Megan Moroney Reveals to Drew Barrymore That She Almost Gave Up Music Before Her Big Break
By Website Content Manager
“I thought, ‘This isn’t working. Maybe I should just go back home,’” Megan Moroney remembered.
Megan Moroney is currently one of country music’s rising stars, but there was a time she seriously considered quitting and moving back home to Georgia. During an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, the singer reflected on those early struggles, her journey to success, and the therapeutic atmosphere she now aims to create for fans at her live performances.
Barrymore highlighted Moroney’s growing list of achievements and asked if those milestones had reassured her that she was on the right path. “This is my third album, and I feel like I’ve been steadily chipping away,” Moroney explained. “Little wins accumulate over time. The Am I Okay? Tour, then having a number one album—it all adds up. One day you wake up and realize, ‘Wow, I actually have a number one album!’”
Looking back on her early days, Moroney admitted it’s still surreal how far she’s come from touring in a rental car with her band. “My drummer and I went to the same high school, and when we started, it was just a rental car,” she said. “Then we upgraded to a church van and U-Haul, and eventually a bandwagon that felt more like a roller coaster. Finally, there was a proper bus—14 of us crammed in, which in hindsight seems far from ideal, but at the time it was exciting.”
Moroney emphasized that her rise wasn’t overnight. “It’s been a gradual process of chipping away,” she said. She also recalled a particularly low point in 2020, when she nearly gave up on her music career. “I had lived in Nashville for six months, hadn’t written a good song in two months, and was watching the CMA Awards alone,” she said. “I thought, ‘This is never going to happen for me… Maybe I should just move home.’ My parents encouraged me to keep going.”
Her perseverance paid off. In 2024, Moroney won her first CMA Award for New Artist of the Year. She is now charting with her Billboard 200-topping album Cloud 9 and preparing for her first headlining arena tour.
Discussing her live shows, Moroney explained that she strives to make them feel like group therapy. “In 90 minutes on stage, we experience all these emotions together,” she said. “You’re crying, screaming, celebrating… it doesn’t matter if you don’t know your neighbor. When I started sharing honest music, I realized that while we all go through the same struggles, only some people are willing to talk about it.”
Moroney’s appearance on the show also included a ramen taste test and a humorous moment bonding with Barrymore over post-breakup antics.