Sam Hunt says he plans to be even more vulnerable and honest on his sophomore album.

In an interview with Taste of Country and other media outlets aboard the cruise ship Carnival Splendor earlier this month, the "Make You Miss Me" singer discussed his forthcoming album at great length, sharing the pressures he feels to release a follow-up to his debut album, Montevallo.

“I want to be more vulnerable and more honest than I was on the first record, and that’s obviously going to require me to write the songs,” the 2017 Taste of Country Music Festival headliner says. “I’m going to tap into my own life. If I want that record to reflect real experiences in my life then I'm going to have to write the songs.”

It has been two years since Hunt released Montevallo.  He scored four No. 1 singles off the album -- “Make You Miss Me,” “Take Your Time” “Leave the Night On” and “House Party” -- which makes him the first solo male artist to top Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart four times with singles from a debut album since the chart’s January 1990 launch. The singer-songwriter admits there has been some pressure for his follow up album.

“I’m trying to figure out how to be efficient as a songwriter with … new obligations and a new lifestyle that prevents me from being as free to write,” he adds. “I’m sort of figuring all that out. But it’s coming along. I don’t want to rush it.”

While he says there is a model in Nashville that artists typically release a record every two years, he's waiting until he has a collection he feels is finished and ready for fans' ears.

“There’s all these rules that I’ve just sort of thrown out the window. … I’ll put music out when I feel like it’s ready," Hunt says.

Update: On January 1 Hunt released the very personal "Drinkin Too Much."

Things We Learned About Sam Hunt on a Cruise Ship

Sam Hunt's Roots? Bet You Didn't Know All of This! 

More From Taste of Country