Malone began singing publicly at age 9 and started regularly performing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball games when she was 12.
[2][3][4] In July 2013, she won Jacktown Fair Idol in Wind Ridge, Pennsylvania, taking home $1,000 in cash plus 15 hours of studio recording time.
She competed in the 2013 Miss West Virginia pageant on a platform of "Mental Health Advocacy at its CORE: Community Outreach, Research, and Education" and performed a vocal in the talent portion of the competition.
[8] She competed in the 2014 Miss West Virginia pageant on a platform of "Mental Health Advocacy at the CORE: Community Outreach, Research, and Education" and performed a country music vocal in the talent portion of the competition.
[18] Malone won the competition on Wednesday, July 1, 2015, when she received her crown from outgoing Miss West Virginia titleholder Paige Madden.