'Bringing A Lot Of Pink': Megan Moroney on Touring Australia, 48-Slide PowerPoints & Bieber Fever

Megan Moroney talks transitioning to arena headliner, overcoming tour illness, and how Australian fans in 2026 will be seeing one of her biggest productions to date.

Megan Moroney Profile

The rise of singer-songwriter Megan Moroney has been – put simply – breathtaking.

Following the release of her breakout hit Tennessee Orange in late 2022, she has released three albums, won CMA, ACM, MTV, and American Music Awards, and quickly transitioned from opening act for Kenny Chesney to arena headliner.

This success has also created new logistical challenges, extra pressure and 48-slide PowerPoints!

Last week, Moroney announced that her Cloud 9 Tour will come to the Australian east coast next May, having recently completed the North American leg, before heading to the UK and Europe next week.

It was only just over two years ago that Moroney first appeared in Australia as part of the CMC Rocks Queensland festival line-up.

She then returned last November to headline the Ridin’ Hearts Festival in Sydney and Melbourne.

Moroney has revealed to Countrytown that it was that trip that prompted her to include Australia in her Cloud 9 Tour plans.

“I realised, 'Oh wow, I really have a solid fanbase [in Australia]," she recalls. "I had some headlining shows last time around, and they were insane."

Moroney is fully committed to ensuring that Australian fans enjoy the same experience that fans in her home country have witnessed during the recent North American summer.

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“The Cloud 9 Tour is coming to Australia, and I think it will be just as magical as it has been in the US," she gushes. "I’ve had the best time on this tour. The community and my fans have made these shows so special, and I have no doubt my Australian emo cowgirls and cowboys will be bringing that same energy.”

“We are going to be bringing a lot of pink to Australia!”

With a bigger show production, larger venues, and greater fan expectation also comes a significantly upsized support team this time around.

“My road crew has quadrupled,” she explains. “I now have 18 road trucks out on tour, and that means there are a lot of drivers, crew and stage friends.

"It’s significantly bigger than any other tour I’ve been on.”

Moroney has, however, still been very hands-on with all of the Cloud 9 Tour creative and production elements.

“I have amazing people that bring my ideas to life," she enthuses. "My creative director, CeCe Dawson, and I designed the stage together.

“Before the tour, I’m the only person who knows that [for example] I wouldn’t do Who Hurt You in a ballgown, so I had to make the set list and design the silhouettes for the outfits to send to my stylist.

“There’s like a 48-slide PowerPoint that I made and sent to my stylist and my team, and I was like, ‘I’m going to use this microphone, and this is what I want this guitar to look like’, so I’m one hundred per cent involved in every little detail you could imagine.”

The transition from support act to full-time headliner also means Moroney is now truly experiencing the logistical realities, responsibilities, and adjustments that come with that shift.

“I think for me there’s more pressure with headlining because I’m employing people that are counting on me to do well and be able to do my show," she outlines. "If I can’t do my job, they can’t do theirs.

“There was still pressure on the Kenny Chesney tour; it was just different. I was trying to win people over. But if I got sick on that tour, I’m sure some people would care, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world. But when I got sick on my tour, it did feel like the end of the world to me.”

It was during a recent show in Denver in July that Moroney experienced that nightmare firsthand, when she had to end and postpone the show after just two songs due to illness.

“I could have some drinks on the Kenny Chesney tour and hang out, but after the Cloud 9 Tour, I have a strict routine," she explains. "I’m doing a cool down, taking my makeup off, and taking my hair out. It’s very chill, and I get to bed as soon as I can.”

Thankfully, Moroney was able to reschedule that Denver show and perform it at the end of August. She expressed her gratitude to fans by adding an additional seven songs to the regular show setlist.

Included in that list of extras was a stunning performance of I Will Always Love You in tribute to her legendary mentor, Dolly Parton.

@megmoroney
we will always love you, Dolly 🦋
♬ original sound - Megan Moroney

“I’ve always looked up to Dolly," Moroney explains. "I love the way she viewed things. She loved everybody and wanted everybody to always feel included.

“She always thought more is more, and I’m like, same! More hair, more make-up, but she also knew who she was on the inside. I always thought that was inspiring.

“We wanted to do a tribute to her at that show. It was very special and emotional.”

Naturally, fans will be wondering if Moroney plans to unveil any new songs ahead of next May’s Australian visit.

“If I’m to be completely honest, I haven’t started writing for my next album yet," she admits. "However, I did say that after the UK leg of the Cloud 9 Tour that I would start writing again.

“So, if I don’t have something new by then, that would be concerning.”

One of Moroney’s ultimate goals in a future cycle is to collaborate with pop star Justin Bieber. It’s a dream she has had for a considerable amount of time.

“My number one dream collab is Justin Bieber, and I’m going to keep saying that in interviews and shout it to the rooftops until it happens," she laughs. "I’m 28 years old, and I still have Bieber fever."

She has already recorded several notable duets, including both I Only Miss You with Ed Sheeran and Bells & Whistles with Kacey Musgraves on the Cloud 9 album.

In both cases, Moroney was very strategic from a writing perspective when the opportunity presented itself to work with the two artists and followed an established approach.

“I try to write the hit first and then send it to them,” she says. “With both Ed and Kacey, I wasn’t in a writers’ room with them when we wrote the song. We wrote it ahead of time, and then Ed Sheeran ended up tweaking his verse later on.

“I told him, ‘If you like the chorus and my verse, let’s do it, and you can change whatever you want on your part because I want you to relate to it.’

“Kacey didn’t change anything we wrote, so we just got lucky with her.”

She also feels she needs to “live a little” once completing this year’s touring schedule, so that she can create a legitimate narrative for future songs.

But most importantly, Megan Moroney is primarily focused on giving Australian fans the full Cloud 9 Tour experience next May.

“It’s truly magic every night and so special. Perhaps it will be even more special by then. We’ll see!”

Tickets to Megan Moroney's Australian tour are on sale now.

Presented by Frontier Touring 