Megan Moroney on Dolly Parton, bold songwriting, and her 'Cloud 9' era
The first time Megan Moroney headlined in London, she played a room that held 300 people. This time, the 29-year-old country star headlined the Eventim Apollo, a London stage once played by the Beatles, Queen and David Bowie.
"I still kind of have to pinch myself that I get to even play music outside of the United States," Moroney told ABC News' Maggie Rulli backstage, hours before her Sept. 23 Cloud 9 Tour show, in an interview for "Nightline." "Every time we come back, the venues get bigger. It's crazy surreal."
The self-described "emo cowgirl" broke through with "Tennessee Orange," a song built on a college football rivalry that became her 2023 breakout hit. In February, her third album, "Cloud 9" -- for which she is currently on tour -- debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, her first time topping the chart.
Moroney said she grew up in a house full of guitars. Her father, who played in a band in high school, broke down songs for her on car rides. "He's dissecting a James Taylor song, explaining to me why the bridge was written," she said.
He also bought Moroney her first guitar, a Taylor, after her first real heartbreak at 16, she said.
Moroney moved to Nashville at 22 with a marketing degree, knowing no one in town.
"I told my parents when I moved to Nashville that if it didn't work out, then I would just get a marketing job in Nashville," she said. "I don't wanna be on my deathbed one day, wondering what my life would be like if I would've just tried."
Moroney signed with Sony Music Nashville in 2022.
Her songs, which include "6 Months Later" and "Who Hurt You?", are built on heartbreak. She said she held back details early on.
"As I've gotten older, and my fan base has grown, I feel like I trust them to take care of these songs," she said. "It honestly helps me heal a little bit too."
Lately, Moroney has made it obvious who some of those songs are about.
"I just care less about what people are going to say," she said. "It helps me put those emotions into art, and then I can just kind of move on."
Moroney calls her Cloud 9 Tour shows "group therapy." Before one song, she asks fans to scream if they miss an ex.
"I'm always like, 'This is not a sign, don't call them!'" she said. "I wrote this song and then called him, and I don't recommend doing that."
Moroney said she took her career cues from the late Dolly Parton, who died in August at age 80 after a brief battle with cancer.
"I absolutely love Dolly. I obviously took a lot of inspiration from her with her style, and honestly, when I was starting out, I would watch a lot of her interviews," she said. "She thought more is more ... but she knew who she was on the inside."
She added, "She knew what matters is how you treat people and how you make people feel. She will be missed ... all around the world."
Moroney won the CMA Award for new artist of the year in 2024. At this year's CMA Awards, airing Nov. 18 on ABC, she is nominated for female vocalist of the year and song of the year for "Beautiful Things."
Asked if she is seeing anyone currently, she said, "I haven't even thought about the next album, so we're gonna have to live some life."
Moroney, who said she has never been on Hinge, answered a few of the app's prompts. She is weirdly attracted to "a guy that cuts my steaks for me." Her non-negotiable: "No girl best friend."
The thing she said she won't shut up about?
"The 'Cloud 9' era," she said.
