CECE DAWSON
If Megan Moroney’s music feels relatable that’s because, well, she is.
Sure, most people can’t relate to accolades including an ACM win for New Female Artist of the Year (where she was also the most nominated female artist of the 2024 show); a No. 1, 2x Platinum debut single; and surpassing a billion total global streams across all platforms; but listening to Moroney’s music feels reminiscent of a much-needed venting session with your best friend. It’s her ability to write songs that listeners can easily see themselves in that has captured the attention of fans, as well as the music industry at large. And maybe the reason the Georgia- native’s music feels so relatable is because up until roughly two years ago, Moroney was just a typical twenty-four-year-old.
“I grew up in a musical household. My dad and brother played guitar, so there were always guitars around, and I can’t even remember when I started singing. I feel like the day I was born I probably came out singing,” Moroney laughs. “But music was always just going to be a hobby for me and something I got to do with my dad and brother whenever I came home because I went to school to be an accountant at the University of Georgia. Where I’m from – and I’m sure in Nashville it’s much different – when we had career days no one comes in and says, ‘I’m a songwriter.’ I didn’t know you could do that with your life.”
But a lot can change in a short amount of time, and Moroney is no longer a stranger to establishing a career (an illustrious one, at that) in songwriting. After performing at a campus event attended by country artist Chase Rice during her freshman year, Rice invited Moroney to open for him at the Georgia Theatre, as long as she had an original song. Never having written one of her own, Moroney rose to the occasion, completed her first-ever original song, and fell in love with performing. She then changed her major and joined UGA’s music business program, later landing an internship with multi-award- winning artist, songwriter, producer, and one-half of the country music duo Sugarland, Kristian Bush. Upon graduation, Moroney made the move to Nashville in hopes of building her own music career.
But nothing could have prepared her for the breakout success she found in 2022 with the release of her debut EP, Pistol Made of Roses, followed by her massive hit single “Tennessee Orange.” As one of only nine solo female country artists in this century to hit No. 1 with their debut single, the 2x Platinum track propelled Moroney into stardom and ‘It Girl’ status. The single showcased Moroney’s knack for honest storytelling and powerhouse vocals that listeners immediately fell in love with. And in 2023, she cemented her spot among country music’s greatest newcomers with the release of her acclaimed full-length debut album, Lucky.
Already having achieved what most people dream of for a lifetime in just two short years, Moroney is the first to admit it all feels surreal.
“I pinch myself all the time like, ‘Is this really happening? Do I really get to do these cool things?’ I just try to take time to be grateful for it every day, because I know this doesn’t get to happen for everyone. I love music and I’m so fulfilled by writing songs, playing shows, and meeting my fans that I hope I can continue it, but I’m just so grateful every day,” says Moroney. “My parents came to my biggest headlining show in St. Augustine, Florida, and they were looking at me, and their jaws just dropped like, ‘When did this happen?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know either!’ Everything changed in the past two years. It’s all so new to me, and I’m just trying to stay grounded and remind myself that this is a very once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
To the delight of her fans, Moroney is not letting up on the hard work, and 2024 is already shaping up to be a huge year for the star. Following up the massive success of Lucky, Moroney’s highly anticipated sophomore album Am I Okay? arrives July 12. Produced by frequent collaborator Kristian Bush, Am I Okay? feels like a more vulnerable, grown-up extension of Lucky. Capturing a full scope of emotions spanning the pain of heartbreak to the power of moving on, the album is a case study in the art of honest storytelling; something that Moroney was careful not to squander with the pressure that often comes on the heels of a successful debut.
“I tried not to put too much pressure on it because everyone says your sophomore album is the hardest to write. I just started doing what I’ve always done and writing about what’s going on in my life,” Moroney explains. “I wrote a lot of this album while I was on tour. Sometimes I was writing about things that were going on in my life and sometimes I would be writing about the past. I didn’t put pressure on it, and it came together exactly how I hoped it would. I just kind of stuck to what I’ve always done, which is being honest about things that I’ve gone through to try to put it into songs so people feel less alone.”
The album opens with the high-energy title track that perfectly describes the shock and excitement that come with finding someone new after a breakup. Emerging from a heartbreak and rediscovering happiness, the chorus begs the question, “Oh my god, am I okay?” And for many reasons, that question felt like the perfect name for this album.
“I love the title Am I Okay? because I think you can listen to every single song on this album and whether it’s a good ‘Am I okay?’ or a bad ‘Am I okay?’ I’m asking, ‘Am I okay?’ I feel like it’s a universal experience to not be okay, and I love that it kind of ties everything together,” Moroney says. “I feel like this album is more honest and vulnerable than I’ve ever been. Because I have the EP and the first album out, I’ve built a relationship with my fans where I can be more honest and more vulnerable about real things I’ve gone through and things I haven’t talked about yet. There’s a song called “Heaven By Noon” about loss on this album, there’s a song about my friend, and there’s a little bit of everything, which I love. There are hopeful songs, songs about breakups, move-on anthems, and it just feels like a continuation of Lucky because it’s only been a year [since the album], but it definitely feels like its own thing. It’s grown up and more intense.”
Moroney wrote or co-wrote every song on the album, and her raw and real storytelling is on full display from start to finish. Never shying away from the tough emotions, Moroney’s vulnerable side takes center stage on “28th of June.” One of the most heart-wrenching songs on the album, the piano ballad captures the same punch-in- the-gut feeling that comes with the realization of a would-be anniversary becoming just another day after a breakup, and all the memories that come rushing back.
CECE DAWSON
Later, Moroney explores the painful emotions of a physical loss on “Heaven By Noon.” The beautifully heartbreaking track contrasts the certainty and questions that coexist with grief. There’s the certainty of knowing someone is pain-free in heaven, just as there is the grappling with an endless list of “what ifs” and “would haves” had you known that person would be “in heaven by noon.”
“It’s a blessing and a curse that I feel things very deeply. I can really get into that headspace and remember all the emotions and remember what [an experience] felt like, and I try to translate that into songs,” Moroney says.
But there’s still plenty of Moroney’s signature sass and charm on this album, too. The move-on anthem, “Indifferent,” sums up the euphoric feelings of relief when you realize you’re no longer hung up on an ex. It’s a song you can’t help but scream-sing with the windows down on a summertime drive. And on the cheeky, country- rock track “Man on the Moon,” Moroney’s fun-loving spirit shines when she describes being so done with a man’s mind games and hot-and-cold behavior that you want to send him to the moon.
“Sad songs have always made me happy, and I gravitate towards sad songs. But how my personality is, that’s not where I stay, ever. Even if I’m really sad, the next day maybe I’m feeling like I want to send a man to the moon, and I’m confident. I feel like music gives the listener permission to feel a certain way, and I want my fans to feel that you can be sad, and vulnerable, and heartbroken, but you can also pick yourself back up and be indifferent and tough,” says Moroney. “Miranda Lambert did a great job of doing that for me when I was younger, so it’s really kind of like a full circle moment to be able to do that for other people now.”
Whether she’s singing about the all-too-relatable frustration of getting a late-night call from an ex as soon as you’ve started moving on with your life on “No Caller ID,” or praising the power and support system that comes from her best girlfriends on “The Girls,” it’s easy for listeners to apply the songs on this album to their own lives. And for Moroney, that’s the beauty of songwriting.
“I think as humans, we’re not that much different, like everyone tries to make us out to be,” she says. “We all go through the same things, and that’s why the more honest you are, and the more you can really feel an emotion, whether it’s happy or sad, the better I can translate it into a song. I think there’s power in being vulnerable. If someone doesn’t want to be vulnerable and they listen to my song and see that I’m doing it, and that I’m okay, then it kind of gives them the strength to feel that way too.”
And when it comes to the finished product of this album, it’s that honesty to herself, her work, and her fans that Moroney is most proud of.
“I’m proud of being able to shut out the noise and create music that feels so me. It’s hard when you get shot up into the spotlight and everyone has an opinion on what you should be doing, and I feel like with every song on this album I have stuck to who I am, blocked out all of the noise, and just moved forward in my songwriting,” Moroney explains. “It’s still me, and it’s what I want to be making. I feel like it’s difficult as an artist to stay true to yourself when there are so many outside opinions.”
Luckily, most of those outside opinions are overwhelmingly positive. This May, at the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards, Moroney won her first ACM award for New Female Artist of the Year. It’s a coveted honor she’s still in awe over.
“That’s one of those moments where it’s insane and hard to wrap my head around,” Moroney says. “I look at people who have won that award in the past and they’re all people who I look up to and respect, and the fact that my name is up there with them now is so surreal. I just know I could not do that without my fans. I know that I don’t get the respect from the industry without building something special, and because my fans show up for me that is how I even got there. I’m just so grateful for everyone involved. I still can’t believe it.”
And her fans continue to show up nationwide as Moroney tours throughout the summer. Not only is she joining Kenny Chesney’s massive Sun Goes Down Tour, but Moroney is also headlining in between those dates with her own sold-out The Lucky 2.0 Tour.
“Kenny Chesney is such a great mentor, and being able to learn from him, his team, his crew, and to see how he performs — every single night I watch his whole set. I grew up listening to his music, and to be on tour with him is a dream come true,” Moroney says.
“It’s definitely hard work because you’re away from your friends and family, and you’re not living a normal life because you live on a tour bus, but I just find it so rewarding,” she continues. “I get to meet fans before my show, and seeing the look in their eyes during certain songs has changed my life. I look at it differently. It’s almost like now I have a responsibility, too, on top of wanting to write songs for myself. I can tell songs that I’m writing are really making a difference in people’s lives, and that’s the kind of thing I want to keep doing.”
To say that Moroney has a busy year ahead is an understatement. And although she has virtually no days off this summer, she still has some favorite ways to spend her rare breaks back home in Nashville.
“In the summer months, like yesterday, I got home in the morning, but I did go to the pool in the afternoon because it was really nice outside and I feel like I always need more Vitamin D. But in the winter months, I just stay in my bed and order Uber Eats. I basically just hibernate,” she laughs.
What could be more relatable than that?