Kip Moore Subverts 'Bro-Country' Expectations, Which Is Why Aussies Love Him

Kip Moore is known for his captivating live shows, emotional songs and subverting "bro country" stereotypes. 

He's a unique artist who introduces elements of other genres, such as a swaying Fleetwood Mac-esque pop melody on If I Was Your Lover, moving balladry on Crazy One More Time, Good Life is all rock and roll, while How High is a joyful country music number. He certainly hasn't been pigeonholed by his 2011 hit, Somethin' 'Bout A Truck. Moore has grown far more confident in his singing, exploring multiple registers and evoking emotion with his rich vocal tone.

This month, Kip Moore returns to Australia and New Zealand, with Randy Houser joining him on the ride. Moore was last here in 2018 as part of the CMC Rocks festival and sold-out sideshows with Lee Brice. He has long been adored by his Australian fans, who have embraced his reputation as a fierce all-in performer.

He released his fourth album, Wild World, on 27 March 2020. The album followed Moore's pre-pandemic travels across the globe; twelve out of the record's thirteen tracks were co-written by Moore. His latest releases include If I Was Your Lover (featuring Morgan Wade) and Fire On Wheels, two groove-driven country anthems.

Moore has received abundant critical acclaim, with music publication Noisey calling him "an uncompromising, genre-defying artist firing on all cylinders".

When we catch up with Moore, he's just gotten back from searching for surf in Maui. Returning to Australia this month for CMC Rocks and Dittman Bull Country Music Festival, as well as two special shows in Melbourne and Sydney, he should hopefully find plenty of opportunities to surf.

"Along the touring circuit, there's certain pockets of people - there's certain pockets in the states that really get me," he starts. "Certain pockets get me in Europe, for whatever reason. I seem to have found a crowd in Australia that really understands what I do and appreciates the lyrics and musicality of what we're trying to do."

Moore says his touring partner, Randy Houser, does his own thing, which is why they complement each other. "Randy has never been a guy that's tried to chase a trend or sound. And I think the fans respect and see that. And I think that's why we complement each other. We don't do the same thing at all, but I think we're both singing from an honest place."

That honesty comes from Moore's habit of trying to write every day. Each morning, he wakes up and stretches that muscle, knowing that if he doesn't, writing music becomes even more challenging than it needs to be.

"You know, I feel like I've always had the gift of imagery and words, but I had to learn how to write," he says. "By doing it every morning, it makes you faster and faster and faster. It helps you understand how to get to where you're trying to get with what's in your head. I've always got something in my head going on. So I try to suss it out first thing in the morning."

And Moore's writing style leads to songs that he's immensely proud of and represent who he is as a human being. "Guitar Man checks both those boxes," he notes, recalling the song that clearly depicts his life before any of us knew his name. "I did the bar band circuit down in South Georgia and was always playing cover music, and I always wanted to make my own music. Guitar Man is a very honest depiction of life growing up in South Georgia and how I became who I am. 

"Then, I would say songs like The Bull. The Bull has been a massive song for us through the years, and it's very indicative of how I feel a lot of times in this business with the chase of commercial success and me trying to do my thing, stay out of that lane of trying to always chase that and just be honest with who I am."

Being honest with who he is has brought thousands of fans to Moore’s music, which is kind of weird when he acknowledges that he’s an introvert in the most extroverted job.

“It's a struggle daily. I'm an introvert in the single most extroverted profession I could have picked,” he laughs. Moore’s life is a beautiful one, but it’s also taxing. “I did 110 shows last year, so that means I'm gone for 200 days of the year travelling.

“It's taxing physically, mentally, and everything, but it's also so rewarding and euphoric at the same time. I wouldn't trade it for anything, but it takes a whole lot out of you,” Moore explains. “There are a lot of times when I just don't want to speak. I don't want to, and that's the beauty of when I come surfing for the winter. You know, I take two months off every winter, and I'll tour for ten months, and there's times when I won't say a word for 48 hours. I just kind of ride around my bicycle and look for surf and get ready to be an extrovert again.”

On Payin’ Hard from Wild World, Moore penned the most emotional song he’s ever written. Created by Moore, Westin Davis and Blair Daly, the song arrived naturally from a team who understood the mindset he was in at the time.

“I feel like over the last few years, my writing has gone to another level because of hanging out with these guys and how they approach things lyrically,” he says. “For so much of my life, I was always working on the music first and foremost, but Westin could tell where I was the day I got off the road.”

Moore had spent a long time on the road, and he started singing some melodies that would appear on Wild World. “None of it was put together yet, it was just bits and pieces, and we spit out that opening line in the verse right away. That was one of our best days; we had such a blast. It was a hard day to write that, but much like Guitar Man, it was a very fulfilling day for us.”

Moore’s father, Stanley Moore, passed away in 2011, and after so many years on the road, he hadn’t experienced the opportunity to process the grief bubbling at the surface. “I definitely think moments like that can be therapeutic,” he says about the songwriting behind Payin’ Hard. 

“That was ten years of agony for me, of having regrets and all these things when it came to certain people in my life and my dad, specifically. And, you know, not necessarily knowing how to say it until it just happened in a natural way.”

This month, you can see Kip Moore alongside Randy Houser in Melbourne and Sydney, the CMC Rocks and Dittman Bull Country Music Festival. You can find tickets to all the events on Moore’s website. Kip Moore is releasing his fifth album, Damn Love, on 28 April. You can pre-order the record here.

KIP MOORE

AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES

Saturday, 11 March - Dittman Bull Country Music Festival, Bloomsbury

Wednesday, 15 March - Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne

Thursday, 16 March - Hordern Pavilion, Sydney

Saturday, 18 March - CMC Rocks, Willowbank Raceway, Ipswich