Megan Moroney opened up about her “unbelievable” collaborations with her musical hero Kacey Musgraves on “Bells & Whistles” and pop superstar Ed Sheeran on “I Only Miss You,” both featured on her new album, Cloud 9.
The country superstar revealed how the duets came to fruition during an interview with Bobby Bones on The Bobby Bones Show, where she opened up about her next era, why the color pink, her upcoming Cloud 9 arena tour, the gift Kenny Chesney gave her and more.
“The Kacey Musgraves thing is my Super Bowl, as anyone who’s followed me for the past however many years would know. And the Ed Sheeran thing is also just unbelievable. I don’t know how I pulled that one off,” Moroney admitted.
Megan Moroney And Ed Sheeran: “I Only Miss You”
Still in disbelief over how it all came together, Moroney reflected on landing two of the most surreal collaborations of her career, starting with “I Only Miss You” featuring Ed Sheeran.
“At first, I was nervous to talk to Ed Sheeran, of course, but he’s the emailer. So that takes kind of the pressure off because I would just not check my email for like two weeks and wouldn’t worry about it. But Ed and I would send back and forth songs. And he would send me one, and I’m like, ‘Ah, I don’t know if this is it.’ I’d send him one, he’s like, ‘Hey, I don’t know,’” Moroney explained.
She went on to share that it was after a show she played with Sheeran at the iconic Bluebird Café in Nashville that they knew for sure they needed to find the right song to collaborate on. “After the Bluebird [Café] show, he told me that his wife and kids love me, and he loves my songwriting, and I’m obviously such a fan of his. So I think we just really wanted to collab together.”
Megan Moroney also revealed that her duet with Sheeran is not a pop-country song, but rather leans into a more traditional country sound.
“I definitely trusted Ed after it’s done. Like he made the right decision. The song that we cut is a traditionally country song. It’s not a pop song,” Moroney continued. “I think from what I know about collabing with pop artists, usually it’s like a tempo like kind of pop song with a country voice on it, but he wanted to go the opposite route and do a really traditional country song with his modern pop voice on it. So it made it really interesting and that I’m very excited for everyone to hear that one.”
Megan Moroney And Kacey Musgraves: “Bells & Whistles”
The Georgia native then discussed how her collaboration with Kacey Musgraves came to be, admitting the idea started as a long-shot ask.
“The Kacey Collab, I had just Hail Mary, will you just sing some background vocals?” she said with a laugh. “My manager knows her manager pretty well. And I remember them asking me, ‘Is there anything that would make this album a little bit better to you? Like, If you could have us request anything, what do you want?’ And I was like, ‘Bells and Whistles’ would sound really good with Kacey.”
From there, Moroney knew exactly why Musgraves felt like the perfect fit for the song. “It sounds like a song that maybe could have been on Same Trailer Different Park. I was like, ‘Man, it would just be a cool talking point to have Kacey Musgraves sing on one of my songs.’ And she ended up singing on it,” she exclaimed.
The moment she found out the collaboration was happening made an already monumental day even more unforgettable. “I found out the day I found out I won a VMA Award, and I was like, I was in the best mood ever and nobody knew why because I couldn’t say anything. They just thought I was just like, woo… But I was on cloud 9 that day. So that’s when I found out she was going to sing on it. I was like, ‘Oh my God, Kacey’s singing on my song. Life has never been better.’”
Moroney went on to reveal that Musgraves went above and beyond what was originally requested. “Then when we finally got the song, she had sent over a text that was like, ‘Hey, I’ve never done this before. Please don’t feel like you have to use it, but I went ahead and sang the second verse.’ She was like, ‘I’ve never done this before and I really don’t want you to feel like you have to use this, but I love the song.’”
Moroney added that Musgraves’ respect for the song meant everything. “She didn’t change one word, She didn’t change the syllable [and] she sang it as it is. And to me, that’s the highest compliment. It’s definitely like a bucket list thing. And I cried. I’m not a happy crier typically. And I cried when I heard it because I just couldn’t believe that she was singing with me.”
For Moroney, the collaboration with Kacey Musgraves represented a full-circle moment for her, both a fan and a songwriter.
“Like I said, it’s my Super Bowl. Same Trailer Different Park made me want to start writing songs, and so to have her, first of all, just lend me her voice, which I always knew we sounded good together because I’ve been harmonizing with her in the car for a long time, but just to hear our voices together and then to know as a songwriter, she liked the song so much.”
Both Duets To Appear On Moroney’s New Album, Cloud 9
“I Only Miss You” featuring Ed Sheeran and “Bells & Whistles” featuring Kacey Musgraves are the only two collaborations on Moroney’s third studio album, Cloud 9, produced by Kristian Bush of Sugarland. With Cloud 9, Megan Moroney is saying goodbye to the blue era that was her sophomore album, Am I Okay?, and welcoming her new pink color theme for the project she describes as “written by the strongest, most confident version of myself I’ve ever been.”
Arriving on February 20 via Sony Music Nashville/Columbia Records, Cloud 9 features 15 tracks, including the previously released “Wish I Didn’t,” “6 Months Later,” “Beautiful Things” as well as the unreleased, highly-anticipated viral track, “Wedding Dress,” and buzzed-about “Who Hurt You?.”
Cloud 9 will serve follow-up to her Gold-certified sophomore project, Am I Okay?, And her debut, Lucky.
Additionally, Megan Moroney will take her new project on the road for her first-ever arena stint, dubbed THE CLOUD 9 TOUR, a 49-date international headline run whose U.S. leg immediately sold over 450,000 tickets. THE CLOUD 9 TOUR will stop at major arenas throughout North America, Europe, and the UK.
For more info, visit meganmoroney.com.
