Morgan Wallen

Background

Award-winning country singer Morgan Cole Wallen has become an international sensation. Born on May 13, 1993, in Sneedville, Tennessee, Wallen is the son of a pastor, Tommy Wallen, and Leslie Wallen. He has three sisters, Ashlyne, Mikaela, and Lacey — the latter was adopted by his parents in 2021. From an early age, Wallen sang for the church congregation and also took piano and violin lessons. A keen baseball player, he wanted to pursue the game at college level but had to drop the dream after injuring his elbow.

In 2014, Wallen came into the limelight when he competed in season six of the American reality television show “The Voice.” He started on Usher’s team but eventually made his way to Adam Levin’s team. He was eliminated during the playoffs but after already having made his mark. Only a short while after his elimination, he was signed by the independent music label, Panacea Records. In the same year, he collaborated with guitarist Dominic Frost to release his first single, ‘Stand Alone,’ which was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America six years later. After the success of the song, Wallen was signed by Big Loud Records in 2016. His first single for the label — ‘The Way I Talk’ — was also released in 2016. The music video for the song was released in 2017 and in the same year, he also joined the famous country duo Florida Georgia Line on their “Dig Your Roots Tour.”

His collaboration with the country music duo continued through 2018. That same year, he released his debut album “If I Know Me,” and the single ‘Whiskey Glasses’ made it to the top of Country Airplay in 2019 and was also the Billboard 2019’s Top Hot Country Song. After a record 114 weeks, the album reached the top spot on the Top Country Albums chart in August 2020. In the same month, Wallen’s song, ‘7 Summers’ was released and achieved the record of the most-streamed country song on Apple Music. Then, in July 2021, he released a double album “Dangerous,” which debuted at the top of the U.S. Billboard 200 and also on the Canadian Albums Chart. Within a week of the release of the album, he became the first artist with six songs among the Top 10 Hot Country Songs. A racial controversy briefly marred his sparkling run, leading to the cancellation of a scheduled appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” The album, however, continued to top the charts and in 2021, it also earned him two awards at the inaugural Country Now Awards. In 2022, he won the “Album of the Year Award” at the Academy of Country Music.

He released his third studio album, “One Thing at a Time” in 2023 and it topped the Billboard 200 for 12 consecutive weeks with all songs entering the Billboard Hot 100. 

Wallen balances his newfound stardom with his role as a father to his son — Indigo Wilder. He is currently in a relationship with model Paige Lorenze.