by Megan Moroney admits she has bad taste in men. But it served her well in her musical career.
The country music artist burst onto the scene in 2023 with the release of her song, “Tennessee Orange”. That song, about a Georgia girl – and Bulldogs fan – falling for a Tennessee Volunteers fan, has now been certified double platinum and put Moroney on the map.
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Since then, the Sony Music Nashville/Columbia Records artist has taken home several awards, performed on shows ranging from “Today” to “Good Morning America,” and headlined her own tour.
On Sunday night, she was up for three awards at the CMT Music Awards and performed twice, one of her duets with the group Old Dominion.
Before his country music success, the 26-year-old from Savannah, Ga., was studying accounting at the University of Georgia. “But this is a thousand times better,” she said with a laugh from her hotel room in Austin, Tex., as she prepared for her CMT performances.
“It’s very surreal to see how everything happened and how it unfolded,” Moroney said of her overnight success. “I used to sing with my father because I enjoyed doing it. And it was always just a hobby for me. And even when I moved to Nashville, I thought, this is probably still going to be a hobby for me. And if it doesn’t work out, I’m going to work for a label so I can be in the music business, because I knew that was more fulfilling for me than accounting. You know, they always say you move to the big city and you don’t have a plan B, but I have very realistic parents who remind me that I always needed a plan B because they weren’t going to pay for it for me to live.”
It turns out that she didn’t have to pressure her parents to spend money for a long time.
After the initial success of “Tennessee Orange,” Moroney rode the wave and released her debut full-length album, “Lucky,” which showcased her songwriting skills on tunes such as “I’m Not Pretty,” which was up for both. CMT Women’s Video of the Year and Digital Award for First Performance of the Year. She was also nominated with Old Dominion for the duet, “Can’t Break Up Now.”
She has been writing songs since her freshman year of college and many of her tunes are raw and personal. Her two newest releases – “No Caller ID” and “28th of June” – are heartbreaking songs, but she’s okay with letting people into her life.
“I have terrible taste in men,” she said with a laugh. “I’m working on that.
“But I think I’ve always been kind of an open book,” she continued. “And it’s very therapeutic for me to write a song. There is strength and vulnerability. And the stories I told about my personal life, like ‘Girl in the Mirror,’ which I know helped a lot [people].”
But it’s not about heartbreak for Moroney. In the video for “I’m Not Pretty”, she takes a tongue-in-cheek approach with a song about how she’s “her ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend” and says she’s not pretty. She plays both parts in the film which she also coded. “It was a really cool process to be a part of, and I felt like I was expanding my creative brain even more,” she said.
Collaborating with Old Dominion has been a highlight of Moroney’s career thus far.
“I was sent a bunch of duets from a bunch of different artists and I felt like none of them really fit until I heard the Old Dominion one,” she said. “It’s different from my stuff, but still on brand. And I’m a big fan of Old Dominion. I literally saw them on tour with Thomas Rhett in 2017. I was hooked so it’s just one of those things where I got to sing with them, and even perform with them at the CMT awards — it’s crazy. . I have to remind myself that I’m not dreaming.”
At the awards, Moroney had four outfit changes, each a different look tailored for her by designer Stefanie Naylor. The California-based designer contacted her on Instagram and they hit it off immediately. Since then, Naylor has dressed Moroney for her tour, award shows and stage appearances, helping the artist establish her own personal style.
“My red carpet and presenter dresses are both pink because I wanted to pay homage to that ‘I’m Not Pretty’ music video,” she said. “So I went with a light baby pink and then a hot pink. Then I perform ‘No Caller ID,’ and I’m wearing the classic dress that I always wear on stage — the same shape, but it’s light blue, because the dress I wore on my album cover is light blue. I wear cowgirl boots with that.
“And then my Old Dominion performance dress is a short black mini dress with heels – I’ve grown like six inches. And they were all designed by Stefanie. I literally tell her for about three seconds what I have in my brain and she comes up with it. And hair changes will depend on the dress.”
Offstage, however, Moroney said his style is “very different. I think the singer version of myself is more. I wear my hair naturally — I don’t have seven pounds of hair on my head. I don’t do the lashes or anything. It’s very cool. But on stage, it’s like the polar opposite. I love to dress up and be fabulous. Yes, I think it’s a lot of fun but it’s definitely a stage look.”
So what’s next for Moroney? She said she is almost ready to finish the next album.
“I literally live in the studio, and I’m almost done,” she said. “There will be a few things to do in the back, but we’re getting there.”
She will also have a full summer. Not only will she headline her “Lucky 2.0” tour, but she’ll also be opening for Kenny Chesney, playing Stagecoach and Lollapalooza festivals and heading over to the UK for her first overseas tour.
Take a look back at Megan Moroney as she prepares for the 2024 CMT Awards in the gallery below:
Megan Moroney Ready for the 2024 CMT Awards, Photos
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“You know, I think I’m still trying to figure out how to juggle my day,” she said. “I can’t even think about what I’ll be doing three months from now, because it’s amazing to be touring everywhere. But it is also difficult to be present and to be present. I think I’m mostly off in November and December so I’ll be able to be at home and relax.”
But not for long, as Moroney has many goals for his career including selling out more venues while continuing to connect with his fans and add some new followers.
“And I want to play Red Rocks and the Royal Albert Hall in the UK. – random things.”
Launch Gallery: Ready With Megan Moroney for the 2024 CMT Awards, Photos
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