Morgan Wallen recently reflected on his country music career, including his journey on the NBC reality singing competition, The Voice.
During a hunting trip to Missouri as part of a November 20 episode of Drury Outdoors, Wallen recalled how he launched his successful career.
“My mom threw me on stage when I was three years old at church,” Wallen said. “When I was five I asked for a violin for Christmas, which was probably more fiddle because you know I was at church, [and] being [from the] Appalachian Mountains, I like to listen to bluegrass and stuff a lot. So I learned how to play that but I learned how to classically play violin, and not fiddle. I quit after two or three years because I didn’t think it was cool no more.”
“All I was doing was playing baseball, so I didn’t think it was cool at all at the time…but I played piano, so I learned how to play piano when I was seven so I learned how to classically play piano.”
Despite learning how to play both instruments, Wallen didn’t start writing songs until he was a bit older.
“I wouldn’t ever write songs really, sometimes I’d write poems and just random stuff, but I didn’t start writing probably until I was 19. And I remember I got hurt in baseball and didn’t get to go to college to play, so I started writing songs, trying to get my feelings out I guess,” he shared.
When it came time for Wallen to reflect on his time on NBC’s The Voice, the “You Proof” singer revealed that it was his mom, Lesli, who signed him up to audition.
“My mom actually signed me up for The Voice, the TV show, [I] went on there. I didn’t even know what it was [because] I never even heard of it, and I was like, yeah I guess I’ll go, you know, if you drive me to St. Louis,” he admitted. “I’m actually willing to try it out, and made it on there, made like top 20, but I didn’t really know what kind of… I wanted to sing country music but they wanted me to sing pop music, so I was just like I guess these people are really smart people, I guess I’ll try it.”
“And I sang some pop songs and then they finally let me pick a song, and I picked a country song and they kicked me off. It was the best thing to ever happen though. But I just met some people through that and ended up moving to Nashville in 2015. It’s been good to me.”
Morgan Wallen competed on season six of The Voice back in 2014, first landing on Usher’s team, and then Adam Levine’s team, according to Whiskey Riff. Before being eliminated during the playoff round, Wallen sang popular songs such as boy band One Direction’s “Story Of My Life” and Florida Georgia Line’s “Stay” on the show.
The East Tennessee native also auditioned with Howie Day’s song “Collide,” which immediately earned him a chair turn from then-judge Shakira.
Additionally, Wallen recently announced his massive 2023 One Night At A Time World Tour.
Marking one of the largest tours of 2023 so far and the biggest tour of Wallen’s career, the 58-show trek will visit 26 stadiums, plus arenas, amphitheaters and festivals to fans across four countries and two continents.
The tour officially kicks off on Wed., March 15 in Auckland, NZ at the Spark Arena. The U.S. leg of the tour begins on April 14 with back-to-back nights at Milwaukee’s American Family Field. The tour will make its way around North America with stops at 17 stadiums as well as various arenas, amphitheaters, and festivals.
The trek will feature support from ERNEST and Bailey Zimmerman on all dates. HARDY and Parker McCollum will also appear on select dates.
After making his stadium debut with a record-breaking show at Globe Life Field in Texas, Wallen will visit several ballparks throughout North America, including New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, Milwaukee’s American Family Field, Chicago’s Wrigley Field, Boston’s Fenway Park and more.
To celebrate the massive tour announcement, Wallen released a trio of new songs as part of a three song collection called One Thing At A Time – Sampler. The Sampler included “One Thing At A Time,” “Days That End In Why” and the previously teased tune, “Tennessee Fan.”
The new songs are just a taste of what’s to come on his forthcoming third studio album, which will follow his record-breaking sophomore project, Dangerous: The Double Album.
