Bobby Bones sat down with Megan Moroney to talk through her new era, songwriting process, and the long road from rental cars to arena tours.

The conversation opened with the reveal of Moroney’s pink-themed album era. She shared that she had quietly been collecting pink items from bags, slippers, to accessories, well before the color was officially announced, but had to keep them hidden to avoid tipping off fans. She explained that pink emerged naturally while writing the album. A few songs in, one track felt unmistakably “hot pink,” and that idea stuck. As the project developed, she leaned into all shades of pink, describing the album as softer than her previous work but still confident and empowering. "Pink simply made sense." Bones joked about being colorblind and tried to guess what Moroney was wearing, discovering that every piece of her outfit was, in fact, pink. Moroney laughed and explained she was embracing different shades of the color as well.

Bones asked about the first song written for the album. "Wedding Dress” was the oldest, written three or four years earlier. Moroney explained that the song had gone viral after she shared parts of it online, but it didn’t fully fit the rest of the album thematically. While the album includes heartbreak, “Wedding Dress” stands apart as a song rooted in devastation. She included it for fans, but only after rewriting the verses years later. She admitted she couldn’t finish the song until she had healed enough to approach it logically. One morning, the verses came to her as a poem, which she later set to melody. She also noted a strange coincidence in the lyrics referencing “aisle nine,” written long before the album title Cloud Nine existed.

Moroney also talked about some of her earlier songs that longtime fans recognize. While there are a few unreleased or removed tracks known only to early supporters, she said “Wonder,” the first song she ever released and fully created on her own, has become a staple in her live shows. Playing it now feels like a signal to her most dedicated fans. For “Tennessee Orange,” Moroney remembered nervously sending it to her mom, worried about how it would be received. For “I’m Not Pretty,” she recalled the song being inspired by someone accidentally liking a photo late at night. “Six Months Later,” she said, was written on a boat in the middle of the ocean during a weeklong writing trip, and ended up being the only song worth keeping from that trip. Moroney shared she holds onto every song she writes, even unfinished ones, believing some may find their moment later.

As her career has grown, Moroney said touring has required constant reinvestment. Bigger shows mean higher costs, from production to buses to trucks. She went from zero trucks to four or five in a single year, all wrapped with graphics of her own face. The progression, she said, has been intentional. Her team had mapped out a long-term plan back in 2020, including the goal of playing arenas by 2026. Bones asked about the final song recorded for the album. Moroney said the project officially wrapped in July, with “Who Hurt You?” among the final tracks. She recalled a single weekend where three songs, “Who Hurt You,” “Liar,” and “Waiting on the Rain," came together. Once those were written, she knew the album was finished. Moroney admitted it’s hard to sit on new songs without sharing them immediately. While strategy dictates timing, she often plays unfinished songs for people in person because she’s too excited to keep them to herself. Most of her album tracks came together quickly, sometimes in under an hour. When songs take longer, like “Wedding Dress,” it’s usually because something emotionally unresolved needs time.

Bones asked about the first concert she ever attended. Moroney said it was either a Luke Bryan Farm Tour show or a Justin Bieber concert, both around the same time. She admitted she would still be starstruck if she ever met Bieber. They discussed piano lessons from childhood. Moroney said she hated them at the time but now wishes she had committed more seriously. She offered advice to kids to stick with lessons, promising it eventually becomes a great party trick or could be great for a music career. The conversation then turned to routines. Moroney shared her coffee order, early-morning habits, and interest in tracking sleep and stress through wearable technology. She noted that her stress levels spike noticeably on show days.

She also shared details about collaborations on the album. Working with Ed Sheeran involved trading songs back and forth honestly until the right one clicked. The result, she said, is a traditionally country song with Sheeran’s pop vocal style, something she’s especially proud of. Her collaboration with Kacey Musgraves came from a simple request for background vocals. Musgraves not only agreed, but also recorded an entire verse without changing a word. Hearing that track made Moroney cry, calling the moment a lifelong dream fulfilled.

Bones did ask about a guitar autographed by Dolly Parton given to her as a gift by Kenny Chesney. Moroney said she keeps it safely stored, but plans to use it as a writing guitar, hoping some of that history carries into future songs.

102.5 The Fox