Country singer Megan Moroney swears off dating after men ‘ruined’ her biggest moments
Megan Moroney isn't looking for love.
The country music star said some of the biggest moments of her fast-rising career were derailed by the wrong man. Now, Moroney is choosing to take a break from dating, trading romance for life on tour, time with loved ones and, as she put it, "no man, a dog."
"It’s really nice that this is one of the first tours I’ve been on where I’m not dating anyone, so I literally have no distractions," she told Cosmopolitan. "And that sounds really silly, but there have been a lot of big moments and fun times that have been ruined by a guy for me. It’s nice to just have a clear head."
"I’m learning what I like and what I don’t like and what my goals are," she added. "It’s been cool to be so disciplined with my routines, to see what I’m capable of when everything is going like it’s supposed to."
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That doesn't mean she's sworn off dating for good — just for now.
"There is something about having a crush that’s exciting, and when my tour wraps up in October, when I’m back from Europe, I’ll maybe be on the prowl again."
Moroney said "cuffing season" might be calling her name, but life is peaceful right now.
"... It’s been so nice to have my friends and family out [with me] and that not be an aspect of my life that is any sort of problem for me…. Life is peaceful. I got a dog in February. That’s what I needed all along — no man, a dog."
Moroney's decision to hit pause on dating comes after years of public speculation about her love life. The "6 Months Later" singer has been connected to a handful of high-profile country music names, including Morgan Wallen and Riley Green.
The 28-year-old rising star is known for blending witty storytelling with heartbreak-heavy lyrics.
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While fans often try to decode the real-life inspiration behind her lyrics, Moroney said she's become more comfortable embracing the curiosity.
"In ‘Who Hurt You,’ I made it so obvious who it’s about that it was, like, you could google it, and that was the point of ‘Who Hurt You.’ In the past I got frustrated with people," Moroney told Cosmo. "I was trying to hint at things, and then people would be like, ‘Who is it about?’ And I was like, ‘You know what? I’m just gonna lay it out there. I might as well put his first and last name in it.’ Songwriting is fun, and it’s not meant to be taken so seriously."
WATCH: COUNTRY SINGER MEGAN MORONEY SAYS CAREER PREVENTS HER FROM FINDING ‘SOMEONE THAT I WANT TO MARRY RIGHT NOW’
Still, Moroney said she's learned not to apologize for writing from raw emotion — even if listeners sometimes read more into it than she intended.
"It’s confidence that has grown over time, but it’s not being ashamed of how you felt. If you think it’s wrong, then okay. But this is how I felt, so here’s the song about it," Moroney said. "I always try to explain to people that I’ve written songs about these big emotions, so they can feel huge in a song. But I could have felt that way really intensely for 10 minutes and wrote a whole song about it. And so in your head, you’re like, ‘Oh, this must be her whole life.’ And it’s like, ‘Well, actually, I was just heated, and I wrote the song.’ Songs can be written from a few minutes of a feeling. So sometimes it’s not that deep. Other times, it is that deep."
Moroney doesn't plan to shy away from documenting love, heartbreak and everything in between through her music. She said the honesty that fuels her songwriting is ultimately what keeps fans coming back.
"When I get scared of putting out a song because it’s too personal, I think about how it might help somebody, because every time I’ve done it and I’ve taken the risk, people have come up to me, and they’re like, ‘This song made me dump this guy’ and ‘This song is making me never want to go back to him,'" she recalled. "It’s just one of those things where you have to be like, ‘F--k it. What’s the worst that could happen?’"
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Moroney attended the University of Georgia before moving to Nashville to pursue music full-time.
Moroney's breakthrough came in 2022 with the viral hit "Tennessee Orange," a love song that became a country radio staple and launched her into the mainstream. She released her debut album, "Lucky," in 2023.
The singer-songwriter won the ACM award for new female artist of the year and the CMA award for new artist of the year.
She later released her sophomore album, "Am I Okay?," in 2024.
Her newest musical endeavor, "Cloud 9," was released in February. Her tour began in May.
