The True Meaning Behind Flower Shops By ERNEST Featuring Morgan Wallen

Country singer Morgan Wallen's recent collaboration was a smash hit: Wallen teamed up with Chicago rapper Lil Durk at the end of 2021 to release "Broadway Girls," a hip-hop infused track about the dating woes of Nashville. The song debuted at Number 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, proving Wallen is bouncing back after a video published by TMZ in February 2021 exposed the singer for saying a racial slur. The video controversy marred his career for some months, but Wallen is now returning to music with his longtime collaborator, singer-songwriter ERNEST.

ERNEST, born Ernest Keith Smith, has worked with artists including ZAYN, Kane Brown and Jazmine Sullivan. Most notably, ERNEST is behind Wallen's biggest tracks, including "Heartless" and "Somebody's Problem," according to Genius. "Morgan has been one of my best friends for the last four or five years," ERNEST said of their relationship to Billboard. "We've just kind of gotten in a groove writing well together... We just enjoy hanging out and each other's companies. Me and Morgan actually played against each other in the high school state baseball tournament, junior and senior year."

While ERNEST is the hitmaker's right-hand man, he is building a solo performing career of his own and the rising star enlisted none other than his buddy Wallen on his latest track, "Flower Shops."

In their song "Flower Shops," ERNEST and Morgan Wallen croon about their last attempt at smoothing things over after a breakup, singing to a fictitious florist: "I'll buy violets and daisies to hide all the crazy / It's gonna take all you've got / Ah, it's a bad day for love / But a good day for flower shops." ERNEST explained on his "Just Being Ernest" podcast the song's concept is "'I f***ed up my relationship so much, and I continue to do it every time that my only way to fix this is... I'm going to buy every f***ing flower in a flower shop.'"

As for Wallen's romantic life, he and ex-girlfriend KT Smith couldn't work things out; their relationship got complicated when Smith welcomed her and Wallen's son, Indigo Wilder in July 2020. The star told People that single fatherhood "is definitely not how I imagined parenthood," but Wallen explained he's "thankful" to share his son "with someone I care about. We're doing our best to figure it out, just trying to do the best we can with the situation." ERNEST, on the other hand, appears to be head over heels for his wife Delaney Royer. The sweet couple shares son Ryman Saint, who makes frequent, adorable appearances on his parents' Instagram. The Tennessean gushed over his family in a post following his son's birth in May 2021, writing, "@delaneyroyer is a CHAMPION and im the luckiest dude on earth to have them both!"

ERNEST's new collab with Morgan Wallen made it to the big stage when ERNEST made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry on January 8. ERNEST described the experience as a "dream come true" on Instagram, writing that it "felt like steppin into a portal" performing on the iconic stage. ERNEST was joined by none other than his "Flower Shops" singing partner Wallen for his big career moment. Wallen praised his friend after his debut, writing on Instagram, "I've been able [to] witness your talent for bout 7 years now, I'm really excited the world gets to witness the same thing soon. Thanks for letting me be a part of it."

ERNEST and Wallen's performance at the Grand Ole Opry isn't getting all positive attention, however. Many country music fans were disappointed by the Grand Ole Opry for endorsing Wallen, who was disgraced for saying a racial slur in 2021. One critic of the controversial star's appearance was musician Jason Isbell, who penned Wallen's hit "Cover Me Up," according to Fox 17. "Last night @opry you had a choice- either upset one guy and his 'team,' or break the hearts of a legion of aspiring Black country artists," Isbell tweeted. "You chose wrong and I'm real sad for a lot of my friends today. Not surprised though. Just sad."