At just 24, Florida native McCoy Moore is fast becoming one of country music’s most promising new voices — a small-town storyteller with a modern spark and an old soul. Blending the emotional honesty of Keith Whitley with the sun-soaked nostalgia of Kenny Chesney, Moore’s sound feels both timeless and fresh. His rich baritone and unfiltered songwriting have already caught Nashville’s attention, earning him co-writes for artists like Shane Profitt, Roman Alexander, and Bryce Mauldin before stepping into the spotlight himself. Signed to TRACK Mgmt, Neal Artist Dev / The Neal Agency, and SMACK Songs, Moore’s rise is a blend of hard work, heart, and the kind of authenticity that can’t be faked.
Encouraged by Luke Combs during a chance meeting back in 2018, Moore took his advice to “stay true” and moved to Nashville at just 19. That journey now comes full circle with his self-titled debut EP — a collection that captures the grit, heart, and soul of a young artist wise beyond his years. From the heartfelt storytelling of ‘Something to You' and ‘John Deere Blue' to the beachy escapism of ‘Naming Boats,' Moore showcases the full range of his craft. It’s a debut that cements him as a natural storyteller and one of the genre’s most exciting new names — grounded, gifted and ready to make his mark. We caught up with him to talk all about it.
Thank you for your time today, McCoy, we're loving the new EP.
Thank you for listening to the music, man, I appreciate it.
Let's start at the beginning – I read that you grew up in Lakeland in Florida and was homeschooled with music lessons from an early age. How did that shape who you were and was that how you got interested in music?
I actually went to private school pretty much my whole life. I played baseball for a while too but high school wasn't that much fun for me – everybody gets so serious at that point and I was a weekend warrior, man, I just wanted to have fun! My mom was like, why don't we home school the last two years then? It gave me the opportunity to hang out with my friends more and start making trips back and forth to Nashville too.
I picked up the guitar in my junior year of high school. It was pretty nuts because I didn't find it till later in my teen years.
What artists were influencing at that time in your life?
Luke Combs was the big one for me. I felt a real connection with him in terms of him just being a normal guy. It made it easy for me to think ‘You know, if he can do it, maybe I can?' He's the one that got me into it, for sure.
I met Luke at a show in Tampa and had a crazy experience. We got to spend a bunch of time together and then my mom got us tickets to see him at the Ryman in Nashville in 2018. I remember going to that show and thinking I don't know how, when or what the circumstances will be but I will move here one day and do the same thing! (laughing) It was such a shot in the dark at 17 years old!
Now I get to play at the Ryman myself in December with Kip Moore so it's a pretty full circle moment for me right there.
What was the toughest lesson you learned in that first year after you moved to Nashville?
When you move there, I was 19 when I moved there, you think that everybody will be on the same level as you. You get there and you realise real quick that there are people here who have been in town for years and really, really, know what they are doing! (laughing) I had to be a sponge for a while and soak up learning as to how the town works – for Country music talent Nashville is the mecca, for sure!
What pathway led you to Shane MacAnally and SMACKSONGS' door?
I met Jake Owen years ago as he's from the same area as me and the day I moved to Nashville he sent me a text, he's so super nice. He introduced me to some folks and I eventually ended up meeting a guy called Travis Gordon and he was so good to me and took me around to every publishing house and put in those rooms.
I took a meeting at SMACK and they didn't offer me a deal. I had a few offers on the table but I'd felt really connected to the guys at SMACK, the people, the vibe – it was awesome there. I got back in touch with them and the next day they offered me a deal. It felt right the moment I walked in through their doors. So I became a staff songwriter there, trying to write better songs every day. It's one of the best places to write in Nashville, Shane is the best.
You wrote with Shane on ‘John Deere Blue' but Johnny Clawson has three co-writes on there. Would you say he was your go-to guy for this particular project?
I would definitely say he's one of ‘my guys.' Colton Venner, Nick Walsh and Johnny are my guys. Nick and I started writing songs together years ago when I was the new guy in town and I met Johnny along the way through friends – us three have stuck together over the years and I lean on them a lot.
I know you wrote some songs for with Rob Williford (Luke Combs' ex guitar player and co-writer) on his album – are those guys to you what Rob was to Luke? A support network.
Absolutely. When you move to Nashville they always say you need to find your crew and your people. You might be best friends with someone and not even write great songs with them but, thankfully, I found my core group of guys and we write great songs too.
Luke found it with Rob, Ray Fulcher and Rob Schneider – guys like that.
So you are taken on as a staff writer at SMACKSONGS – did you always see it as a pathway to becoming an artist or did you think you would stay as a writer?
Man, I love writing songs and I wanted to get good at that because the songs are the most important part of any artists' life. That was my biggest priority. I sometimes thought about being an artist but it was the writing I wanted to focus on at first.
Are you still offering out songs to other artists or are you keeping them for yourself right now?
I still try to write for everybody else. The feeling of getting a good song and knowing that you landed the plane perfectly – there's no better high than that!
Is there a writer in town that you haven't managed to work with that you'd like to get into a room with for your next project?
Oh man. I played Luke Combs' Bootlegger festival last weekend and I made some arrangements with David Lee Murphy to write. I would love to write with him one day – he was very influential to me growing up, whether it was his own hits or the stuff he wrote for other artists like Kenny Chesney. I would love for us to write a fun song together! (laughing)
Every track on the EP has it's own vibe, colour and texture. I really like that. Each one shows off a different side of you – is that what you were going for with it?
Absolutely. I wanted this EP to be an introduction to me. There's flavours for everybody on it – a bit of humour with ‘Dress Rehearsal,' a bit of heartbreak with ‘John Deere Blue.' I put myself on display a little bit with these songs, like being in a shop window.
Is there a song on the EP that you see as a centre piece that you built the rest of the project around?
The oldest song on the EP is ‘Bible and a Bar.' I wrote that one before I had a publishing deal. So that will be the focus track. That one came first and we built the rest around it. I knew I had that song which would quiet a room every time I play it, it makes people think, hell, it even makes me think every time too!
‘Bible and a Bar' is quiet a vulnerable song. Is that something you find easy when writing or something you've had to learn how to do?
I think that is the part that came easiest to me, especially when you are with people that you trust in the writing process. I find it pretty easy to be vulnerable in the room if you have the right people around you.
On the flip side – with songs like ‘Dress Rehearsal' and ‘Speaking Your Mind' you lean into this kind of sexy, flirtatious vibe. Is that a space you enjoy writing in?
I do! I think it's fun, man! When you throw a little bit of wink on it……… (laughing) My buddy Colton came in with that idea and as soon as I heard it I knew that we had to write that song! Man, I love tapping into that side of things.
You could play these songs by yourself acoustically in a small room or up on stage with a band in arena – which is so cool – they work in both settings.
We were out with HARDY in Vegas earlier in the year and I had played ‘Bible and a Bar' probably 700 times before that show but it was still so cool to play it up in that arena. We'd just played a bar in Nashville the week before we played the T Mobile Arena in Vegas and to see that song work and translate in both spaces was so cool. Music is so powerful and it's amazing to be a part of it.
Another different vibe on the EP is ‘Naming Boats,' which feels like, to me, your Floridian heritage coming to the fore there!
(laughing) Oh yeah! I got that idea at home in Lakeland. I'm watching all my friends getting married and having kids and I'm not in that space at all! I was sitting there thinking that all my friends are naming babies and I'm just sat here trying to name a boat, you know! (laughing)
That song and a song like ‘Memories We Never Made' must be great songs to play live with a full band?
So. Much. Fun. I've been having the time of my life playing these songs out on the road. When you have the drums pounding behind you and the bass and guitar going…… It's so much fun.
Is there an artist you've played who you've learned something from – be it stagecraft, the way they connect with their friends or even the way they handle their crew?
Bar none, HARDY is the guy for that. Crew. Other artists. Fans. The stage. He runs a great crew – it starts with him and trickles down, everybody treats everybody else amazingly in that organisation. That is how it should be, for sure, and I learned a lot from him. We're back out on the road with him soon – we're playing Orlando with him, which is so close to my hometown, so that's going to be amazing.
I was first of four last time out with him and now I'm first of three and I get to bring the band out with me as well. It's going to be amazing.
I hate asking artists this because the EP is only just out today. Tell me about the new music that might be coming down the line from you next year.
I will tell you – next year we have a bunch of music coming out. There's a ton coming down the line that I can't say too much about right now but we are working hard on it. I've been back in the studio recently and I can't wait for people to hear it. I handpick all the songs, they are just all my babies and I'm super excited for everyone to hear what we've done.
Check out McCoy Moore's new self-titled EP which is out in all the usual places today! Our review is right here.
