Few artists in music command larger crowds and ovations than Morgan Wallen, the country music sensation who has taken the country by storm in the last decade. Wallen has broken scores of records in his short stint at the apex of the genre, becoming the first artist to have six songs in the top 10 of Billboard’s Country Hot 100 – at the same time. Wallen’s unprecedented success comes from over a decade of relentless work at his vocal and writing skills, and it is certainly no accident.
Morgan Wallen began his musical journey after his dream to play collegiate-level baseball was shattered when a brutal UCL tear ended his career. He worked an odd job at a landscaping company, where he discovered a love for country music. Wallen learned how to play guitar with his free time and took inspiration from country singers Eric Church and Keith Whitley (Wallen memorializes the latter in his 2023 single “Keith Whitley”). This newfound hobby became an aspiration to become a musical artist, and Wallen competed on the popular TV show The Voice in 2014. While he was ultimately unsuccessful — being eliminated in the show’s playoff round — Wallen built a network of connections, and his talent on the show played a hand in his signing with Panacea Records. With a label aiding him in production, Wallen released his first EP Stand Alone in 2015. The EP did not see significant success, and Wallen remained relatively unknown in the country music genre.
While Wallen’s first commercial release was unsuccessful, he continued to build connections in the country industry, co-writing songs for the band Florida Georgia Line, singer Jason Aldean and other smaller artists. His songwriting ability earned him a ride on tour with Florida Georgia Line in 2017 after releasing his first successful single “The Way I Talk,” and he recorded a separate single with Florida Georgia Line, “Up Down,” which was Wallen’s first single to place in the top 5 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Armed with more notoriety within the country genre, Wallen released his second album, If I Know Me, in 2018. The album marked the first time one of his songs made an appearance within the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, with premiere single “Whiskey Glasses” placing 17th. Over two years after its release, If I Know Me became the #1 album on the Billboard Top 100 Country Albums, which broke the existing record for the longest time after release an album occupied the #1 spot on that chart.
With increasing momentum due to the strong performance of If I Know Me, and with additional time to write and record music during the COVID-19 pandemic, Wallen released Dangerous: The Double Album, after three years of work. Dangerous was an immediate success, debuting at #1 on the Top Country Albums chart. The album sat on top of the Billboard Hot 200 for 10 consecutive weeks. The last artist to do that? Whitney Houston. A single within the album, “7 Summers,” became Wallen’s first single to cross the top 10 of Billboard Hot 100, placing 6th on the chart. Dangerous is an incredibly long-lasting hit album, performing the best in all genres in terms of album-equivalent sales in 2021. Notable songs popularized from Dangerous are the aforementioned “7 Summers,” as well as “Wasted on You” and “Sand in My Boots.”
With the success of Dangerous, Morgan Wallen became a household name and firmly ingrained at the top of the country music genre. Wallen began The Dangerous Tour in 2022, using theaters and arenas as venues. The tour sold out before its conclusion. While on tour, Wallen started production of a third album, One Thing at a Time, releasing multiple sample teasers that garnered significant attention before the official release of the album in early March 2023. One Thing at a Time is equally successful as its predecessor Dangerous and placed a song at the top of the Hot 100 for the first time in Wallen’s career. With that spot, he became the first artist to simultaneously hold the top spot of Billboard’s Hot 100, Hot (Album) 200 and Hot Artist 100 in that magazine’s 131-year history. Wallen won 11 awards at the Billboard Music Awards in 2023, including the Top Song of the Year (awarded to single “Last Night” from One Thing at a Time), Top Album of the Year and Male Entertainer of the Year.
Since the release of One Thing at a Time, Wallen has continued to work on upcoming album I’m the Problem, which is set to be released sometime in 2025. He has released six singles in the interim, including his collaboration with Post Malone, “I Had Some Help,” becoming Wallen’s third single to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100, along with “Last Night” and “Love Somebody.”
Morgan Wallen’s effect on the country music genre, and on music, is incalculable. From “Spin You Around” to One Thing at a Time, we have seen an artist captivate an entire nation, shatter numerous records and dominate an entire genre while shaping it in his image.
