NASHVILLE — Sometimes, McCoy Moore said he still can’t believe he’s living in Nashville and building a career in country music.
“I grew up listening to all these people, and now I’m rubbing shoulders with them. It’s weird.”
Moore, 22, grew up playing baseball in Lakeland, but in high school, he changed his tune, learning to play guitar from YouTube videos.
Then he met future country superstar Luke Combs.
“Back then, when I was a huge fan, nobody knew who he was. I was calling into all the radio stations and telling them to play Luke Combs," Moore said. "And I ended up going to a show and met him, and he’s been a huge mentor for me and been a good friend to me.”
At just 19, McCoy left Lakeland for Nashville.
Pretty quickly, he became friends with fellow Floridian Jake Owen and eventually signed a publishing deal with Smack Songs.
Now, he’s writing songs for other artists and working on breaking out on his own.
“If I’m going to be an artist in any capacity, I believe songs come first, and you really have to care about them to build a career," he said.
Many of Moore's songs are inspired by his hometown.
“I write about Lakeland a ton. I definitely try to wear Lakeland across my chest as much as I can. I’m so proud to be from Florida. It was the best place to grow up ever," Moore said.
Even though Moore is living out his country music dreams, he’s not quite there yet and won’t be going to the Country Music Awards.
“I kinda have this little chip on my shoulder," he said. "Until I’m going for me, I don’t want to go, you know?"
It all started as a kid listening to country music on the radio with his family in Lakeland.
Now, he’s the one playing, and he’s just getting started.
