Kip Moore was born in Tifton, Georgia, to Bonnie (Mann) and Stan Moore. He has two brothers and three sisters. Their father died in September 2011, just months before the release of Moore's debut album. He began playing guitar while attending Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, Alabama, and made his first public performance at a Mellow Mushroom restaurant in Valdosta, Georgia. After college, he moved to a "little hut" in Hawaii, where he also took up backpacking and surfing.[4] He moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2004, where songwriter and producer Brett James helped him sign a publishing deal.[4]
On September 27, 2011, he released his second single, "Somethin' 'Bout a Truck". The song was followed by the release of his debut album Up All Night in April 2012.[7] Moore co-wrote every song on the album, and Brett James produced it. A month later, "Somethin' 'Bout a Truck" hit number 1 on the Billboard country charts. "Beer Money" was the album's second single, followed by "Hey Pretty Girl". These songs also reached the country Top 5.[8]Up All Night was the most commercially successful album for a debut country male artist in both 2012 and 2013.[9]
Moore co-wrote two tracks on Thompson Square's self-titled debut album which was released in February 2011: "All the Way" and "Let's Fight", the latter of which was their debut single. He also co-wrote James Wesley's 2012 single "Walking Contradiction".[10] He also co-wrote Frankie Ballard's 2016 single "Cigarette".
Wild Ones (2013–2016)
In October 2013, Moore announced his fifth single, "Young Love".[11][12] It charted at number 22 on the Country Airplay in March 2014. After it underperformed, it was followed by "Dirt Road", which failed to make Top 40.[13][8] Moore then decided to "scrap" his second album and compose new material.[14] Moore then released "I'm to Blame", the lead single to his 2015 album, Wild Ones.[14][15] In 2016, Kip released his first EP titled Underground, featuring tracks “My Kind” and an acoustic version of “Midnight Slowdance”.
Slowheart (2017–2018)
Kip Moore with his band, "The Slowhearts" in 2019.
On June 21, 2017, Moore announced the album's title, Slowheart, and its release date of September 8, 2017.[17]
On November 16, 2018, Moore released his second EP titled Room to Spare: The Acoustic Sessions. Three singles were released in preparation for the EP: "Tennessee Boy," an acoustic version of "Plead the Fifth," and "It Ain't California." The EP consists of seven acoustic tracks.
Wild World (2019–2022)
In May 2019, Moore announced on social media "That's a wrap, record #4 is done". No release date had been officially announced, but on June 15 Moore announced he was checking mixes for his upcoming record, indicating the record may be released sometime in 2019.[18]
On August 9, 2019, Moore released a much-anticipated lead single to his yet to be named upcoming album. "She's Mine" is a song Moore wrote over a decade ago, and finally released it in 2019.[19]
On March 27, 2020, Moore released the title track for his anticipated fourth studio album titled Wild World. Later that same day, Moore did an interview with Billboard about his new album. The album, which consists of thirteen tracks (twelve of which are co-written by Moore), was released on May 29, 2020.[20] Another preview song, "Southpaw", followed on April 17, 2020.[21]
In January 2022, Moore released a re-recorded version of "Crazy One More Time", which was previously featured as an album track on Up All Night. The new version was sent to country radio on January 24, 2022.[22]
Damn Love (2023)
On February 24, 2023, Moore released the first single from his fifth studio album, "Damn Love". The album of the same name was released on April 28, 2023. "Kinda Bar", the album's second single, was released on March 24, 2023.
Move to Virgin Music Group
On March 17, 2024, Moore announced that he and his longtime label MCA were splitting. At the same, he announced that he was working on his sixth studio album, which he expected to release independently.[23] However, in September 2024, Moore announced that he signed a global deal with Virgin Music Group with a new single set to be released titled Live Here to Work.[24]
Personal life
In his free time, Moore enjoys carpentry,[25] surfing[26] rock climbing and hiking.[27] Moore co-manages a lodging facility for outdoor enthusiasts in Rogers, Kentucky.[28]
Moore has never been married and has no children. He stated that "...it's not like I'm out doing really wild stuff. It's just that my focus has been so hyper-driven on the music that even when I'm off the road I'm always back in the studio writing and creating."[29] "I've been a boyfriend maybe three or four times in my whole life. I hang out here and there, but I'm that kind of that person who longs for so much solo time, freedom, alone time. It does seem like a lot of guys my age in this business are getting married, but I'll probably be the last bachelor standing!"[30]
Moore considers himself a private person. "I don’t owe anybody anything to tell them about my personal life and that’s how I’ve always felt. It’s ways of protecting people around me, because the minute I say it, people will pry like crazy."[31]
Regarding social media, Moore has admitted that he "loathes" it and feels that he may eventually be "phased out" because he is not creating content aimed at new generations of country music fans.[32]
