Maren Morris says the creation of her much-anticipated sophomore album, Girl, was an intentional process. She allowed herself to slow down and let the project come to life on its own schedule.

"I think what I learned making this record is that ... it's perfectly okay to take your time," Morris tells The Boot. "Don't feel like you're in a rush because it's time to put the second album out."

Girl is set to drop Friday (March 8), nearly three full years after Morris' debut album, 2016's Hero, arrived. "I gave myself the time to be on the road, to get married, to really give these songs that I had written time to breathe," Morris reflects.

Indeed, it's been a busy three years for Morris: As her star has risen, she's been on the road non-stop and planned a wedding in addition to creating her new music. Morris married fellow songwriter and artist Ryan Hurd about one year ago, in March of 2018.

"I really believe in the art of an album still, in a full story," Morris notes, "so giving these songs time to breathe is what I had to learn, and to be patient with myself, be patient with the process."

Morris shared bits of the writing process for Girl with her fans along the way to the new album's release. When they finally get their hands on it, she says, she hopes they feel the love and care that went into it.

"It's layers and layers of thought and intention," she says, "so I hope that when fans hear this, and see it, and open the vinyl, put it on -- I hope that they hear and feel the love that was put into it by so many of the people that I work with."

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