1. Crisis in Public Relations

     Morgan Wallen began his career in 2014 when he appeared on the Voice. Although Wallen was eliminated during the playoff round of the sixth season, he signed to Panacea Records and released his debut EP, Stand Alone in 2015. Since his contract began, Morgan Wallen has been a prominent presence in the world of country music. He received his first gold record from his collab with Florida Georgia Line with the single “Up Down” in 2017, and in 2018 he released his breakthrough song, "Whiskey Glasses", which cemented him in country music. In August 2020, Morgan released his most popular single, "7 Summers" which broke the record for “most first day streams on Apple music for country music”, and earned him his first top 10 Billboard Hot 100 Chart, peaking at #6, and was even chosen by Time as one of the best songs of 2020. The summer of 2020 he received best new country artist at the 2020 iHeartRadio Music Awards and a teaser of 7 Summers went viral on TikTok weeks before its release date. His second album, Dangerous the Double Album (released in January 2021), has launched his career and popularity even further.


    Although Morgan Wallen and his famous mullet have dominated the charts over the last year, Wallen has been in the spotlight for different reasons. Last October, Morgan Wallen made the news during the pandemic after TikTok videos were released of him partying maskless and even kissing Alabama college students. The 27 year old singer faced major backlash across social media, and was removed from his special, upcoming appearance on SNL. Wallen was once again trending on TikTok for the second time that year, but this time in a less flattering light. Twitter blew up with comments in reference to the Morgan Wallen scandal calling him a ‘dirtbag’ for kissing young girls while they were intoxicated. The criticism increased as people uncovered the news of his baby mama staying at home with their newborn son, while Wallen was shamelessly partying with college girls. 

    Morgan released an apology video in light of his removal from SNL, apologizing to management for his disregard of COVID-19 protocol, saying “I'm in New York City in a hotel room, getting ready for SNL this Saturday, and I got a call from the show letting me know that I would no longer be able to play. And that's because of COVID protocols...My actions this weekend were pretty short sighted and they have obviously affected my long-term goals and my dream. I respect that show's decision because I know I put them in jeopardy."






    This news wasn’t the first time Morgan Wallen had been in the spotlight for something he did while intoxicated. A few months prior to the Bama party scandal, Wallen was arrested outside of Kid Rock’s Big A-- Honky Tonk Rock N' Roll Steakhouse for “kicking glass items”, and it was reported that Wallen verbally assaulted passerbyers in the street. Wallen released a tweet stating an apology, "We didn't mean any harm, and we want to say sorry to any bar staff or anyone that was affected, thank you to the local authorities for being so professional and doing their job with class." 

 

    After the SNL cancellation, Wallen decided to take a step back from his phone and social media, after posting a heartfelt photo and caption about his newborn son, Indigo Wilder Wallen. In the post, Wallen shared that his son has inspired him to change. Shared in an honest post to his followers how the year 2020 “has been the hardest of my life in so many ways, but that's not what I will remember it by. You are. You are a gift and this tough year just made sense.” Wallen promised in the post that he will be a role model for his son and represent a godly man, just as his father was to him.

 


    Wallen has had his share of mistakes and apologies this past year, but has maintained a large fanbase throughout it all. One of his newest releases is a song called “Livin’ The Dream” which gives fans an inside look at Wallen's life. He explains that while on the outside it may seem that he is livin’ the dream, 

“I look like a rockstar, in and out of cop cars

Livin' out a suitcase, trashin' hotel bars

If I see the sunrise, it's 'cause I stayed up all night

Drinkin' 'cause I need to, damn it, what a good life”,

 that in reality, he is exhausted and hurting from the life he lives in the spotlight. He wrote this song in an effort to showcase the private side of fame, which isn’t as glamorous and stress-free as people believe.

     Morgan Wallen has made countless efforts and apologies in regards to his drunken mistakes and even took a small hiatus from social media in an effort to focus on his music and his newborn son. But since this break, controversy has erupted once again.

    Just a few short weeks after the release of Dangerous: The Double Album, a video of Wallen saying a racist slur to a friend, went viral. The morning after the incident, his music was pulled from two major radio stations and he was “indefinitely” suspended from his label, which restricted him from the 2021 ACM awards. More than a week after the video surfaced, Wallen released an apology video to his Instagram account. In the video, he asked his fans not to defend him and allow him to face the consequences of his actions. He explained his shame about the incident stating, “I let so many people down," he said. "I let my parents down and they're the furthest thing from ... the person in that video. I let my son down, and I'm not okay with that.” He shared the lessons he had already learned in light of the controversy and told his fans he was “not okay” with what he said and how his words had affected people.



    After this major incident, Wallen took large strides in an effort to right his wrongs. He did not hide from his mistake, and instead faced the backlash, headstrong. Morgan agreed to meet with different organizations and people to understand the meaning of the “n word”. He said he was “shook to his core” after being educated on the real meaning of the word. 

    
But over the summer, Wallen took a step back on his promises when he reportedly failed to meet with NAACP President of the Nashville Chapter, even after his expressed interest in the meeting. Wallen has still yet to follow through with his word, but has released the schedule for his first shows back since the incident.

    The most recent public relations scandal involving Morgan Wallen is still making news headlines, and until Wallen upgrades from apologies to actions, he will continue to remain in an unwanted spotlight that shadows his career.



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