Megan Moloney still isn’t big on cardio, even though she knows getting her heart rate up has helped her stand out as one of country music’s hottest young artists. After all, the “Indifferent” songstress understands the uncomfortable need to break a sweat to keep her energy levels up onstage during her summer tour.
“Training is my least favorite thing ever,” she says, “but it’s really obvious when you’re on stage if you haven’t trained. The stage is so big, and when you’re running around and singing, it’s really obvious if you’ve had a week off. You’re out of breath, so it’s best to avoid that.”
Her rigorous training was necessary to keep up with the numerous awards and accolades she has accumulated in such a short time. She was named the 2023 ACM New Female Artist of the Year and her debut hit “Tennessee Orange” went double platinum. Her first album, lucky, It has now been streamed over 1 billion times worldwide (the promotional tour for the album sold out in just one month). Five (About 10 minutes) Another hit, the post-breakup ballad “No Caller ID,” became the most-streamed country song by a female debut in the United States.
And now her second albumAm I okay?—Although only recently released, the Georgia native is already solidifying her status as a country music superstar.
The self-described “emo cowgirl” (“not to be confused with goth cowgirl, which means emotional cowgirl,” she explains) has already attracted a legion of fans, whose popularity stems from the balance of raw honesty and vulnerability that’s said to characterize her music, with a dash of down-to-earth Georgia charm. And with her new song, “Indifferent,” climbing the charts, Moloney is supporting the album on country music legend Kenny Chesney’s current U.S. tour, which has dates from Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium to Phoenix’s Talking Stick Amphitheatre to Foxboro’s Gillette Stadium.
Musically, she’s already been compared to Taylor Swift, but when it comes to maintaining her country muscle, Moloney is taking a page from another star, Carrie Underwood, by working out daily.
“Her legs are amazing, it’s no secret,” she says. “She has a very strict diet and workout routine. Everyone wants to have Carrie Underwood’s legs. She’s in amazing shape, and it’s all down to how hard she works.”
While on tour, the singer, with the help of his bandmates, makes time for a solid pre-concert workout, using equipment on his tour bus as well as his own body weight. When he’s at home in Tennessee, he sometimes combines weight training with cardio. But recently he’s started regularly doing Pilates, a challenging, low-impact workout that focuses on breathing exercises to strengthen the core.
“I love it,” she says. “I go to a gym called Bodyrok. I used to do weightlifting and proper gym training, but for some reason, Pilates workouts work for me. When I’m at home, I try to work out at least three times a week.”
First, Pilates, then “protein”
It takes effort to outdo Megan Moloney onstage. All eyes are on the singer, clad in her trademark brightly colored sequined outfits, strumming her guitar and belting out hits like “I’m Not Pretty” and “28th of June.”
But onstage, it’s sometimes tough for the singer to keep up with muscle-bound guitarist John Barker, who is not only her bandmate but also her touring big brother and training partner.
“I gave him the nickname ‘Protein’ and it stuck,” says Megan Moloney, “everyone knows him as Protein now. He’s definitely a big gym goer.”
As a team, she and the rest of her bandmates have built a bond that extends from the stage to the weight room. “We pretty much do everything together,” she says. “And training is another thing we all do together. It’s very much like a brotherhood.”
Though she relies on Pilates, her fluctuating schedule is unpredictable and training scenarios are usually unique, like finding a place to train as a team. Still, the band finds a way to turn any location into a gym space. The band is always prepared with weights, bands, and other equipment for long bus rides. Often, they choose to train outside the bus. Sometimes, they even meet outside the stadium to do swats.
“Someone always has some kind of workout on their phone, and it’s usually a full-body, circuit-type workout,” she says.[Sometimes] Then I do a little cardio. If I don’t have time for a proper workout, I’ll do something to get my body moving.”
Once training is over, another fitness challenge presents itself, this time with food options galore: fast food and pre-concert catering menus. But so far on this tour, Megan Moloney thinks the answer to this culinary conundrum is pre-made meals, which is why she says freezers on both tour buses are stocked with food for the band.
“My bus is always stocked with MegaFit meals,” she says. “I keep them on board because they have enough protein and aren’t too high in calories. They fill you up. Everyone on my bus eats them, and we eat them all the time. There’s only so much fast food you can eat on the road before you start feeling sick.”
Sing and train
Staying in tip-top shape and condition is part of the daily routine for the chart-topping singer, but as showtime approaches, keeping a clear head is also an essential part of the pre-show routine. So while friends and family may gather backstage at any given concert, Moloney makes sure to keep it clear so the band can motivate themselves for those final moments.
“Usually before a show I need about 30 minutes to de-stimulate myself,” she says. “I like to get into a routine with my band. We have this hands-on thing going on. [ritual]”Nothing has really changed, but we make sure everyone leaves the room 30 minutes early, even if close friends or family are there, and keeps things within the team.”
As Megan Moloney can attest, the road to the top of country music can be a matter of establishing a set routine. It’s quite an impressive journey for a one-time aspiring artist who gave up a music career to become an accountant while attending the University of Georgia (the alma mater of another young country singer, Logan Crosby). But an opportunity to showcase her talents was what ignited her career.
“During my freshman year of college, I had the opportunity to open for Chase Rice at the Georgia Theatre,” she says, for which she wrote her first song. [music] That’s what I set out to do, and so far it’s worked out pretty well.”
Getting to this point has involved another form of training, one that she says helped her establish a scintillating stage presence early in her career. Now that she no longer has to crunch numbers as an accountant, part of her musical training involves memorizing lyrics while doing sit-ups, burpees, or any kind of aerobic exercise. Doing this, she says, improves her memory and focus, helping to prevent embarrassing onstage faux pas.
“I think all singers should do cardio while they sing,” she says. “I’ve done it before. It builds your stamina and makes sure you can still breathe when you’re sprinting across the stage.”
