It's a special edition of Superstar Power Hour from Audacy's Stars & Strings! Katie Neal and Megan Moroney catch up before the show!
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00:00I'm Katie Neal here with Megan Maroney
00:03for the Superstar Power Hour.
00:04How are you?
00:05I'm great.
00:06How are you?
00:06I'm so good.
00:07So we were just talking,
00:08you just got back from vacation.
00:09Yes.
00:10Did you like get some good R&R on this vacation
00:12or was it like a party vacation?
00:13Both.
00:15It was a party vacation until it rained a lot of the time.
00:18So then I got to do absolutely nothing,
00:20which was honestly very nice.
00:21It's nice, but then you're inside and you're like,
00:22well, I might as well drink if it's raining.
00:24Yeah.
00:25My blood was like probably 90% painkillers.
00:28So.
00:29The drink painkillers.
00:31Yes, the drink.
00:31I was like.
00:32Yeah, I guess I should clarify.
00:33There's a rum drink in the island called a painkiller.
00:37Is Megan Maroney okay?
00:38No, she's not.
00:38This is her intervention.
00:40So it was just announced that you are going to be performing
00:43on the CMA Awards.
00:44Yes.
00:45Am I okay?
00:46I know that you can't really like say anything
00:48about the performance, but like, is the vision for it done?
00:51Can you give us like a little teaser?
00:53Very blue.
00:54Imagine that.
00:55Imagine that.
00:56I was gonna ask what you were wearing.
00:57Who would have thought?
00:58But I imagine that it's also blue.
00:58I'm actually not wearing blue.
01:00You're not.
01:01But it's very blue.
01:02At any point you're not wearing blue?
01:03I never said that.
01:04Oh, okay, okay, okay.
01:06We're not gonna give anything away here.
01:07How are you feeling about being nominated for new artist
01:11and for the big female vocalist?
01:13It's exciting.
01:14I mean, even like last year, the past two years I've gone
01:17and to even be able to get to go is like a dream come true.
01:21I grew up watching the awards.
01:22So just honored to be there and yeah, we'll see how it goes.
01:27When you're on stage,
01:28who do you like not want to lock eyes with?
01:30Like who would make you giggle or make you nervous?
01:32Anyone, like I would prefer to just look out
01:36into the abyss and see nothing, yeah.
01:38Yeah, I would look up and not down.
01:40I know, it's honestly, it's a little nerve wracking
01:43performing in front of other artists, I would say.
01:45Yeah, like I feel like I would look at Kelsey Pallarini
01:47and I would start giggling and I'd be like,
01:48why did I do that?
01:50All right, so we talked a little bit
01:52how obviously the performance is gonna be blue.
01:54And I have really loved that with each album,
01:57you have like leaned into a color.
01:58So Lucky was green, Am I Okay is blue.
02:01Is this like a concept that you're planning on continuing
02:04or did this just kind of happen?
02:06I guess we'll just see how the writing process goes.
02:09When I created Am I Okay and the world around that,
02:13it just, everything felt very blue
02:15and I've definitely leaned into it.
02:17I didn't, I think I went really hard with the blue,
02:20but blue is my favorite color.
02:22So I kind of want this era to last forever.
02:27But yeah.
02:28Do you think a red era though would be very fun?
02:29I know, I love red too.
02:31You could just be in a red lip for a full year.
02:33Yeah, never take it off, yeah.
02:35So album came out this year.
02:37What has been like reception from fans?
02:40Like how are you feeling about everything
02:41now that it's been a couple months?
02:43I think they love it, which makes me really happy.
02:45I'm proud of these songs and I love them too.
02:48And they're so fun to perform live.
02:49And I've had shows this year after Am I Okay came out
02:53and they go crazy for the new ones, I will say.
02:56So I'm very excited for the Am I Okay tour next year.
02:59And even the new songs like Break It Right Back,
03:03I haven't performed Bless Your Heart yet,
03:04but I might play that tonight.
03:06But I haven't performed all of the Deluxe songs yet,
03:09but Break It Right Back is one that I've been playing
03:11at live shows and it's crazy.
03:13Like the day it came out, I had a show
03:15and they sang all the words.
03:16I was just, it's mind blowing,
03:18but I'm so appreciative and I love that they love it
03:20because I was really excited about these songs.
03:23Yeah, and I feel like I've seen videos
03:24of everyone scream singing Am I Okay.
03:27And it's so funny because I think you've talked about this.
03:29There'll be like a little girl in the front row.
03:30I'm like, what have you been through?
03:32Literally, yeah, love it.
03:34And he's good in.
03:35Yeah.
03:37What was the, like, I was curious
03:39and I was listening to that.
03:40Did you decide to take bed out
03:42or were you always gonna leave it out or like?
03:44I think it's supposed to rhyme
03:46with Heaven Sent technically.
03:48Heaven sent, good in, you know what I mean?
03:51So I think bed would have thrown it off.
03:53And also that's just like, it was not gonna flow properly.
03:57So it was never in question.
03:58Cause I'm like, that's so weird.
03:59It's more fun to me that you don't
04:01like the innuendo of it is great.
04:032024, obviously been a great year.
04:05You spent a lot of time on the road with Kenny.
04:08What did you maybe learn about Kenny Chesney
04:10that you didn't know beforehand?
04:13Let's see here.
04:14There's so much because we've become such good friends.
04:17I would say on an artist point of view,
04:20like he works his ass off still.
04:23He does.
04:24He actually took me and my team
04:26and my friends to the island.
04:28Like that's a vacation we were on.
04:29And he left a little early to go get in the studio.
04:32You know what I mean?
04:33And he's always working on things.
04:35So I think his drive and work ethic
04:37is something that I really admire about him.
04:40And there's so much stuff.
04:42He's so cool.
04:43And just like the way he treats his fans
04:44and the way he's like made No Shoes Nation
04:48is just definitely something I've taken notes from.
04:50I was gonna say, yeah,
04:51like when you get to go on a world-class tour like that,
04:54like what are the things you take from that
04:55that you like wanna put in your shows next year?
04:58I would say just really making it for the fans.
05:01You know, his live show is,
05:04it literally is like a celebration of No Shoes Nation.
05:07And that's how I want my shows to feel.
05:09And yeah, I mean,
05:12it's also one thing that I saw
05:13that was like kind of crazy to me
05:15is that, you know, he's in a stadium.
05:16He could have crazy production,
05:18but he doesn't because his songs are that good.
05:20And he's that good of a performer.
05:22So it was kind of a reminder to focus on the songwriting
05:25and make sure the songs are good
05:26because, you know, he can get up there
05:28and entertain people for two hours
05:30and then still not play all of his hits.
05:31There's still songs that he doesn't get to play.
05:33So that's really inspiring too,
05:36to just be like, how do you get to play for that long
05:39and you don't even play all the hits?
05:40Right, it's wild.
05:42And you will get there.
05:43That will be you.
05:44Like when you've got people leaving
05:46and they're like, I can't believe she didn't play.
05:47Like a bad, but also a great problem to be having.
05:52So tour is happening.
05:53What are you most excited about for your shows?
05:56Oh man, I'm really excited
05:59to just be on like a proper headlining tour again.
06:02I was gonna say,
06:03because you've been trying to like win people
06:04over at Kenny's shows,
06:05but now you get to go to like just be with your people.
06:07Right, I had the lucky tour.
06:09And then this summer in between Kenny
06:11was like a few lucky 2.0 shows,
06:13but there's only like eight of those.
06:15So I'm really just excited
06:16to be with my fans every single night.
06:19And it'd be like, I get to play 90 minutes of all my songs
06:22and it'll just be a moment.
06:24I feel like there's less pressure at shows that I headline
06:28because I can kind of do whatever I want.
06:29You know what I mean?
06:30Like if I want to switch a song,
06:31like when you open it's very much like don't go over,
06:34don't do this.
06:35Your 27 minutes, don't go a second over.
06:37Don't go a second over, you'll get kicked off the tour.
06:38So I'm kind of just excited to let loose a little bit
06:43and it'll be fun and play all the new songs, some old songs.
06:46And yeah, it's gonna be a party.
06:48It's gonna be a party.
06:48It's gonna be so fun.
06:49And something that you always do at your shows that I love
06:51is you are always in these like really cute little dresses.
06:54And I am wondering, like where do some of those come from?
06:56Like, do you get those like custom made?
06:58Cause I'm like, they're so cute,
06:59but they're like so specific to you
07:00that I wondered if they started making them just for you.
07:02They are custom made.
07:03Yeah, Stephanie Naylor makes them.
07:05And yeah, I think at the beginning,
07:08like during the lucky tour,
07:09I was still wearing some like Sherri Hill dresses
07:12that you can get online and stuff.
07:13But then Stephanie started making them for me.
07:16That's so fun cause then you can be like,
07:17I want this or I want that, you know what I mean?
07:19Yeah, no, it's awesome.
07:20And she's so talented.
07:21She can literally whip up a dress
07:22cause she's made so many now.
07:23She can do one in like a day.
07:24It's crazy.
07:25I wish that I could do that.
07:26Like I watch Cassie Ashton make her own clothes.
07:29Oh yeah, I've seen some of those videos.
07:30That's wild.
07:31It's insane cause there's so many times I'll say something.
07:32I'm like, I would love this if,
07:34but like I don't know how to make the change or do that.
07:36So that's never gonna happen.
07:37All right, so your latest release was your Christmas EP.
07:41I'm like, what day is it?
07:42What day is it?
07:43Oh, well that's interesting.
07:45Blue Christmas, duh.
07:47Talk about adding the duh to this
07:49and like where that came from.
07:50Well, I feel like because I've embraced the color blue
07:53so heavily this year,
07:56it's like what other color would Christmas be?
07:58And so I didn't want to just name it blue Christmas
08:00cause I didn't want it to go over people's heads.
08:02I want it to be like, duh.
08:04Obviously.
08:05Obviously it's a blue Christmas.
08:08And honestly, when we wrote those songs,
08:10it was really random.
08:11I had gotten with Jimmy James, my group of songwriters.
08:14It's Mackenzie Carpenter, Micah Carpenter,
08:16and Ben Williams.
08:17And it was right after Am I Okay came out
08:20and I had a few days at home on the kidney tour
08:23and we got together to write,
08:25but I wasn't ready to write,
08:27like I just wasn't in the mood to write third album stuff.
08:30So I was like,
08:31why don't we try to write some Christmas songs?
08:32And I had the Christmas morning idea.
08:35So we wrote that.
08:36And then I was like, wait guys,
08:37if we could get one more fun one
08:39and then I could cover blue Christmas,
08:40we could make this an EP and I'll just like do it for fun.
08:43And it ended up working out.
08:44We wrote both Christmas songs the same day.
08:47That's so fun.
08:48Cause I feel like sometimes people struggle
08:49with a Christmas project.
08:50Like they decide they're doing one
08:52and then they try to write Christmas songs.
08:53And sometimes that's like a different animal to tackle,
08:56but I feel like they're so fun.
08:57I know it's funny too.
08:58Cause like it wasn't even in my record deal
09:00that I just did that for fun.
09:03I'm sure your team was like, great Megan, one more thing.
09:05They were like, okay, well that doesn't count for anything,
09:07but sure, if you want to.
09:09So since you're going to be on with us around the holidays,
09:12I want to talk like,
09:12what are some Maroney family traditions,
09:15like stuff that you guys always do?
09:16I feel like you have a fun family
09:17and they're probably doing fun stuff.
09:18I do have a fun family.
09:20I feel like decorating our house together
09:22has always been a tradition.
09:25My dad always makes cookies from scratch on Christmas Eve.
09:30So I've learned how to make really good cookies with him.
09:33We're not a family that does matching PJs
09:35and I wish we were.
09:37You can't get them on board?
09:38Well, I don't know.
09:40It's just not their vibe, but maybe this year,
09:41maybe I'll start it.
09:42I'll just show up.
09:43I have a Christmasy piece,
09:44so I would like all of you in matching Christmas.
09:46And they have to be blue.
09:47They have to be blue, obviously.
09:49But yeah, I feel like there's other little things too,
09:51but I would say decorating
09:52and then the cookies on Christmas Eve are always a thing.
09:54Oh, we also do lobster on Christmas day.
09:57Oh, fun.
09:58That's interesting.
09:58But it used to be a thing, it's like long story,
10:01but I used to love eating lobster to celebrate things.
10:04And then it became a Christmas thing somehow, so.
10:07That's fun.
10:08I love when everybody has a certain thing,
10:09like Luke Bryan's family always famously
10:10does chili dogs on Christmas Eve.
10:11Oh, wow.
10:12Like then they do matching PJs and the whole thing,
10:14but lobster, I like where that's going.
10:14Okay, my mission this year
10:15is to get the family in matching PJs.
10:19And then growing up,
10:20do you happen to remember,
10:21like what was maybe your favorite gift
10:23that Santa ever brought you?
10:25My favorite gift.
10:26It was one of those like purple Barbie scooters.
10:28Do you know which one?
10:29Like the ride on ones.
10:30I know what you're talking about.
10:31Loved that.
10:32I didn't get a Barbie one,
10:33but I remember when we got the Razor scooter
10:35and I had to like share it with my brother
10:37and it was like World War IV.
10:39Yeah, yeah.
10:40I had Razor scooters too.
10:41Those were so fun.
10:43I made a mistake of hitting the brake
10:45without shoes on one time.
10:46So think about that for a second.
10:49I was gonna say,
10:50did you ever like spin it around
10:51and it would like hit your ankle?
10:52Yeah, that was fun.
10:56What is, and maybe you don't have a story for this,
10:57I know I do,
10:58what's the most hungover you've ever been for Christmas?
11:03I don't drink that much when I'm home.
11:06That's nice.
11:07But it's, yeah, probably a drink.
11:09I love sweet drinks.
11:10Like I didn't grow out of that.
11:13Like what's your sweet drink?
11:14Just like anything with rum and like peach schnapps
11:17and like, you know, like really sugary stuff
11:20that makes you horribly hungover.
11:21So probably some of that before.
11:23Do you have a favorite Christmas cocktail that you go to?
11:27No.
11:29That's fine.
11:29You don't have to have one.
11:30Spiked hot chocolate.
11:31I don't know.
11:32Eggnog is gross too, by the way.
11:33Eggnog is disgusting.
11:35It tastes like thick milk that's really hot
11:40and spent in the back of the car for four weeks.
11:42It's not good.
11:43And I'll fight anybody on that.
11:44I'm glad we're together on that.
11:45Okay, so you're gonna have some time off.
11:47Like we're all fighting for our lives,
11:48get through CMA awards, chart freeze.
11:51What are you looking forward to do?
11:52Like in your downtime?
11:54In my downtime, write more songs.
11:57You're ready to write?
11:58Yeah, I think, you know,
12:00when I'm moving like a thousand miles per hour,
12:02I don't have as much mental space to be creative,
12:06but as soon as I slow down,
12:08like the other day I wrote a song
12:10just because I had a day off.
12:12So that's what I did,
12:13but just because I had nothing to do.
12:15So.
12:16Well, you talk about how like Kenny's always working
12:17and I feel like there you are,
12:18you're already doing it.
12:19Yeah, we talk about that all the time.
12:20I'm like, I'm kind of concerned
12:22because we're kind of the same person.
12:24So obviously this year has been amazing.
12:25What are you looking forward to outside of tour for 2025?
12:29Outside of tour?
12:30Yeah, is there anything,
12:31I know there's probably things you can't say, I'm sure.
12:34Oh, I thought you meant like not music business wise.
12:36I'm like, I don't think I'm doing it.
12:37I don't think I get off next year.
12:40I don't know, you know,
12:41I'm really just really looking forward to the tour.
12:44It's, that's like the one thing on my brain
12:46as soon as CMA awards are over,
12:49I'll get to like design,
12:50do like the set design and everything.
12:52So.
12:52That's so fun.
12:53Are you like really involved in that process?
12:54Oh yeah.
12:55Yeah.
12:56Down to like the number of steps I want to have and stuff.
12:58Really?
12:59It's very much.
13:00Do you do like,
13:01is there someone that helps you with the choreography
13:02or is that something you do yourself?
13:03I don't have choreography yet.
13:05But I mean like the blocking of like
13:06where you're walking on stage and stuff.
13:08No, I just kind of.
13:09Wing it?
13:10Wing it, but I'm sure,
13:11I probably need to be a little more prepared for next year.
13:13We'll see.
13:13Like there's some like,
13:14it's sort of blocked out.
13:16Like I know where I need to be,
13:17but as far as like each step,
13:18I just kind of,
13:20like if they're singing more over here,
13:22I'll probably be over there.
13:23That's a good,
13:24that's a good thing to know.
13:25Like the part,
13:26like the louder you sing.
13:27The louder you are, I'll probably, yeah.
13:29And then are you a New Year's resolutions person?
13:32No.
13:33No?
13:34Okay, yeah.
13:35I'm going to be honest,
13:36because I have,
13:36I don't know if I've ever like gone through with one.
13:41I try to just like make goals randomly throughout the year.
13:45Do you do like dry January?
13:47No.
13:48Great.
13:49I'm so glad you said this.
13:50I'm so glad we're bonding over eating eggnog
13:51and not doing dry January.
13:52January is the worst one of the year to try and not drink.
13:55I think I did like a dry,
13:57like during the Kenny tour,
13:57Kenny doesn't drink on tour.
13:59Which is like wild,
14:00but also a good takeaway.
14:02It's how you don't get sick.
14:03It's how you don't get sick.
14:05And just talking like the amount of like,
14:08you know, I do meet and greets before,
14:09and then you play a show,
14:11and then I sing with Kenny.
14:12And then if I'm partying after,
14:13by the next day,
14:14my voice is like gone.
14:15But yeah, anyway,
14:16so I did a little bit of a dry,
14:18like May or June or something,
14:20but no dry January.
14:22Start off strong.
14:23Start off.
14:24Start the year off strong.
14:25Listen, I'm so happy that you're here
14:27for Stars and Strings.
14:27Thank you for taking the time to do this.
14:29I know that you've been sick
14:30and that you have been running around everywhere,
14:32but it's really great to see you.
14:33And I love the album.
14:34And I'm so excited for you at the CMA Awards.
14:36Megan Maroney, everybody.
14:38Thanks, guys.