Maren Morris Challenged by Work on Sophomore Album

Maren Morris is putting the finishing touches on her sophomore album, the follow-up to her 2016 No. 1 Hero record. The project, Morris admits, has been a challenge to strike the balance between making the same kind of music her fans already love, while not becoming stagnant as an artist.

"What's hard about the second record is that you want to move the sound forward, but not depart too drastically from the first record," Morris tells CMT. "Because the first one is what people fell in love with, so if you abandon that completely and are too much of a chameleon, then you lose those people who loved your early stuff. We have to strike that balance."

The new bride met her husband, Ryan Hurd, in a writing session, penning "Last Turn Home" for Tim McGraw. While her songwriting has definitely improved since her early years, Morris is proud of the young woman she was back then.

"I used to look back and think, 'Oh my God. How did I write this down? How did I think this was good?'" explains Morris. "But now I'm less critical, maybe because I'm less critical of myself in general.

"Now I'm impressed with what I wrote back then. It wasn't too bad. I was on a roll," she continues, "and I was getting started. It's just from your heart and untainted. Everyone has to start somewhere."

Few artists have the early success Morris had, with her platinum-selling debut single, "My Church," landing in the Top 5, and an opening slot on Keith Urban's Ripcord Tour. Those experiences, going from a small-town Texas girl to a household name, will be reflected on her new set of tunes.

"Every year as you get older, you start to settle into yourself even more," Morris maintains. "Then there's fame, and then you're starting to have your face and your name out there. But you still have to be humble and down to earth, and not getting wrapped up in what others think about you. I think my writing has reflected that, by really staying true to what I do and not letting any sort of success alter what made 'My Church' so special in the beginning."

The 28-year-old hints that her next album might blur the genre lines, but her music will always remain connected to country music.

"I'm kind of getting out of my comfort zone on this next record but I'm still writing with a lot of the same friends of mine that were on the first," Morris says. "That kind of shapes the sound for me is just connecting the dots of all the songs.So it's a little bit of everything but still really rooted in a country where I'll always be."

Morris will spend the summer on the road with Niall Horan on his Flicker World Tour. Find dates at MarenMorris.com.

Photo Credit: Instagram/marenmorris