Country musician Megan Moroney says she writes sad songs for sad people. It’s making her a star.

By MARIA SHERMAN
AP Music Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Not so long before her platinum single “Tennessee Orange” became inescapable on country radio, Megan Moroney was attending the University of Georgia. The life of a musician? It wasn’t supposed to happen. “I went to school to be an accountant,” Moroney tells The Associated Press. Two headlining tours, a Grand Ole Opry debut, and a celebrated full-length album, “Lucky,” later, Moroney’s particular songwriting style has been resonating. That style is evident in the deceptively optimistic “Sad Songs for Sad People,” and the Johnny Cash and June Carter-referencing “Why Johnny.” Moroney scored her first-ever CMA nominations this year — for song of the year and artist of the year. The 2023 CMA Awards will be held Nov. 8.