Megan Moroney Has Emerged as the Savior for Sad Carrie Underwood Fans

Sure, you could stream Carrie Underwood. But have you heard of Megan Moroney?

That’s the message all over social media this week, after Underwood announced she would be performing at Donald Trump’s inauguration, to the dismay of her liberal fans.

The announcement that Underwood would perform “America the Beautiful” at the ceremony on January 20 immediately dismayed the country superstar’s anti-MAGA fans. While those who support Trump and are fans of Underwood cheered the decision, this vocal contingent were furious, and they made their anger known.

Underwood has never been open about her political beliefs, telling an interviewer in 2019 she tried to stay “far out from” expressing them. In a statement to People, Underwood made no mention of politics or her personal beliefs, referring to the performance instead as an act of patriotism.

“I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event,” Underwood told People. “I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”

But fans on both sides of the aisle took her choice to sing at the inauguration as an implicit acceptance of Trump. The choice was a hard one to swallow for fans who do not support the former and future president. On social media they called Underwood “KKKarrie,” saying they would now boycott the singer and were devastated by her choice. Since early this week, Underwood has lost about 11,000 followers on Instagram, according to Social Blade.

And for many, there was a question to answer: who to stan now? On social media platforms like TikTok and Reddit, many people threw out the names of established country stars who they deemed less problematic, like Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, and Kelsea Ballerini.

But for one person who ran a Carrie Underwood stan account on Twitter, the answer was clear. They announced they would be rebranding their account effective immediately, to change affiliations. Now they would be throwing their support behind rising country singer Megan Moroney.

“New era,” they wrote, with a screenshot of their old username (@ChartCarrie) and their new one (MegCharts).

The anonymous proprietor of the account tells me that they had loved Underwood since her very first album, Some Hearts, was released when they were a child. Since then, they have followed her career as she continued to rise.

“Her ability to succeed in a male-dominated genre was not only inspiring to women in country,” they say. “She had success compared to Rihanna and Miley Cyrus at the time. Her success and appeal was outside of the box country artists are usually put into. She was international. I think it had a lot to do with not only her sound but her relatable appeal. She didn’t just sing your typical country cowboy songs. They were deeper and spoke on real issues.”

When the ex-stan found out about Underwood’s inauguration performance, they found it “disappointing more than shocking.”

“Her being a Republican is one thing, but the fact that she is performing at the inauguration for Trump, when everything he stands for is the opposite of what she’s preached her entire career, really makes you question her,” they say. “Did she ever really care about the messages and people she ‘supported?’ And the fact that in 20 years she’s never spoken out or even acknowledged politics but the first time she does is for Trump? That stings.”

The newly christened @MegCharts isn’t the only former Carrie Twitter stan pivoting to Maroney, a 27-year-old artist who has released two albums and won the new female artist of the year award at the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2023. (A rep for Moroney politely declined to comment on the controversy or the hype surrounding her.)

People on the platform have been hyping up Moroney ever since Underwood’s performance was announced, encouraging people to stream her 2024 single “Am I Okay?” and referring to her as an “unproblematic” country queen.

@MegCharts tells me they decided to choose Moroney as their new queen because they believe she represents a “fresh, authentic voice that country music needs.”

“Moroney’s approach feels sincere and grounded and highlights a new era of country music, free from the polarizing choices that have tarnished country music’s reputation,” they say.

In an era where many feel powerless in the face of an impending Trump presidency they don’t support, the chance to pivot their energy to those who share their beliefs is an enticing way to flex their stanning muscle. When someone tweeted at @MegCharts they felt inspired to listen to Moroney’s music for the first time ever, they cheered them on.

“She’s the new it girl,” they wrote.