WATCH: Megan Moroney Snuggles Up With Adorable Puppies On The ‘Pupdate’
The songstress got honest about her rapidly rising career while surrounded by puppies.
Megan Moroney; Photo by Lauren Black, Country Now
The Country Now Pupdate is back with Megan Moroney!
Megan Moroney is no stranger to being around dogs. Throughout her lifetime, she’s had two dogs, both of which were named after musical legends. She revealed that her first dog was named Jax, in honor of Jackson Browne, and her current four-legged family member is named Henley, after Don Henley.
Once she stepped into the Country Now studio in Nashville, TN, it was clear that nothing was going to stop her from snuggling up to the puppies of Wags and Walks, not even allergies.
During her visit, Moroney not only got to make some new furry friends, but she also discussed her latest releases, her forthcoming debut album, upcoming tours, and more.
Becoming A Viral Sensation
Megan Moroney quickly became a well-known name in the country music industry after going viral on social media for her original song, “Tennessee Orange.” This sparked a string of milestones for the budding artist including her first adds to country radio, making her Opry debut, and signing her first record deal.
She recalled being in her manager’s car the first time she heard her vocals take over the airwaves with “Tennessee Orange.”
“We were driving down music row. They told us that it was gonna be playing so we knew to listen for it. But the first time I heard it just organically, and I wasn’t trying to hear it, I was on the way back from band practice. I was just obviously listening to the radio, I drive a 2010 mustang, my high school car, so I don’t have Sirius or an aux chord or anything. So I still listen to FM all the time and I was just listening to the radio and I heard, ‘What’s up y’all? It’s Megan Moroney.’ And I was like, ‘What?’ Turn it up, turn it up,” she said in excitement.
Following the release of her major label debut single, Moroney also dropped an accompanying music video that was shot from the perspective of her love interest. She revealed that the video was filmed in two days and features about 22 outfits, which she all styled herself with the help of a friend.
“I wanted it to be unique and I feel like the POV that we did kind of summarizes like the whole song; cause this song is a love song. It’s not really about football,” she shared. “It kind of shows me falling in love with someone.”
Following this song, the Georgia native dropped “I’m Not Pretty.” The story has proved to be an empowering female anthem that stems from a real-life experience of when an ex-boyfriend’s new flame did some Instagram stalking and accidentally liked an old photo on her feed.
“I’ve noticed a lot of the girls are taking it as like their anthem,” she shared of the response so far. “They’re saying that it makes them feel really confident. So I’m glad that it’s being taken that way ’cause that’s why it was written.”
Moroney has clearly been hard at work in the studio recording songs for her much-anticipated major label debut project, LUCKY. She recently unveiled the title track, which finds her gambling on some poor decisions after a late night that involved some tequila and the temptations of her ex.
“I got a good intuition that I’ll make a bad decision / Cause me, my phone and the neon’s buzzin’ / Three, four in and I’m missin’ your lovin’ / We said ‘nah never again’ / And we said we’d be better as friends / But come over and don’t overthink it / Tonight you’re lucky I’m drinkin’,” she sings in the chorus.
Before the entire collection drops on May 5, Moroney gave Country Now a bit of a teaser of what fans can expect from the overall theme.
“If I had to pick three words to describe it, I would say, honest…To me it’s very country. Like, there’s some honky tonk songs, there’s like the classic ballad.”
The puppies caused a bit of a distraction for Moroney as she found herself getting lost in their cuteness. However, she pushed through and went on to describe her album as “Me, it’s very me.”
“If you listen to it, you’ll be able to be like, ‘oh, that’s Megan Moroney,” she added.
Recalls Her Opry Debut
While the pups napped peacefully around Moroney, she reflected on February 11, 2023, the day she made her Grand Ole Opry debut.
“One word I will say that describes that whole night is overwhelming, in a good way,” she explained. “I feel like you hear everyone talk about how magical it is and all that kind of stuff, but you don’t really get it. Like, I didn’t really fully…I knew it was gonna be very special, but the fact that like when I stepped into the circle at soundcheck and started crying, I was like, ‘what’s going on?’ So yeah, it was just a very special night.”
Moroney also dished on meeting Vince Gill for the first time right before stepping on stage for her milestone performance.
“Literally like 20 seconds before I went on, Vince Gill introduced himself to me because he was playing that night,” she shared while also mimicking her shocked reaction. “I’m like trying to play it cool even though I’m not. I was already about to freak out and then he is like, ‘Hey.’ He was like, gave me some advice and it was very nice.”
Before heading out of the studio, Moroney took a good, hard look at the slew of sleeping puppies around her and decided to give each of them their own special name.
For more with Moroney, including the funniest gift she’s ever received from a fan, her dream festival line-up and more, more click above to watch the Pupdate.
About Wags and Walks Dog Rescue
Wags and Walks is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a dedicated community of dog lovers working to reduce euthanasia in local shelters and increase awareness of rescue dogs being wonderful pets. Wags and Walks is focused on advocating for wrongfully stereotyped bully breeds, medical dogs, and mamas + puppies that are often overlooked and at-risk due to overcrowding. Since joining Nashville’s community in 2019, Wags & Walks is rapidly becoming a leading rescue in the area and has saved over 2,700 dogs to date!
Join Country Now and Megan Moroney in supporting their life-saving work. No amount is too small and every dollar goes to dogs in need.
Written by
Madeleine O’Connell
Madeleine O’Connell graduated from North Central College with a bachelors degree in Journalism and Broadcast Communications before deciding to pursue her studies further at DePaul University. There, she earned her masters degree in Digital Communication & Media Arts. O’Connell served as a freelance writer for over two years while also interning with the Academy of Country Music, SiriusXM and Circle Media and assisting with Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast. In addition to Country Now, she has been published in American Songwriter, Music Mayhem, and Holler.Country. Madeleine O’Connell is a member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.