Why did Megan Moroney jump into a swimming pool last night wearing a fluffy white gown?
“For the vibes,” she says with a laugh.
In fact, the 28-year-old country star was filming a video for “Wedding Dress,” a cut from her new album, at a clifftop venue in Malibu with winds nearing 30 miles an hour, Moroney reckons the following morning.
“I cold plunge a lot so it wasn’t as terrible as you’d think,” she says. “The worst part was I almost suffocated when the dress went over my head. I was like, ‘This could be problematic.’ But then I calmed myself down and got the dress out of my face and didn’t die.”
Narrated by a woman who fears thinking fondly of an ex after “I find somebody new and I’m about to say ‘I do,’” “Wedding Dress” is a gorgeous downer — the kind of tune that’s made Moroney country music’s reigning “emo cowgirl” since her viral hit “Tennessee Orange” went to No. 1 in 2023.
Yet much of her third LP, “Cloud 9,” strikes a more optimistic note: In the strummy title track, she’s so high on a dude that she’s looking down at where she used to want to be, while “Beautiful Things” and “6 Months Later” both preach a hard-won gospel of resilience. Moroney and Kacey Musgraves team up in “Bells & Whistles” to roast a guy incapable of appreciating their quirks. And then there’s “I Only Miss You,” a duet with Ed Sheeran that rhymes “Why don’t you come over?” with “My bed keeps getting colder.” (Actually, that one’s pretty sad.)
“Every single song she’s released captures specific emotions,” Sheeran says admiringly of Moroney, adding that he and his family have kept her first two albums on repeat in their house.
Over canned cold brews in a West Hollywood hotel lounge, Moroney discussed her new record and the U.S. arena tour she’ll mount behind it this summer. She wore a pink sweat suit in keeping with “Cloud 9’s” artwork, one of several identical numbers she says she’s got in rotation at the moment. Would she care to shout out the designer?
“Oh, it’s just Skims,” she says, referring to Kim Kardashian’s clothing brand. “I don’t think they need any marketing help.”
“Cloud 9” is your third album in less than three years. Why work so fast?
Why not? I write a lot, and I have to write when I’m feeling the things that I feel. I can’t wait six months to write about it — I’ll be over it by then.
Anyone at the record company ever ask you to slow your roll?
They always do a backflip when I say I have new music. For them it’s like a surprise: “Here it is, mixed and mastered — hope you like it.” And it’s pretty much delivered with the visuals. At the very beginning, I convinced them: Until I [mess] it up, just let me do it.
Why’d this one end up relatively sunny?
There was a lot of figuring out my life in the first two albums — I’m begging for this dude or I’m staying with this guy way too long. There were no situationships in this album — I didn’t stay in something that was toxic. I think it’s also just me getting older and knowing what I’m doing now a little bit. The more confident you are, the more feminine and soft you can be.
Kenny Chesney told Rolling Stone recently that you “couldn’t care less about being a celebrity.” That feels not right to me.
My songs always come first — I think that’s probably what his take was.
OK, but nobody puts as much thought into their presentation as you do without being interested in the mechanics of stardom.
That’s fun for me, though. I was a marketing major. When I moved to Nashville, I was like, “If this doesn’t work out, I’d be just as happy working for a label on the marketing team.” I feel like if I cared, I’d be — I don’t know if I can say this, actually.
Go ahead.
I’d be winning awards. I don’t do much of that. If celebrity was my goal, I feel like I’d be failing a little bit.
Do you feel understood as a serious songwriter?
I think so. A lot of comments I see are “I hate her voice but she’s a good songwriter.” I’m like, “So you think I’m a good songwriter?” My lyrics are always at the forefront of everything, and I try to make that known.
What have you gotten better at as a lyricist?
Not [caring]. “Oh, how the turns have tabled” [in “6 Months Later”] — I wouldn’t have done that on my first two albums. Now people understand my personality and they’re like, “It’s an ‘Office’ reference.” Or “God, I hate how gross you are” [in “Who Hurt You?”]. It’s not really poetic but that’s exactly how I felt when we were writing the song. Sometimes authenticity beats poetry for me.
You’ve got some skilled songwriters on this album: Jessie Jo Dillon, Amy Allen, Luke Laird. What are you looking for in a co–writer?
A supporter of my insane ideas and concepts. I kind of write backwards — I start with the hook and then tell the story that way. So I just look for people who, when I say the hook, they’re jumping up and down like I was when it came into my brain.
“What doesn’t kill you calls you six months later” — that’s about as clean as Nashville wordplay gets.
Originally, it was “3 Months Later,” but then I was like, That’s not long enough. Three months and they’re still sleeping around with their ex-girlfriends. Six months later is about the time they realize: I [messed] up.
Ed Sheeran invited you to perform with him last year at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe.
His team reached out to my team — I was like, “Is every other country artist not in town this weekend? Is that why I’m getting the call?” I actually had a vacation planned, and I canceled the vacation because when Ed Sheeran calls, you drop what you’re doing and you go. I could tell immediately that he nerds out about songwriting like I do. We emailed for a while — the iPad rumors are true — and eventually we started sending songs back and forth. I give him all the credit for picking the super traditional country song.
Your duet is probably the oldest-fashioned thing on “Cloud 9.”
The harmonies remind me of Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. I hope it becomes the new “Picture” by Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock — the new drunk-at-2-a.m. karaoke duet.
I read that you and Kacey Musgraves went to a Paul McCartney concert together.
We did. Well, we didn’t go together — turned out we were sat next to each other. She went to get a drink and she came back and was like, “When’s he gonna play ‘Blackbird’”? I was like, “I’ve got horrible news — he played it solo acoustic five minutes ago.” She was like, “[S]hut up.” So that was the highlight of Paul McCartney. I can’t believe he still does such long performances. My back hurt watching him.
What’s the training regimen for your tour?
Lots of cardio. Treadmill while singing. Lagree three to four times a week.
I don’t know what Lagree is.
It’s like Pilates but harder. There’s a place in L.A. that killed me — I couldn’t walk properly after. If you do Lagree and an ice bath in the morning, then the worst part of your day is already over. That’s how I look at it: Anything that comes my way today will not suck as much as this sucks right now. There’s also a diet of some sort — low sugar, no carbs, just meat and vegetables. I’m kind of copying Kenny and his routine because he gets in crazy shape. He does a freaking 31-day juice cleanse. I tried to do a juice cleanse in college and by Day 2 I wanted to die. I’m not that committed.
How do you think the athletic nature of a big arena show will impact your ability to emote?
I won’t be Benson Boone-ing. There are songs where we’ll all be jumping up and down and screaming, and then there are songs where we’ll be hugging a neighbor that’s crying. I’m building it out now so that there’s almost emotional whiplash throughout the show.
You’re 28. Do you feel 30 breathing down your neck?
No. When I was younger, I probably thought that by 30 I’d be married with children. Even me trying on a wedding dress yesterday made me laugh because I was like, “This is not happening for me anytime soon.” I love that our generation is bumping back the time in which it’s acceptable to get married and have children. The older I get, it just keeps getting more exciting. I’m kind of glad that I’m not so much of a degenerate anymore. I don’t have to go out and drink eight tequilas, and I can leave a toxic relationship instead of letting it destroy my life.
Last thing: You are or have been a Swiftie.
Currently enrolled in the program.
What’s your take on “The Life of a Showgirl”?
Love it. “Opalite” was my No. 1 when I first listened. And I loved “Actually Romantic” — kind of gave me “Bless Your Heart” vibes. I loved that it was so different from “Tortured Poets Department.” “Tortured Poets” is one of my favorite albums of all time — it’s a masterpiece. But for her to keep reinventing herself is so inspiring for me, who’s zipping through these first three albums. “Life of a Showgirl” was TS12. What’s MM12 gonna be like?