Is Maren Morris leaving country music? Singer responds to 'toxic' critique in 'The Bridge'

Multiple-time award-winning country and pop star vocalist Maren Morris is working on her fourth studio album. However, in the interim, "The Bridge," a new EP described by the performer as "(connective), transitional," and "intermediate" work, has arrived, reports the Nashville Tennessean, which is a part of the USA TODAY Network.

Via social media, Morris adds that her two new tracks: "The Tree," produced by Greg Kurstin and "Get the Hell Out of Here," produced by Jack Antonoff, are "incredibly key to my next step because they express a very righteously angry and liberating phase of my life these last couple of years."

She adds, that her "(metaphorical) navigation is finally pointing towards the future, whatever that may be or sound like. Honoring where I've been and what I've achieved in country music, but also freely moving forward."

As part of that growth, she will appear alongside her frequent duet partner, Hozier, on the latest edition of CMT's "Crossroads" series. The program, previously recorded, will debut on Sept. 22 at 10 p.m. ET with an immediate encore at 11 p.m. ET, and on Sept. 23 at noon ET.

Following her 2016 single "My Church" achieving top-ten country chart success, 2018 saw her Zedd and Grey collaboration "The Middle "become an international top-ten pop single. A year later, her 2019 album "Girl" was an all-genre top-five release and featured Hozier duet "The Bones," which, alongside hitting the top of Billboard's country charts, spent 19 consecutive weeks as country music's top-selling song in 2020.

Regarding her new material, "The Tree," she posted a video teaser of her singing the song's lyric, "I'm done filling a cup with a hole in the bottom."

The video is her most pointed retort to date to her ongoing disagreements with country couple Jason and Brittany Aldean – as well as making more pointed statements about feeling welcomed in a genre where she was awarded the Best New Artist trophy at 2016's Country Music Awards.

She's wearing the dress she wore to the 2016 CMAs, which, as of 2022, she (didn't) know if (she) feel (at) home" there.

The video features a "go woke go broke" sign – a frequent, antagonized social media response directed at her liberal politics and social values.

It also alludes to a moment two weeks to the date one year ago when then Fox News host Tucker Carlson referred to Morris as a "lunatic country music person" in conversation with Brittany Aldean.

The conversation followed news that her husband, Jason, had split from his longtime publicity firm after Brittany, his social media influencer wife, wrote on Instagram, "I'd really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life."

While Aldean received support from many of her followers, the post was also criticized by supporters of the LGBTQ+ community, including Morris.

More: Maren Morris tells Tennessee 'arrest me' during show after introducing her toddler to drag queens

On Twitter, Maren had earlier suggested Brittany was "a scumbag human," adding, "Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie."

Carlson also added that Morris needed to "leave country music" because of the "viciousness" of her "attack."

Now, deeper, she continues, "'The Tree' is about a toxic 'family tree' burning itself to the ground. Halfway through, I realize it's burning itself down without any of my help. This song evokes the pain of exhausting all your love and time for this person or "entity" but realizing it's just a draining, transactional relationship that isn't nourishing in any healthy way. By the end of the song, I give myself permission to face the sun, plant new seeds where it's safer to grow and realize that sometimes there IS greener grass elsewhere."

Regarding "Get the Hell Out of Here," she refers to it as "the part two to the tree burning" and the story of me feeling pulled in every direction, needing everyone else's understanding and acceptance but my own and how self-destructive that ultimately became."

"I relinquish control of trying to change everyone's mind or bad behavior and focus on my own power going forward. Doing the right thing can feel lonely at times, but there are more friends than foes, so I finally quit making myself one of them," she adds.

Morris is finishing an arena tour with The Chicks in Canada following a run of European dates and a sold-out headline show at London's O2 Forum Kentish Town.

This follows a 2022 that saw her critically acclaimed album "Humble Quest" earn three Grammy nominations.

As well, in allyship to the LGBTQ+ community, she covered Billboard's Pride month issue, was honored at the GLAAD Media Awards and performed at Nashville's Love Rising Benefit, raising money to fight anti-LGBTQ legislation in Tennessee.

In case you missed: Maren Morris stays humble and defiant: 'You can reach a certain level as long as you stay there'

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Maren Morris talks 'toxic' country music critics with new EP