Morgan Wallen’s mom, Lesli Wallen, revealed that she cried when she first heard “Thought You Should Know,” a song by Wallen that serves as a tribute to her.
During an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday (May 15), Wallen’s mom, Lesli, accompanied the East Tennessee native on the award show’s red carpet and the mother/son pair caught up with ET about his new song, “Thought You Should Know,” and more.
“The first time I heard [the song], I cried, and of course I was just so humbled that he would do that for me,” Lesli shared. “The second time I heard it, I said ‘who’s the girl from Jefferson City?,’” she added, referencing a lyric from the song.
Wallen then proceeded to explain that the girl from the song “isn’t around anymore” and that he hopes his mom is worrying about him less because he’s been trying to make “better decisions.”
Wallen, who was caught on camera using a racial slur in late January of 2021, credited his almost two-year-old son, Indigo Wilder Wallen, as being his saving grace amid the scandal.
“I think I could mostly attribute [my growth over the last the year] to being a dad, you know,” Wallen explained. “Just seeing that I have another life that I’m responsible for kinda put things into perspective for me, so I just didn’t really have a choice.”
Wallen’s praise was not just limited to his son. The “Wasted On You” singer also credited his mother with giving his career its “initial start.”
“I mean, I don’t think I’d be here if it weren’t for [my mom],” Wallen admitted. “She threw me up on stage when I was 3-years-old, and a whole lot of other things since then too, but she gave me my initial start, so I’m trying to show her some recognition,” he explained.
Wallen thanked his mom and son again on stage during the awards show when he claimed the Billboard Music Award for Top Country Male Artist.
“Thank you to my mama for being my date tonight, I wouldn’t be here without you,” Wallen said during his acceptance speech. ”Thank you to the Billboard’s for inviting me here. Thank you to my team, thank you to my family, my friends. Thank you to my little boy for inspiring me every single day. God bless y’all.”
Besides winning the award for Top Country Male Artist, Wallen also performed his redemptive, deeply personal track “Don’t Think Jesus” and “Wasted On You,” a track from his record-breaking sophomore project, Dangerous: The Double Album.
Wallen’s mom Lesli took to Instagram to share a few pictures of her and her son on the red carpet at the awards show. She also reacted to her son’s big win on her Instagram stories, saying, “So thankful for my sweet son. He is so kind and genuine and I am so proud of him.”
Wallen shared a series of photos from the awards show to his Instagram as well, writing, “this one’s for Mama.”
The father of one released “Thought You Should Know” earlier this month on May 6. The track, co-written by Wallen alongside Miranda Lambert and Nicolle Galyon, comes in the form of a phone call to his mom, Lesli Wallen and finds the country hitmaker giving his mom an update on his life and all the things that he has gone through recently.
“Thought You Should Know” helped the country hitmaker score his fourth No. 1 debut on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and allowed Wallen to make history as the first artist to replace himself atop the chart with a No. 1 debut as “Thought You Should Know” dethrones his own single “Wasted On You” on the Hot Country Songs chart.
READ: Here Are All The Lyrics To Morgan Wallen’s Personal New Song “Thought You Should Know”
Additionally, with “Thought You Should Know” sitting at No. 1 on Hot Country Songs and “Wasted On You” in the No. 2 spot, Wallen has become the first artist this decade to claim the chart’s top two spots simultaneously.
Wallen Is Currently Embarking On His Sold-Out Headlining Tour
Additionally, Morgan Wallen is currently in the midst of his massive The Dangerous Tour in support of the project. The tour, which is the biggest country tour of 2022 and runs through October, recently sold-out with over 800,000 tickets sold, according to Up2DateCountry.
In addition to HARDY and Larry Fleet, the country hitmaker recently added Lainey Wilson, Kameron Marlowe, Chase Rice, Ian Munsick, and ERNEST to his sold-out tour lineup.
The singer recently announced his first-ever Stadium show in Arlington, Texas, at Globe Life Field on October 8, 2022, with special guests HARDY, Mike Ryan and Jake Worthington.
He will also perform at Dierks Bentley’s Seven Peaks Festival in Colorado this September.