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Megan Moroney “got to surprise” Kenny Chesney when he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday evening (October 19).
Moroney was one of three surprise performers to take the stage in Chesney’s honor at the star-studded Medallion Ceremony, which took place in the Hall of Fame and Museum’s CMA Theater in Nashville, Tennessee. Chesney thought the Georgia-born singer-songwriter was on her way to Australia with her band and crew. Instead, she made arrangements to remain in Music City and pay tribute to the Hall of Fame inductee with a rendition of “Knowing You.” Chesney released the ballad on his studio album, Here and Now, in 2020.
“[Kenny Chesney] was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame tonight & I got to surprise him,” Moroney wrote as she shared photos on her Instagram story following the induction. “What an honor. [Country Music Hall of Fame] right where he belongs.”
Moroney and Chesney became friends after she joined the lineup of his headlining stadium tour last year. Chesney said at the ceremony that Moroney asked him on the 2024 run of shows whether he ever allows himself to feel accomplished, “and the truth is, I’ve never really let myself sit in accomplishment very much,” he said. “I’ve always been very creative, very drive. But tonight, I can tell you, walking into that rotunda and taking the group shot with a lot of my heroes and a lot of my friends, it was the first time that I have ever felt accomplished in my life. …It’s an unbelievable feeling to stand here in this moment, and with every cell in my body, I feel the gravity of this moment.”
Moroney’s surprise appearance at the Medallion Ceremony arrives shortly after Chesney gave her “the most insane” birthday gift,” a guitar (“a vintage 1984 hummingbird”) signed by Dolly Parton. For Christmas, Moroney gifted Chesney the lyrics of an original song titled “You Had To Be There,” which chronicles her journey from the audience to the stage at his concerts. They released it as a duet earlier this year.
Chesney was inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside late legend June Carter Cash and award-winning record producer Tony Brown. Other artists who performed in Chesney’s honor include Kelsea Ballerini and Eric Church. Joe Galante, music executive and 2022 Hall of Fame inductee, shared heartfelt remarks and presented Chesney with his medallion.
“This has just been an unbelievable night for me. What an honor,” Chesney said when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. “The thing that I am very thankful for is the fact that I got to do this with so many people.”