Advertisement

Country Star Morgan Wallen Says He’s Putting Off Return To Stage, Will Continue To Work On Himself Following February Scandal

On Tuesday, country music star Morgan Wallen resurfaced on Instagram, after two months away, to let his fans know that he will not be performing this summer, taking time instead to continue working on himself.

“I wanted to let you guys know that…[I] feel like I’ve really worked on myself. I’m proud of the work I’ve put in, and in many ways thankful to have had the time to do it. I will always strive to be better,” wrote Wallen. “Not only has this time revealed to me the ways in which I want to improve, but it’s also reminded me that I am still very proud of who I am and the man I am becoming.”

More from Deadline

In his four-page note, which has already been liked more than 570,000 times, Wallen added that while his time out of the spotlight has been “very valuable” to him “in many ways,” he feels that he needs more of it. “Therefore [I] will not be performing tour dates this summer,” he explained. “It means I won’t be playing festivals or the Luke Bryan tour dates. But it’s important to me personally, if you can, still go to these shows — support country music. Country music is back and that’s a beautiful damn thing.”

The latter comments referenced a tour Wallen was scheduled to be a part of, before he found himself at the center of two controversies.

The most significant came on February 2nd, when TMZ released a video showing the singer-songwriter using the N-word, in conversation with friends. In the aftermath, Wallen’s latest effort, Dangerous: The Double Album, has continued to impress, staying atop the Billboard 200 for 10 consecutive weeks. But his use of the word wasn’t without consequences. Following the incident, Wallen’s music was removed from SiriusXM Satellite Radio and iHeartRadio, and many other stations, along with Apple Music and Pandora. Seeing his appearances removed from the platforms of CMT and the Country Music Association, Wallen also had his recording contract with the Big Loud label suspended indefinitely, with The Double Album becoming ineligible for competition at the 56th annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

While Wallen issued a video apology on February 10, he had also found himself at the center of controversy in October of last year. A week prior to a scheduled appearance on Saturday Night Live, TikTok videos emerged of the singer-songwriter partying at an Alabama bar, in violation of social distancing guidelines handed down by both the state of Alabama and SNL producers. In this case, Wallen simply saw his SNL debut postponed, appearing on the late-night sketch show as musical guest on December 5.

“2020… man, what a tough year for so many. For me, my tough year carried into 2021,” Wallen continued in his Instagram post. “I’ve made some mistakes, I’m figuring those out and I apologized because I was truly sorry and have been making my amends.”

Currently, the artist is in Nashville, “getting back in the swing of things,” and while there was no mention of when Wallen will return to the stage, he assured his fans that “you’ll be seeing me sooner than later.”

Prior to his ascension to the stratosphere of country stardom, Wallen featured on Season 6 of The Voice.

Check out his message below.

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.