Maddie & Tae take on social issues with debut album

Maddie & Tae rose to the top of the charts with their hit single, "Girl in a Country Song," which gained attention for tackling female stereotypes. Rolling Stone called them one of the "10 new artists you need to know," describing their music as "sugar and spice and everything nice, over country hooks sharp enough to draw at least a few drops of blood."

The two rising stars are now back with a second single, "Fly," off their highly-anticipated debut album, "Start Here.

Both 20 years old, the duo has been writing music together for five years. They told "CBS This Morning" Wednesday that they wanted to challenge "bro country" by providing a female perspective.

"I think there was about three months of walking into a writing room and being like, 'Man! I heard this song on the radio and cannot believe that this guy is speaking to this woman this way,'" said Maddie Marlow.

"So [we] just wanted to write a song and kind of vent our feelings, and it just so happened that our fans really believed in what we were saying," added Tae Dye.

The singers also tackle an array of other issues through their songs, including friendships, relationships and the importance of not giving up. Their song, "Sierra," was inspired by a school bully.

"She just was the one-upper, made everyone feel so small about themselves. Definitely, I think the biggest message with that song is to never allow someone to define your self-worth, because I did do that and I did fall for that trap," said Marlow, who said singing about it was her means of healing.

The girls first met when they were 15, thanks to a vocal coach who held a showcase for student performances. Marlow is from Texas and Dye is from Oklahoma, but both attended the event and said they connected instantly because of their shared passion for writing music.

"Your peers are thinking about what they're going to wear for homecoming, and we were like, 'What are we going to wear for our red carpet one day?' So our minds were just so beyond the years," said Dye.

Last year, Maddie & Tae performed at the Grand Ole Opry, which the pair had first visited to see country star Vince Gill.

"And we actually met him last night, so it was one of those moments where we were like, 'Is this happening?' But like you said, he knows our name, so it's so cool to be even associated with some of our legends," said Dye.

They also expressed gratitude to their fans and shared a memorable experience of meeting them in Bakersville, California, last week.

"I've never seen someone so overjoyed in my life, and to think that she was so overjoyed to meet us, I was so humbled and just honored that we were bringing so much joy to one person," said Marlow.