AlbumDive

Morgan Wallen & Overcoming the Hill of Stardom

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Morgan Wallen has grown into stardom throughout the past six years. His career started in 2014, as a participant of The Voice, where he was eventually eliminated. As a result of his name being shown on the show, he released his debut EP, Stand Alone. Starting with his debut studio album, If I Know Me, he has grown to become a staple in the country scene. Dangerous: The Double Album followed up Wallen’s debut album and was met with immediate praise. It was the first country album to spend its first seven weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot 200 Albums. His most recent album, One Thing at a Time, was met with the most praise of Wallen’s career. Through controversy and other issues, Wallen has maintained his status as one of the greatest country singers of the decade.

Morgan’s Youth

Morgan was born on May 13, 1993, in Sneedville, Tennessee. His father, Tommy, was a local church pastor, and his mother, Lesli, was a teacher. It was through the church that Morgan began singing at a young age. Morgan and his family eventually moved out to Knox County, where he attended Gibbs High School. There, Wallen began pursuing a career in baseball, as he was the pitcher and shortstop for his school. In a game during his senior year, he sadly tore his UCL, ending his baseball dreams.

In addition to singing at a young age, he began taking violin and piano lessons. This is what is cited as Morgan’s beginning of his love for music. In his teens, he listened to the likes of Nickelback and rappers, such as Lil Wayne. Although he was disappointed with how his baseball career ended, he took up the guitar. By learning the guitar, Morgan fell in love with country music stars, such as Keith Whitley and Eric Church. And in his late teens, he began work in landscaping.

A Young Career

Morgan’s young career began in 2014, where he competed on Season 6 of The Voice. He was heard auditioning with the song “Collide” by Howie Day. He was a part of Usher’s team, however, moved to Adam Levine’s team in the second round. Morgan began building connections throughout the music industry once featured on The Voice. He was dealt heartbreak upon being eliminated in the playoffs; however, this did not stop Wallen from continuing his journey.

While in California for The Voice, Wallen met collaborator and vocal coach, Sergio Sanchez. He eventually moved to Nashville and continued his work with Sanchez. The two went on to start a temporary band under the name: Morgan Wallen & Them Shadows. The group recorded and eventually performed together throughout the years. Sanchez eventually introduced him to Bill Ray and Paul Trust of Panacea Records, where he signed in 2015.

Upon signing, Wallen released Stand Alone, his debut EP. This project featured “Spin You Around,” being the debut single. This song later went double platinum by the RIAA in 2021. The same year, he auditioned for Big Loud Records, signing with them. He released “The Way I Talk,” a single for his, at the time, unannounced project. During these years, Wallen worked with A Thousand Horses, Dallas Smith, and Jason Aldean, co-writing songs. He eventually would join Florida Georgia Line on the Dig Your Route Tour in 2016. This led to the collaboration on Morgan’s song, “Up Down.”

Beginning Success

He underwent a stylistic change upon his new-found success, adopting his now-famous mullet, an ode to his father. In April of 2018, Wallen released If I Know Me, his debut studio album. His two singles, “Whiskey Glasses” and “Chasin’ You,” both saw major success. “Whiskey Glasses” was seen as his “signature song,” while the latter found major success in July 2019. “Chasin’ You” became a radio classic, peaking at number two on the Hot Country Songs chart, over a year after its release.

The following year, Wallen joined Florida Georgia Line once more on their Can’t Say I Ain’t Country Tour. In 2019 and 2020, Wallen continued to gain traction, becoming a “sex symbol” on platforms such as TikTok. He was also featured on the cover of Billboard. His greatest achievement during this time, was welcoming his son, Indigo, into the world in July of 2020. Although him and his ex-fiancĂ©e, Katie Smith, split, they continue to co-parent their son.

Controversy

It was also right around this time where Morgan was met with his first set of controversy. He was arrested and charged with public intoxication and disorderly conduct after leaving a bar. Wallen claimed him and his friends were simply horseplaying, and he eventually apologized to all affected. He was also shown not following CDC guidelines, leading to him being cancelled as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. He eventually performed on the show nearly two months later, joking about the situation prior.

In February of 2021, TMZ released a video of Wallen utilizing a racial slur amongst a conversation with his friends. He immediately issued an apology, but the damage was already done. Morgan was removed from many radio stations, suspended from his label, and removed from streaming services’ playlists. He was removed from any connection with the CMT and CMA, and was not invited to any award shows, including the Academy of Country Music. In April, he donated $300,000 to the Black Music Action Coalition and spoke publicly on Good Morning America in July.

True Stardom

He wasn’t brought back onto the radio station until “Sand in My Boots” was released. Dangerous: The Double Album was released a month prior to that situation and had shown continued success. It debuted atop the US Billboard 200, remaining there for six weeks. “7 Summers” was an immediate hit, being dubbed by Time as one of the top songs of the year. This released led to Wallen being the first artist to chart six songs within the top 10 of Hot Country Songs, as well as charting 19 tracks on the Hot 100.

The release of this album led If I Know Me to chart all the way to 10 on the Billboard charts. Dangerous was the best performing album of 2021, and in 2022, broke the record for most weeks in the top 10 chart by a singular artist. It was Album of the Year at the Academy of Country Music, and Wallen won Favorite Male Artist and Favorite Album at the Country Now Awards. The Dangerous Tour was sold out, and his new single, “You Proof” was his first song to reach top five. “Thought You Should Know” quickly followed suit.

The Follow Up

He continued to work with others, including Lil Durk on “Broadway Girls.” He co-wrote Tyler Joe Miller’s “Wild as Her” and Keith Urban’s “Brown Eyes Baby.” In December of 2022, he released a sampler EP titled, One Thing at a Time. This EP featured three songs: “One Thing at a Time,” “Tennessee Fan,” and “Days That End in Why.” Three months later, he released One Thing at a Time, which topped the charts and was met with crazy success.

Later in 2023, he was featured on “Stand by Me” by Lil Durk and co-wrote “Fixer Upper” by Dallas Smith. At the beginning of 2024, Panacea Records released a deluxe 10th anniversary edition of Stand Alone, against Morgan’s wishes. He signed a contract with no representation, which forced his hand in the release. He eventually donated $100,000 to Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts to help artists who find themselves in similar situations.

Morgan was again arrested in April, for disorderly conduct and three counts of felony reckless endangerment. He was seen throwing a chair off of the roof of Eric Church’s bar in Nashville. Since, Morgan has released “Lies Lies Lies,” which has sat in the top 25 of the Billboard charts for weeks. He was also featured on Post Malone’s “I Had some Help,” which has been within the top 10 of the same charts nearly since release.

Discography

Accolades

Country Music Association –

  • New Artist of the Year (2020)

iHeartRadio Music Awards –

  • Best New Country Artist (2020)

Billboard Music Awards –

Charts History

Peak Solo Chart – “Last Night” – Peaked at #1 for 16 Weeks

Longest Weeks on Chart – “You Proof” – Spent 62 Weeks on Chart

Number of Top 10 Songs on Chart – 10 Songs

Peak Album Chart – Dangerous: The Double Album | One Thing at a Time – Peaked at #1

Longest Album Chart – If I Know Me – Spent 307 Weeks on Chart

Number of Top 10 Albums on Chart – 3 Albums

Peak Artist Chart – Morgan Wallen – Peaked at #1