Cloud 9 drops this week, and Megan Moroney can’t wait. The country superstar has cemented herself as one of the premiere artists in the mainstream part of the genre, and while she’s become a household name who can sell tickets all over the world, this record feels different. During an interview with The Tennessean, Megan revealed that the album was initially called “Medicine,” after a song on the album because “Cloud 9” didn’t exist yet, but her attitude on everything shifted during the writing process, and before she knew it, she was floating and decided she wanted the album, along with its signature pink color, to reflect that. She explained that every song on the 15-song tracklist was meticulously written and thought out, and she never, ever pushes something through if she doesn’t feel it’s up to snuff, so to speak: “It’s just learning more about myself as a songwriter. I don’t do really well with like, let’s just write it and finish it even if it’s not good. I hate doing that. I want every song that I write, if we can’t quite grasp it, let’s just change directions.” But it sounds like there was another shift that didn’t have anything to do with her happiness at the current stage of life, and she explained in the interview that this is the first album where she’s really felt completely proud of it and not let critics, or maybe even her own self-doubt, get to her: “I truly love every single song on this album so much, and I feel like, in the past, it’s been hard to be proud of myself, but I feel very proud of myself and this album, which is a new feeling. But I’m proud of it.” I think part of that has to do with getting older (not that I’m implying she’s old at all, we’re the same age), but she has some experience under her belt now in terms of just living life and advancing in her career, and I think she probably has a much deeper understanding of who she is and what she wants. I hope we’ll hear that growth from her debut Lucky, and even her more recent project Am I Okay?. It seems like there was no questioning anything with this project, and she went into it laser-focused on her ideas, and came out with something that is completely hers, and completely what she wants to say and convey to the world. In terms of how her songs resonate so deeply with so many people, Megan called it “insane” to think that her music speaks to people on a very emotional level: “It’s an insane feeling to know that my music has impacted people in such an emotional way, and such a passionate way.” I think fans have their eyes on two songs in particular, the first one being the song that will seemingly reveal all about the Riley Green, Ella Langley and Megan love triangle (or whatever you want to call it) called “Who Hurt You?,” and the other one being her longtime fan-favorite “Wedding Dress,” which has finally made it’s way onto an album, and she’s already getting in the spirit, sharing a photo of herself in a gorgeous white wedding dress yesterday on Instagram: View this post on Instagram It really is a beautiful song, something many women (and men) can relate to, and I can’t wait to finally have the studio version: @emocowgirlcountryclub i hope @Megan Moroney releases this someday. #meganmoroney #weddingdress #countrymusic #countrymusictiktoks #womenofcountrymusic #fy #fyp #foryou #foryoupage ♬ original sound – 9⃣ I’m also pumped to hear her collab with Ed Sheeran “I Only Miss You” because I’ve been hooked from the first teaser: View this post on Instagram Cloud 9 Tracklist 1. “Cloud 9” (Megan Moroney, Luke Laird, Jessie Jo Dillon, and Ernest Keith Smith)* 2. “Medicine” (Megan Moroney, Connie Harrington, Jessie Jo Dillon, and Jessi Alexander)* 3. “6 Months Later” (Megan Moroney, Ben Williams, Rob Hatch, and David “Messy” Mescon)* 4. “Stupid” (Megan Moroney, Amy Allen, and David “Messy” Mescon)* 5. “Beautiful Things” (Megan Moroney, Connie Harrington, Jessie Jo Dillon, and Jessi Alexander)* 6. “Convincing” (Megan Moroney, Connie Harrington, Jessie Jo Dillon, and Jessi Alexander)* 7. “Liars & Tigers & Bears” (Megan Moroney, Luke Laird, and Jessie Jo Dillon)* 8. “I Only Miss You (ft. Ed Sheeran)” (Megan Moroney, Ben Williams, Mackenzie Carpenter, Micah Carpenter, and Ed Sheeran)* 9. “Wedding Dress” (Megan Moroney, Ben Williams, and Colin Healy)+ 10. “Change of Heart” (Megan Moroney, Ben Williams, Mackenzie Carpenter, and Micah Carpenter)* 11. “Bells & Whistles (ft. Kacey Musgraves)” (Megan Moroney, Ben Williams, Mackenzie Carpenter, and Micah Carpenter)* 12. “Table for Two” (Megan Moroney, Ben Williams, Mackenzie Carpenter, and Micah Carpenter)^ 13. “Wish I Didn’t” (Megan Moroney, Emily Weisband, Hillary Lindsey, and Luke Laird)* 14. “Who Hurt You?” (Megan Moroney, Luke Laird, and Jessie Jo Dillon)* 15. “Waiting on the Rain” (Megan Moroney, Luke Laird, and Jessie Jo Dillon)* * Produced by Kristian Bush + Produced by Luke Laird and Megan Moroney, additional production by Kristian Bush ^ Produced by Luke Laird and Megan MoroneyThe post “A New Feeling”: Megan Moroney Says ‘Cloud 9’ Is The First Album She’s Been Really Proud Of first appeared on Whiskey Riff.