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Morgan Wallen, one of country music’s biggest new stars, was quickly berated on Wednesday by major radio stations, streaming services, record labels, fellow artists and the CMT Network after a video of him surfaced using a racial insult.
The brightest new headliner of its genre to date this year, Wallen currently owns the country’s No. 1 album for three straight weeks, having found success even on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, where the country has always had difficulties. But all of that threatened to fall apart from Tuesday night, when TMZ posted a video, apparently filmed by a neighbor, that appeared to show Wallen coming back from a night out in Nashville and yelling for someone to take care of him. ‘another person in his group, referring to that person with a racial insult.
By morning, Spotify, Apple and two of the country’s biggest radio conglomerates had taken Wallen off playlists and the airwaves, while the singer’s label and management company, Big Loud, announced that he would “suspend” his contract indefinitely. Republic Records, a division of Universal Music Group that distributes Wallen’s releases in partnership with Big Loud, said it supported the move, adding that “such behavior will not be tolerated.”
Representatives for Wallen did not immediately respond to a request for comment. TMZ reported that the singer apologized in a statement, saying, “I’m embarrassed and sorry. I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back. There are never any excuses for using this type of language. “
But the swift action of the industry, and particularly of powerful players within tight-knit country music circles, seemed to signal a shift in a world that has historically struggled with racial, representational, and political issues.
A major country radio station owner, iHeartMedia, decided to remove Wallen’s music from their playlists immediately in response to the video, a spokesperson said, and Entercom, another major radio player, has do the same; company representatives said the decisions would impact more than 150 stations. Variety reported that Cumulus Media, another major owner of country music stations, had sent hundreds of its stations a directive asking them to take Wallen off the airwaves.
The TV network CMT also said he was removing all appearances of Wallen from his platforms. “We do not condone or condone words and actions that are in direct opposition to our core values which celebrate diversity, equity and inclusion,” CMT said in a statement.
The uproar comes as Wallen, 27, is at a high point in his young career. He first gained national visibility as a nominee on “The Voice” in 2014, and represented a major breakthrough for country music in the streaming world, which now dominates the way music is typically consumed but has been slower to spread to Nashville.
His latest album, “Dangerous: The Double Album,” topped the Billboard 200 charts of all genres, and he broke the country streaming record by a large margin, with his songs racking up 240 million streams in the first week. On Wednesday, Wallen held 17 of the top 100 spots on Apple Music’s global song chart, including two in its Top 10, but he was not featured on Today’s Country service’s flagship playlist. Spotify had also removed Wallen’s music from its Hot Country playlist.
Spotify declined to comment on how it would favor Wallen in the future; Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Despite the formative roles of black musicians in ancient and hillbilly country music, racial inequity persisted for decades in the genre, and conversations regarding callous language and popular Confederate imagery were often dismissed.
Last year, during the Black Lives Matter protests following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, many Nashville artists broke with tradition and addressed the race directly, making solidarity statements on social media and apologies for past ignorance. The Dixie Chicks and Lady Antebellum, two blockbuster acts whose names suggested the Civil War-era South, have announced that they will be changing their names.
As of Tuesday night, several country music artists have spoken about Wallen’s use of the insult.
Mickey Guyton, a country singer-songwriter, posted on Twitter about being a black artist in the industry and the “vile comments” she receives daily, suggesting that Wallen’s behavior was hardly an issue. surprise and questioning his “promises to do better”.
“When I read comments that say ‘that’s not who we are’,” she wrote, “I laugh because that’s exactly what country music is.” Guyton recently became the first solo black woman to be nominated in a country category at the Grammy Awards with her single “Black Like Me.”
She added, “I wonder every day why I keep fighting to be in an industry that seems to hate me so much.
Country singer-songwriter Kelsea Ballerini tweeted that Wallen’s behavior “does not represent country music”, while another performer, Maren Morris, said The opposite.
Wallen, has already been in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. Last year he was arrested and charged with public intoxication and disorderly conduct in downtown Nashville.
Months later, he came under intense scrutiny after being seen in videos on social media flouting social distancing guidelines meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus, drink shots, kiss fans and stand up. mingle in groups without wearing a mask at a celebration after a college football victory in Alabama.
This led to “Saturday Night Live” removing Wallen from an upcoming show. Wallen apologized, saying he planned to “step back from the spotlight for a little while and work on myself.” Two months later, Wallen was invited back to star on “SNL,” and he appeared in a skit that made fun of the incident.
“Without consequences!” Wallen says in the clip, raising a bottle of beer to toast.
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