On this day (October 9) in 1997, Megan Ann Moroney was born in Savannah, Georgia. The late 1990s ushered in an explosion of country-pop queens such as LeAnn Rimes, Shania Twain, and Faith Hill. More than two decades later, Moroney would stake her own claim on the country charts, combining the sleek pop-tinged sensibilities of yesteryear with the keen observational storytelling of 21st-century stars like Kacey Musgraves and Taylor Swift.
She was an unsigned artist when her breakthrough 2022 single “Tennessee Orange” began climbing the charts, leading to a deal with Sony Music and a top 10 debut country album with 2023’s Lucky. In just a few short years, the self-styled “emo cowgirl” has emerged as one of country music’s leading stars, blending a sparkly sorority-girl aesthetic with truly devastating meditations on love gone both right and wrong.
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Today, we’re exploring the meteoric rise of Megan Moroney in honor of her 29th birthday.
Megan Moroney Never Planned to Pursue Music
Raised in the Atlanta suburb of Douglasville, Megan Moroney grew up on a steady diet of classic country, Southern rock, and Americana music.
Learning to sing and play piano, she found herself “enamored of” female singer-songwriters like Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, and Taylor Swift. Still, Moroney never dreamed of a career in music as a young girl.
“It literally wasn’t a thing that I ever thought I would be a singer professionally, because I didn’t think you could do that professionally where I’m from,” she told Country Swag in May 2023.
Graduating from high school in 2015, Moroney headed to the University of Georgia to study accounting. In between classes and sorority activities, she often posted country music covers with her dad and brother to social media.
What Changed Her Mind?
Megan Moroney’s professional path began to take shape during the spring semester of her freshman year, when she opened an on-campus concert for country singer Jon Langston.
There, she met singer-songwriter Chase Rice, who invited her to open for him at the Georgia Theater — provided she wrote and performed an original song. Despite zero experience, Moroney penned her first-ever song, “Stay a Memory”.
“I fell in love with performing,” she recalled.
Eager to start her musical career, Moroney considered dropping out of college altogether. Instead, her parents convinced the “Am I Okay?” singer to change her major to digital marketing. So, she learned everything she could about the business side of country music before graduating in 2020.
Making It Happen
Moving to Nashville in June 2020, Megan Moroney spent all her time writing songs and building professional connections.
Eventually, she teamed up with producer Kristian Bush of Sugarland. After growing her following on social media, Moroney released her first EP, Pistol Made of Roses, in 2022.
That same year, Moroney released the college football-themed single “Tennessee Orange”, which she co-wrote with Ben Williams, David Fanning, and Paul Jenkins. Its popularity spread online, leading to its October 2022 debut on the Billboard Hot 100 due to downloads and streaming alone.
After switching from Sony to Columbia Records Nashville, Moroney released her full-length debut album, Lucky, in 2023.
It quickly became clear that the blonde-haired, blue-eyed University of Georgia album wasn’t a one-hit wonder. In addition to “Tennessee Orange”, Lucky also yielded the top 20 Country Airplay single “I’m Not Pretty”.
Where is She Now?
Building on the momentum from “Tennessee Orange”, Megan Moroney has since released an additional two albums: 2024’s Am I Okay? and 2026’s Cloud 9.
In a career-first, the latter debuted atop both the U.S. country and pop album charts. Its lead single, “6 Months Later”, topped the Country Airplay chart.
In 2024, the Country Music Association crowned Megan Moroney its New Artist of the Year.
She is currently touring the globe on her headlining Cloud 9 arena tour, and garnered nominations for both Female Vocalist of the Year and Song of the Year (for “Beautiful Things”) at this year’s upcoming 60th CMA Awards.
Featured image by John Shearer/Getty Images for ACM
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