It’s the day before her sold-out concert at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. And Megan Moroney isn’t nervous—even if the Cloud 9 Tour is her first headlining arena tour. This moment is just a testament to her tenacity as a musician. The Georgia native has been working toward this for a while, and now she wants to live in the present. It’s something clear as day after walking into Barclays, surrounded by young women who are ready to sing their hearts out in their Megan Moroney cosplay. No one knows if they’re thinking about actual scorned past loves and first heartbreaks or fictional ones for the night as each song passes, which makes the shared experience even more delightful.
Country music has skyrocketed in popularity in the past couple of years, namely because of stars like Megan. She’s become the face of the genre for many young people—her songs like “Bells & Whistles” and “Wedding Dress” have gained popularity on TikTok, becoming viral trends. Her growing fan base largely comes from her relatability—people can’t get enough of her lovergirl (and sometimes heartbroken) lyricism alongside the young and sassy prowess that she shows onstage with her Texas-sized blonde barrel curls and glittery cowboy boots.
The day before that sold-out show in Brooklyn, we’re sitting inside a sun-filled room near Central Park. Megan has just wrapped up her very pared-back photo shoot (a different vibe than her typical bright-pink, bedazzled stage looks). When asked how she’s handling her ascent, she admits it only feels real because the rooms are getting bigger. “It’s ‘Oh, wait, this isn’t just a fun little concert,’” Megan tells Cosmo. “I always hoped that I would make it to arenas and that my fan base would continue to grow, but I try to not focus on the next step because when you keep your head down and you’re in the moment with your fans and you do whatever your gut is saying is right, that leads you to the bigger rooms and bigger everything.”
The former University of Georgia college girl is now one of country music’s biggest names. And her Cloud 9 Tour—along with a growing, dedicated fan base filling in the seats—is proof that Megan Moroney is flying high.
Top Eckhaus Latta, bikini Los Angeles Apparel, jeans Stella McCartney.
You started your career playing at local bars. Do the fan interactions feel different in these larger venues?
It feels more intense. When I look out and I’m up in a window, 30 feet up in the air and everyone is singing “Beautiful Things,” when I focus on certain groups of people, they’re hugging their mom and crying. It all feels the same because even some of my earliest songs, I could tell it really hit [the fans] in their hearts. But now it’s just crazy because it’s like that on steroids. But the root of everything still feels the same. I still feel like I’m in it for the right reasons.
Did you expect a large crop of your fan base to be young girls?
I didn’t even really realize I had younger fans until after the club level. For the Lucky Tour, you had to be 21 and up to get in for most venues, so I didn’t even know that there was a fan base of younger people. Most of the Am I Okay? Tour was all ages. The average is probably high school, college, if I’m guessing. But there’s also some really little girls. I asked my mom, “How are these little girls even finding out about me?” I doubt they have Instagram. Some of them are, like, 8 years old. And my mom was like, “You listened to what I listened to in the car, and you became a fan of what I listened to.” It wasn’t on purpose to try to have younger fans, but I think it’s really cool that I can look out and see literally an 80-year-old woman with her husband and then you can look out and see a 6-year-old’s first concert with their mom.
Have you ever felt pressure to switch up your look?
I think depending on the music, my style will obviously change over time. I’ve jokingly thought about dyeing my hair brunette, but I’m gonna save that for later down the road. For whatever reason, the blonde seems to be working. Whenever I’m feeling sad, I either need a spray tan or I need to dye my hair blonder. I dyed my hair blonde for the first time at 16 after my first heartbreak. My mom didn’t let me touch my hair before, but when I wouldn’t stop crying, she was like, “Okay, fine.”
I would love to have an era where I wear my hair natural and less makeup because offstage, this is what you’re gonna see, and my fans know that. What is cool about my career and my fans is they feel like they know me through social media and they know that I don’t always look like this—having pounds of extensions on my head. I always say, too, if you can recognize me when I’m natural, you deserve a picture. I’m never gonna be mad at you for asking me for a photo if you can recognize me without all the makeup and hair. You’re a true fan.
Top Eckhaus Latta, bikini Los Angeles Apparel, jeans Stella McCartney, shoes Fendi.
Are there any songs off of Cloud 9 that you’ve had friends, family, or anyone reach out and say, “Girl, who’s this about? What happened?”
In “Who Hurt You,” I made it so obvious who it’s about that it was, like, you could google it, and that was the point of “Who Hurt You.” In the past I got frustrated with people. I was trying to hint at things, and then people would be like, “Who is it about?” And I was like, “You know what? I’m just gonna lay it out there. I might as well put his first and last name in it.” Songwriting is fun, and it’s not meant to be taken so seriously. On “Break It Right Back,” which was on my last album, my dad was like, “You can’t say that.” But that’s because my dad was there and he knew that what I was saying happened exactly how I wrote it. And my dad was like, “You cannot put that out,” and I said, “It’s too late. It’s already been recorded. But thanks for your input.”
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What are you telling yourself during those moments when people are questioning if you should put your business out there like this?
It’s confidence that has grown over time, but it’s not being ashamed of how you felt. If you think it’s wrong, then okay. But this is how I felt, so here’s the song about it. I always try to explain to people that I’ve written songs about these big emotions, so they can feel huge in a song. But I could have felt that way really intensely for 10 minutes and wrote a whole song about it. And so in your head, you’re like, Oh, this must be her whole life. And it’s like, “Well, actually, I was just heated, and I wrote the song.” Songs can be written from a few minutes of a feeling. So sometimes it’s not that deep. Other times, it is that deep.
When I get scared of putting out a song because it’s too personal, I think about how it might help somebody, because every time I’ve done it and I’ve taken the risk, people have come up to me and they’re like, “This song made me dump this guy” and “This song is making me never want to go back to him.” It’s just one of those things where you have to be like, “Fuck it. What’s the worst that could happen?”
With this tour, what are you looking forward to learning about yourself?
It’s really nice that this is one of the first tours I’ve been on where I’m not dating anyone, so I literally have no distractions. And that sounds really silly, but there have been a lot of big moments and fun times that have been ruined by a guy for me. It’s nice to just have a clear head. I’m learning what I like and what I don’t like and what my goals are. It’s been cool to be so disciplined with my routines, to see what I’m capable of when everything is going like it’s supposed to.
Top Hanes, jeans Carhartt.
I love that you mentioned you’re not dating. With your music and songwriting, do you ever find yourself being like, “Well, maybe a crush would be fun right now for song purposes”?
There is something about having a crush that’s exciting, and when my tour wraps up in October, when I’m back from Europe, I’ll maybe be on the prowl again. Yeah, it’ll be fall. It’ll be cuffing season, but right now, it’s been so nice to have my friends and family out [with me] and that not be an aspect of my life that is any sort of problem for me. I wrote “Hell of a Show” about being onstage and having my biggest headlining tour yet and it being ruined. I’m crying right before I go onstage. Life is peaceful. I got a dog in February. That’s what I needed all along—no man, a dog.
In this country music renaissance, if you were giving someone a small introductory playlist that says, “Hey, this is me. I hope you come back for more,” what would it be?
I definitely think “Tennessee Orange” because it summarizes the cleverness of my lyrics and the storytelling. I would do “Girl in the Mirror” or “Beautiful Things” to show the deeper side. I would do “Bless Your Heart” because it’s not about relationships and it’s just feeling like a baddie and telling your haters to eff off. And “Medicine” or “I’m Not Pretty.” I feel like they have the same sassy, “I’m untouchable” energy.
You’ve previously mentioned your love for Taylor Swift. The rumors about her coming back to country music are wild. If there were a world where that would happen and she asked you to collaborate, what would be the vibe?
I would pass out. I’ve not met her, so I feel like if we got to hang out, we would figure that out. I love her entire Red album, so I bet it would be something like that or even “Picture to Burn.” We could crush an idea like that. But she’s happy and in love now, so maybe I could go out on a limb and write a love song with her. I’m gonna be like, “Girl, you’re gonna have to tell me what it’s like.”
Top stylist’s own, jacket from Ebay, jeans Eckhaus Latta, earrings Pandora.
Styled by Chelsea Zalopany. Hair and makeup by Jaeda Marie.
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