Almost two weeks and two apologies later, Morgan Wallen, the country singer who was promptly condemned by the music industry for using racial slander, is still number 1 on the charts – and his sales have soared.
Earlier this month, in a clip published by TMZ, Wallen was seen on camera casually shouting anti-Black slander after a night of drinking with friends. The next day, his top chart music was removed from the streaming service’s radio stations and playlists, and his record label said, albeit vaguely, that it was suspending Wallen’s contract.
In a five-minute video posted last week, the singer, one of the biggest new stars in country music, said he was wrong and was sorry for his language. “It is up to me to take responsibility for this and I fully accept the penalties I face,” said Wallen.
But these rebukes did not affect his commercial position much, with Wallen’s last album, “Dangerous: The Double Album”, now spending its fifth consecutive week at number 1 on the Billboard album chart, with the equivalent of 150,000 sales in the United States United. Wallen’s songs were broadcast 146 million times, slightly down from 154 million in the previous week, but sales of his traditional albums increased by 49%, to 37,000, more than enough to maintain his reign in the first place.
Wallen’s previous album, 2018’s If I Know Me, also saw a spike last week, jumping to tenth position on the chart, his highest position of all time, above seventeenth position the week before, said Billboard.
Even though Wallen’s behavior triggered an examination of conscience in Nashville, where issues of racial inequality in country music have long been overlooked or dismissed, some supporters of the singer portrayed him as a victim of the so-called “culture of cancellation. “
In his apology video, which followed an earlier written statement of regret, Wallen described the incident as part of a “72 hour bender”; he said he was sober since then.
“One thing I have already learned and that I feel specifically is that my words are important, that words can really hurt a person and, deep down, I’m not okay with that,” said Wallen. “This week I heard firsthand some personal stories from black people who honestly shook me.”
In response to the increase in sales, singer and songwriter Jason Isbell, whose song “Cover Me Up” was re-recorded by Wallen in “Dangerous”, said last week that he would donate any album revenue to the Nashville chapter of the NAACP. “Thanks for helping a good cause, guys,” Isbell wrote on Twitter, addressing Wallen’s listeners.
Also on this week’s chart, “The Highlights”, a collection of Weeknd’s biggest hits, released before its performance in the Super Bowl, is number 2, largely thanks to streaming. “Medicine at Midnight”, the new Foo Fighters album, is in 3rd place, “Shiesty Season” by Memphis rapper Pooh Shiesty debuted in 4th and “The Voice” by Lil Durk dropped to 5th from 2nd place.