Maren Morris Says New EP 'Is the Distillation of the Strangest Year of My Life' After Divorce: 'Scariest Reset Button'

"We all deserve peace in these very short few trips around the sun," Morris said as she shared a reflective post on Instagram while marking the release of 'Intermission'

Maren Morris visits SiriusXM's 'The Howard Stern Show'
Maren Morris in New York City in December 2023. Photo:

Cindy Ord/Getty Images

It's been a year of change for Maren Morris.

As her new five-song EP Intermission dropped at midnight on Friday, Aug. 2, Morris, 34, shared a reflective message on Instagram in which she opened up about hitting the "scariest reset button."

"Intermission is the distillation of the strangest year of my life. i decided to hit the scariest reset button i could have ever conceptualized and there was no looking back," Morris, who filed for divorce from her husband, country songwriter and musician Ryan Hurd, in October 2023, wrote.

"The lengths one will go to feel joy again are sometimes desperate and terrifying as all get out, but we all deserve peace in these very short few trips around the sun," the "Circles Around This Town" singer added, sharing the post with her EP track "Push Me Over" playing in the background.

Morris continued, "Here’s my heart’s journey and gamut of emotions in 5 songs. as i weave through loss, catharsis, sexuality and gratitude, i hope you can hear the light coming back to me in these stories and somewhere, perhaps, see it mirrored back in you," signing the post, "Love, m."

PEOPLE reported in January that Morris and Hurd, who married in 2018, had reached a settlement agreement in their divorce.

Amid other details, they also came to an agreement on a parenting plan, which would see them split their time with son Hayes Andrew, 4, evenly, and would have Morris pay Hurd $2,100 in child support each month.

On June 9, Morris then revealed she identifies as bisexual while celebrating Pride Month.

"happy to be the B in LGBTQ+," Morris wrote on Instagram alongside photos of herself holding Pride flags during her RSVP Redux Tour stop in Phoenix. "happy pride."

Maren Morris and US singer Ryan Hurd attend the Pre-GRAMMY Gala & GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons Honoring Julie Greenwald & Craig Kallman at The Beverly Hilton on February 04, 2023
Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd in Beverly Hills in February 2023.

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

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On July 29, Morris opened up about her vulnerable new EP, which arrives after several major shifts in her life and career.

"Calling this project Intermission was intentional. It's obviously a lyric at the end of the song 'Cut!,' but it's also meaning that there's more to come," the musician shared in an Instagram video, referencing the project's lead single featuring Julia Michaels.

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"It's a break in the act, and for me, it's definitely an act break and new chapter of my life, and I'm so ready to see what's on the other page," she continued of the EP. "I just am so proud of this music. It wasn't easy to write because I'm going through a lot, and this is the diary of that."

Morris added, "But it's also, like, the most fun music as well as the most heartbreaking because i'm allowing myself to go there — 'cause I don't have to protect anyone anymore. It's just about my feelings. So, I hope you love it."

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