. “There’s so much hard work and talent, but also there’s got to be luck involved too with this working out so well,” said Morris, who continues to work with the Monsters and Strangerz on her upcoming fourth LP. “There’s a lot of other versions of your first film opportunity that aren’t as amazing as this. So the luck and gratefulness and thankfulness is very high, said Stefan. “All the producers, the directors, Kris, Mike, everybody over there at the team. We’re just very grateful that they put this crew together. It feels like when stars align, stars align.”

For more from Morris, director Chris Sanders, and more collaborators involved in “Kiss the Sky,” watch an exclusive video above. “The Wild Robot” will arrive on Peacock on January 24.