In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, Maren Morris said that she is leaving country music in order to explore a broader range of musical influences on her upcoming third studio album. Maren released two new songs on Friday. She feels that there has been more sociopolitical division within the genre and that has made it harder for her to participate. "I'd say, sure, congratulations on crossing over onto the big all-genre chart," Maren told the Times, referring to mainstream hits from Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs and more. "But the stories going on within country music right now, I've tried to avoid a lot of it at all costs. I feel very, very distanced from it." Maren says she never set out to become a political artist. "I just wrote songs about real life through a lens of deep respect for my country heroes. But the further you get into the country music business, that's when you start to see the cracks," she says. "And once you see it, you can't un-see it. So you start doing everything you can with the little power you have to make things better." Maren has been working with pop producer Jack Antonoff on her new album and she says she's "still writing."