Morgan Wallen Just Reached An Unexpected Milestone
Morgan Wallen is making history despite his controversial past. In February, the previously-embattled country singer became mired in controversy when leaked footage revealed him using a racial slur outside his Nashville home. Going viral, the footage sent Wallen's burgeoning career spiraling in the months that followed. After the incident, the "Whiskey Glasses" singer was temporarily dropped from record label Big Loud Records on top of having his music pulled from radio stations and streaming services, per Us Weekly.
Several country stars, including Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini, have spoken out against Wallen's actions. Morris slammed Wallen on Twitter, writing, "We all know it wasn't his first time using that word. We keep them rich and protected at all costs with no recourse," while Ballerini wrote at the time, "The news out of Nashville tonight does not represent country music."
Wallen has since apologized, telling TMZ, "I'm embarrassed and sorry. I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back. There are no excuses to use this type of language, ever." But despite his rollercoaster year, Morgan Wallen's fan base is a dedicated bunch — leading to the singer smashing an unexpected record as 2021 comes to a close.
Morgan Wallen's had the biggest-selling record in 2021
Despite using racist rhetoric, it seems as if Morgan Wallen's career is on the up and up again. MRC Data (formerly Nielsen SoundScan) unveiled the top-selling records of 2021, which was topped by none other than Morgan Wallen's "Dangerous: The Double Album," as the Daily Mail noted.
With 3,091,000 album sales this year, Wallen bested an entire field of incredibly tough competition. Coming in second place was Olivia Rodrigo's "Sour" with 2,690,000 records sold, while third place featured Drake's "Certified Lover Boy" with 1,850,000 records sold. Oddly enough, however, Wallen's digital album sales skyrocketed 1,200% and song sales 327% following February's controversy, prompting debates on racism in country music.
When "Good Morning America" co-host Michael Strahan asked in July, "Do you believe there is a race problem in country music overall?" Wallen responded, "I mean it would seem that way... Yeah. I mean, I haven't really sat and thought about that." Wallen also stated his use of the racial slur was "playful ... that sounds ignorant, but it — that's really where it came from ... and it's wrong."