John Shearer
Morgan Wallen had a bumpy 2020.
The “Up Down” and “Whiskey Glasses” hitmaker started the year on tour with Jason Aldean before COVID-19 curbed the world’s concert plans. He blew off a little too much steam downtown and was arrested outside of Kid Rock’s bar. He booked an appearance on Saturday Night Live—something of a white whale for country artists—only to be bumped when social media caught him partying a little too hard in Alabama, making him a COVID risk to cast and crew.
But as is the case with many artists struggling with newfound fame, Wallen, who burst onto the scene with his debut album If I Know Me in 2018 (it would stay on the charts for a record 114 weeks, eventually hitting the number one spot last summer), turned inward. After taking a few weeks off to “dig deep and figure out who I was again,” Wallen reemerged a more thoughtful and seemingly steadied man.
In the months that followed he would win his first CMA for New Artist of the Year and make a triumphant return to Studio 8H for his rescheduled episode of SNL, during which he starred alongside host Jason Bateman in a sketch poking fun at his own misstep. Now the Sneedville, Tennessee, native is busy promoting his sophomore effort: Dangerous: The Double Album.
Wallen, who admits the title track was inspired by “getting into a little trouble,” is excited about the new music and approaching it all with a new attitude, a new outlook on life, and a return to the Morgan Wallen he always was. He chatted with us just days after his redemptive SNL appearance.
John Shearer
What was it like doing Saturday Night Live?
It was fun as hell! We had such a good time. They were all super nice and accommodating. It was the best experience I’ve had with TV so far, by far. They approached us with the idea of a sketch earlier in the week, and I was all game for it. I hoped that we would make fun of last time, just so we could get the elephant out of the room and people could see that I didn’t take myself too seriously. So, it was good, I had a good time with it. Jason Bateman was awesome; I really like that guy. He was super nice to me and everybody I was with. And just with how comfortable they made me feel, really, that helped a lot, too. From the day we got to New York and started rehearsing, everybody that I was with just felt stress-free. I did know that there was a little bit of added pressure on this whole situation—performance, sketch, everything. I knew that I would be critiqued probably a little harder than I would have been the first time. I was relaxed, but I also wanted to prove to people that I deserved to be there.
You talked about taking time off when the first appearance was cancelled. What did you do with your time?
I took a couple of weeks and just turned my phone off and got out into the country and rode horses, bush hogged, rode four-wheelers. I did things that let me get to know myself again. I’ve been so busy for four or five years, it’s easy to not even really try to connect with who you are. It’s easy to just keep going and going. But I got a chance to really dig deep anfigure out who I was again and actually realized that I liked that person a lot. And I learned that I can just be myself and I don’t have to be nothing else. That really meant a lot to me during this year; it’s made the rest of this year a lot better.
Looking back, when did you first start singing?
I started singing when I was three years old at church, so I’ve always just been really into music. My mom recognized that I was musical even at a young age. She said I asked for a violin when I was five years old for Christmas and that’s what they got me. I was around a decent amount of bluegrass at that time, so that’s the instrument that I wanted to play. And then I started playing piano when I was seven and I’ve always really just been interested it.
John Shearer
My mom said I never played with toys or games or anything, it was always music or sports. As I got a little older, sports took over, because when you’re that age it’s cooler to play sports than it is to play music. I would still listen to a lot of music and still loved it, but I didn’t take as much part in it as I did before. And then once my baseball career was over—I was supposed to play in college, got hurt—I went through a period where I was trying to figure out what I was going to do. It was hard, I was devastated because I’d put so much time and effort into baseball. So, I started writing songs and playing guitar. It was a way to help me get my feelings out and just to keep my mind occupied and to say the things that I wanted to say. By the time I was about 19 is when I really started growing the love for music that could be my music.
You grew up in Eastern Tennessee. Did you dream about coming to Nashville and finding success here?
Honestly, I didn’t know anything about the music industry. I’d never been to Nashville other than the outskirts to play some baseball tournaments. I didn’t really even understand a lot of the history of Nashville—it just seemed far away to me growing up. But now that I know about it, it makes me proud of being from this state and getting to represent it. I’ve never lived anywhere else; Tennessee has always been my home. I’m a little further West now than I was growing up, but it’s still a part of what I grew up doing. It’s special to me to be able to represent this place that I love so much.
Your new album is called Dangerous. Is there a reason you picked the song of the same name to be the title track?
“Dangerous” is a song that I wrote after I got into a little bit of trouble. I wrote it to myself, just as a warning almost. If I’m in a certain mindset or if I’m in a certain way, I think it can be a little bit dangerous to whatever I have going on, and I wanted to write that to myself as a note. It just seemed like it fit the past couple of years of my life, everything has changed a lot and it felt right. That’s really the only song that I wrote to myself on the album, so it just seemed appropriate.
John Shearer
Are there songs on this album that have a different meaning to you now than they did when you wrote them?
“Livin’ the Dream.” We wrote that a while ago. I was just getting a taste of what fame would feel like, or what being in the spotlight would feel like. We just described how we felt with our toes wet. And then after this year, I really felt that it was almost like that song was a prophetic message in a way for me. Because I was doing those things and I was feeling those things, but now it only got magnified. So that song took on, not a new meaning, but a stronger meaning for me. There’s another song called “Sand in My Boots,” which is the first song on the first side of the album. It’s a different kind of sound for me. I’ve played piano for a long time, but this brings piano to the forefront. It’s a beautiful story too and I can’t wait for people to hear it. Before we stopped touring, I was flirting with bringing a piano onstage. I think this song gives me an even better chance to do that, so I’m really looking forward to it.
You collaborated with Chris Stapleton on the song “Only Thing That’s Gone.” How did that come about?
It’s pretty crazy, because I think he’s just on a whole level of his own. He’s got his own lane—he’s in a different lane than me—which is awesome that we get to collab together and unite those things. I’m just a huge fan of him and it is pretty wild. We sent him a couple of songs and said, “Hey, we’d love to have you be a part of this project. These are some songs that we picked that we felt were up your alley. You just let us know if any of them speak to you and what you’d like to do with it. We respect you and your artistry enough to where you can just have free rein.” He came back and chose the song that he did and sent it back and he crushed it, obviously. I’m excited for people to hear that one. It’s one of my favorites.
You’ve been covering Jason Isbell ’s song “Cover Me Up” in concert for years and now it’s on the album. Have you been surprised by how big that song has gotten for you?
When we played it at my shows it was always a moment I looked forward to. I just really love singing it—I relate to that song, and I really love it. I am so glad that I have Jason’s approval on it. I tried to stay close to the original while doing my own thing, too. And when I play it live, I always explain the situation and give him the credit I believe he deserves. I consider it a cover for me. It’s a beautiful song and it just needs to be heard.
After a crazy year and with so much on the horizon, what would you like people to know about Morgan Wallen?
I just want people to feel that I was honest in my music and in my approach. I feel like that’s the best way that I can connect with my fans. Good or bad, I’ve been blatantly honest and open about things that go on in my life and in music. I just want people to know my story and believe that I had a good heart while doing it. That’s all I can ask for.