Megan Moroney admits she has bad taste in men. But it has served her quite well in her music career.
The country artist burst onto the scene in 2023 when her song “Tennessee Orange” was released. That song, about a Georgia girl – and Bulldogs fan – who falls for a Crimson Tides fan from Alabama, 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 won several awards, performed on shows from ‘Today’ to ‘Good Morning America’ and headlined her own tour.
On Sunday evening she was up for three prizes at the CMT Music Awards and performed twice, including one duet with the Old Dominion group.
Before finding success in country music, the 26-year-old from Savannah, Georgia, studied accounting at the University of Georgia. “But this is a thousand times better,” she said, laughing from her hotel room in Austin, Texas, as she prepared for her CMT appearances.
“It’s very surreal to see how everything happened and unfolded,” Moroney said of her seemingly overnight success. “I literally only used to sing with my father because I enjoyed doing it. And for me it was always just a hobby. And even when I moved to Nashville, I thought, this will probably still be a hobby for me. And if it doesn’t work out, I’ll just go work for a label so I can work in the music business, because I knew that was more fulfilling for me than accounting. You know, they always say you move to the 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 wouldn’t pay for me to live.
Turns out she didn’t have to lean on her parents for long for spending money.
After the initial success of ‘Tennessee Orange’, Moroney rode the wave and released a full-length debut album, ‘Lucky’, which showcased her songwriting skills on songs like ‘I’m Not Pretty’, which suited both a CMT Female Video of the Year and Digital-First Performance of the Year Award. She was also nominated together 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 songs are raw and personal. Both of her newer releases – “No Caller ID” and “28th of June” – are typical love songs, but she’s okay with letting people into her world.
“I have terrible taste in men,” she said, laughing. “That’s what I’m working on.
“But I feel like I’ve always been kind of an open book,” she continued. “And writing songs is very therapeutic for me. There is strength and vulnerability. And I know the stories I’ve told about my personal life, like “Girl in the Mirror,” have helped a lot. [people].”
But it’s not all about sadness for Moroney. In the video for “I’m Not Pretty,” she takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to a tune about how her ex-boyfriend’s “new girlfriend” puts her down and says she’s not pretty. She plays both roles in the film which she also co-directed. “It was a really cool process to be a part of, and I felt like I was expanding my creative brain even further,” she said.
Working with Old Dominion was also a highlight of Moroney’s career to date.
“I had gotten a bunch of duets from a bunch of different artists and I felt like none of them really fit together until I heard the one from Old Dominion,” 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 in a hole, so it’s just one of those things where I have to pinch myself that I get 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 ceremony, Moroney had four costume changes, all different looks, custom made by designer Stefanie Naylor. The California-based designer reached out to her via Instagram and they immediately hit it off. Since then, Naylor has dressed Moroney for her tour, her award show appearances, and her on-stage appearances, allowing the artist to establish her own personal style.
“My red carpet and presenter dresses are both pink because I wanted to honor the ‘I’m Not Pretty’ music video,” she said. “So I went with baby light pink and then hot pink. Then I get to perform ‘No Caller ID’, and I wear 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 cowboy boots with that.
“And then my Old Dominion performance dress is a short black mini with heels—I’ve grown about six inches. And they are all designed by Stefanie. I literally tell her what’s on my mind for about three seconds and she comes up with it. And there will be hair changes depending on the dress.
But offstage, Moroney said her style is “very different. I think it’s more the songwriter version of myself. I wear my hair natural – I don’t have seven kilos of hair in my head. I don’t do eyelashes or anything. It’s very chilly. But on stage it’s the exact opposite. I like to dress up and be over the top. Yes, I like it a lot, but it’s definitely a staged look.
So what’s next for Moroney? She said she was almost ready to put the finishing touches on her next album.
“I’ve literally been living in the studio and I’m almost done,” she said. “There will still be a few things to do at the back, but we are getting close.”
She’s also going to have a full summer. Not only will she headline her “Lucky 2.0” tour, but she will also open for Kenny Chesney, play the Stagecoach and Lollapalooza festivals and travel to Britain for her first overseas tour.
Take a behind-the-scenes look with Megan Moroney as she gets ready for the 2024 CMT Awards in the gallery below:
Ready with Megan Moroney for CMT Awards 2024, Photos
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“You know, I think I’m still trying to learn how to organize my day,” she said. “I can’t even think about what I’m going to do in three months because it’s so cool to be on tour everywhere. But it’s also hard to be in the moment and be present. I think I’ll be mostly off in November and December so I can be home and rest.
But not for long, as Moroney has many goals for her career, including selling out even bigger venues, while staying in touch with her fan base and adding some new followers.
“And I want to play Red Rocks and the Royal Albert Hall in Britain. – random things.”
Launch Gallery: Getting Ready with Megan Moroney for CMT Awards 2024, Photos
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