Megan Moroney Admits She’s Cried Herself to Sleep Over Feeling “Misunderstood” By the Public

It hasn’t always been easy for Megan Moroney to be candid in her music. During an interview with Willie Geist for Today‘s Sunday Sitdown, the country star admitted that she’s previously had trouble balancing her want to write confessional lyrics with the public scrutiny doing so brings.

“There were definitely nights where I would cry myself to sleep ‘cause I felt so misunderstood and I wanted to tell people everything,” Moroney said of her early career experiences.

With that in mind, she said that it’s been challenging “to find the balance of not telling everyone my entire personal life, but also letting people know, ‘This is how I feel.’”

Now, fresh off the release of her third LP, Cloud 9, Moroney said she’s finally cracked the code. Sometimes the solution, she said, is unabashed honesty. That’s certainly the case for “Who Hurt You?” The song is widely thought to be about her rumored ex, Riley Green.

“I purposely wrote it so that people wouldn’t ask me questions about it,” she said. “If you listen to the song, [and] you still have questions, I got no answers for you.”

Megan Moroney on Her Connection With Fans

The track includes several brutal lyrics including the line, “God I hate how gross you are.”

During a past interview with Today, Moroney noted that “having an arena full of people scream” that line is the best form of revenge on an ex. The sentiment is one she reiterated in her latest interview.

“It’s very empowering to be in a room where everyone feels the same way,” she said. “It’s like, ‘Wow. This person got treated like s**t, too.’ And we’re angry about it, together.”

Getting to have moments like that night after night has made all the pain worth it for Moroney.

“That’s the best way that I’ve found to move on from things is when I take those emotions and I turn it into art,” she said. “Now we all get to enjoy it.”

As she continues to navigate the challenges of fame, Moroney said that she feels more confident in doing so than ever before.

“I think it has a lot to do with me just getting a little bit older. I’m 28 now. So I trust myself a lot more,” she said. “I think everyone can relate to when you grow up, you have a lot more experience. You trust that no matter what life throws at you, you’re gonna be OK.”

Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for Megan Moroney