Country star Brett Eldredge has been open about his decision to take a step back from using social media, but how is it affecting his music? During a recent press event in Nashville, the 33-year-old opened up about what inspired him to drastically decrease his time spent with technology.

"On the road, you get used to the autopilot and you shut out your personal life. I've been very self-aware," Eldredge explains. "I started the year in Malibu, by myself, with a flip phone, no social media, and I deleted all those apps. I just got deep with myself."

That choice to break away from the world of Instagram, Facebook and Twitter has given Eldredge more time to enjoy and soak up the world around him.

"I recommend it to everybody," he says. "I was the guy that was on [my phone] all the time. I sleep so much better now. As somebody who got very overwhelmed at times, now I just feel very comfortable, and its not just because of my flip phone. It's because I'm taking the time to really slow it down, and it really makes you create on a much deeper level."

Although getting rid of his smartphone has helped him cut down on his screen time, Eldredge says it has also caused a few navigational issues. "You get very lost when you can’t use maps or take Uber," he jokes. Changing up his technology habits has had a big influence on his writing process for his next album, too.

"A phone is the smallest thing, but really, it is everything. I used to go and create a demo, but now I'm just taking a recorder or phone and letting the song be as raw as possible," Eldredge shares. "It's very organic."

With more time to spend on channeling his creativity, Eldredge says he's been hard at work on new music. Fans will have to hold out a little bit longer to hear what he has in store, but Eldredge promises that it will be well worth the wait.

"Now I have the platform to tell my story in a bigger way and I'm giving myself the freedom to do that now more than ever by changing up my life, both personally and professionally," he says. "I think that makes me create something on a much deeper level and fans are going to notice a huge difference."

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