As "God Gave Me a Girl" continues ascending the country charts, Russell Dickerson is offering a behind-the-scenes look at writing the real-life-inspired romantic ode.

"I'm an extrovert. I'm a seven on the Enneagram, if anybody knows what that is. So I avoid pain at all costs," Russell tells ABC Audio. "To dig back into those tough moments, those mistakes that I made of breaking up with my wife before we were married, obviously, [was painful]."

For "God Gave Me a Girl," Russell also made a conscientious decision to slow down things down, instead of opting for a typical euphoric live show and radio-ready uptempo production like his earlier hits "Blue Tacoma" and "Every Little Thing."

"It was like, 'Man, let's slow down a little bit and like, what was it about the teen years that made them so good? And what story do I want to tell about this breakup that we had?'" he says.

"God Gave Me a Girl" is currently #4 on the country charts. The song is off his latest self-titled album, which arrived in November 2022.

To see Russell on his ongoing headlining Big Wheels and Back Roads fall tour, visit russelldickerson.com.

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