After releasing his self-titled debut album in August 2015, Michael Ray dropped his sophomore album, Amos, in June 2018.

The title of his second album paid tribute to his late grandfather, Amos, who helped foster Michael’s love of country music. Michael first began singing and performing in his grandfather’s band when he was only 9 years old. The Florida native still plays Amos’ 1978 Les Paul guitar as a reminder of the time they spent together.

Between the two albums, Michael has scored No. 1 hits with “Kiss You in the Morning,” “Think A Little Less” and “One That Got Away.” His current single, “Her World or Mine,” which is the third single from Amos, is No. 22 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.

As Michael, 32, told Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown, he hopes to be able to continue to show his musical “growth and evolution” on his next album.

“I think the music should change,” says Michael to Kix. “I think you should be able to look back on your first record five records later and go, ‘Wow, I wouldn’t have done that now. Man, look at how far we came.’ And, I think that’s just the growth and evolution of touring and being inspired by not just the people you grew up listening to but your peers and discovering, you know, yourself and getting better. I feel like what I want to strive to do is have people listen to my music and have them hear the influence of [Merle] Haggard or George Jones—the influence of those men and women that I grew up playing their music with my grandfather’s band, you know? I think that’s something I’ll always have. I just think that’s embedded in me, but I do think that, yeah, as it grows, I think the third record is gonna sound different than the second, than this Amos record, and the fourth and the fifth and so on. I think it just shows growth and it shows, you know, that you’re on the right path.”