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On April 29, rising country singer-songwriter Megan Moroney shared a photo to Instagram of a spray-painted cobalt blue heart on concrete, asking “OMG…Am I Okay?” Her caption in response: “no.” Teasing her followers with a disabled comment section, Moroney left fans speculating and eagerly awaiting her next breadcrumb. Three days later, the star officially announced the July 12 release of her sophomore album, “Am I Okay?”

“From the day I released ‘Lucky,’ I was told over and over my sophomore album would be the hardest to write,” Moroney wrote in a July 11 Instagram post. “I thought that might be true until I did what I’ve always done…I felt deeply and unapologetically and wrote songs when my heart needed it.”

While a student at the University of Georgia, Moroney began writing music and performing covers for her sorority sisters and local audiences. She graduated in 2020, packed her bags and headed to Nashville, hoping for a big break on Music Row.

In just a short time, her career has taken off, releasing the lively notes and clover color scheme of her 2023 debut album “Lucky” and the audacious red and rhythms of her 2022 EP “Pistol Made of Roses.” From earning nominations for song of the year for SEC football fan-inspired ballad “Tennessee Orange,” to performing at this year’s Stagecoach Festival and touring with Kenny Chesney, Moroney is an undeniable force in the country music genre.

Her new 14-song project lived up to hard work and unshakeable talent, and her confidence glows through songwriting and unfiltered emotions. Described by Moroney as “Lucky’s cooler older cousin that can drink” in an Instagram post, her sophomore album explores a matured connection with love, loss, heartbreak and friendship, all while sprinkling in bits of lighthearted humor.

The title track, “Am I Okay?” sets the album’s tone. A seemingly daunting question to kick off an album, Moroney sings of a change “playin’ less Black Keys” and friends who swear she’s gone crazy – perhaps she’s fallen in love.

“Maybe love ain’t always what it was/ Not cryin’ and dyin’ and messin’ me up/ I think I’m really happy, I think I wanna stay/ Oh my God, am I okay?” she sings. Once heartbroken, Moroney learns to lean into a new romance.

The big-hair-Barbie “Georgia Girl” isn’t a stranger to vulnerability, often displaying everyday imperfections on social media to a responsive audience. “Am I Okay?” is one of many examples of Moroney’s success at tapping into relatability and introspection. In her own fashion, Moroney preaches women’s empowerment, packaging the depths of girlhood into a bedazzled box with a big ol’ bow.

Like Kacey Musgraves’ “Same Trailer Different Park,” Moroney takes back her power, telling her own ex-cowboy to “Step Off.” “Just keep climbin’ that mountain of dirty tricks/ And when you finally get/ To the top/ Step off.” Musgraves sings. Moroney has a similar warning, but instead of watching him fall, she’s ready to send him far, far away into space with “Man on the Moon.”

“‘Cause he wants me and he needs space/ Someone take this cowboy away/ Somewhere far, let him fly/ Out of this world and off my mind/ C’mon, there’s gotta be a rocket somewhere taking off soon/ I think it’s time we put another man on the moon,” Moroney sings.

The candid country music style lineage between Moroney and Musgraves extends beyond lyrics. The two are currently paired in the Country Music Hall of Fame’s “Unbroken Circle” section of the “American Currents: State of the Music” annual exhibit.

Moroney has even found inspiration through her fellow country music stars’ fashion and styling. In a New York Times interview with Holly Gleason, Moroney said “I’ve always loved the way Dolly (Parton) and (Musgraves) have their hair up to the ceiling, you know? It’s like they can say whatever they want, dressed like that.”

For Moroney, falling out of love requires the support of best friends, and the album’s 11th track, “The Girls,” comes just in time to help. A therapeutic friendship anthem, Moroney’s love for her girlfriends is sisterly – her girls are always there for a glass of wine and debrief for the “ten-thousandth time.”

The album, enveloped with moody, royal blue hues, concludes with “Hell of a Show.” She sings of a period when her love life was in shambles, but she plastered on a smile to give her fans the most unforgettable performances.

With just an acoustic guitar and sweet, southern vocals, Moroney hones the song’s meaning.

“Keep it together, I can keep it together/ For the room full of people here who love me better/ Than he could’ve, or would’ve, and should’ve, I know/ I guess you could say I put on a hell of a show,” she sings.

While less than optimistic at times, “Am I Okay?” offers fans a platform to engage with Moroney on her journey of entering new eras and reconciling with raw emotions. The album is a new leaf to turn over, but she stays true to the personality that has launched her career. There’s sadness and broken love, but with her guitar and her girls, she’s reminded that maybe everything will be “Okay.”

Published on July 16, 2024 at 9:37 pm