Country Star Morgan Wallen's Sales Skyrocket After Racial Slur Controversy
Country music star Morgan Wallen’s fans are still buying his latest album a mere week after a video surfaced of him shouting the N-word.
Wallen’s “Dangerous: The Double Album” continues to hold the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart for a fourth consecutive week, according to MRC data cited by Billboard.
The country album sold 25,000 copies during the week of Feb. 4, an increase of 102 percent.
Daily sales of his first album “If I Know Me” also increased from 200 to 2,500.
The sales surge came the same week that TMZ posted a video of Wallen using a racial slur and profanities outside of his Nashville home.
“Take care of this p—- a– motherf—er,” Wallen can be heard saying. “Take care of this p—- a– n—–.”
Wallen apologized after the video surfaced, CNN reported.
“I’m embarrassed and sorry. I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back,” he said in a statement.
“There are no excuses to use this type of language, ever. I want to sincerely apologize for using the word. I promise to do better.”
Country music stations quickly pulled Wallen’s music from the airwaves, according to Variety.
“In light of Morgan Wallen’s recent actions involving the use of a racial slur, we have made the decision to remove his music and content from our stations effective immediately,” an iHeartMedia representative told CNN.
He was also “suspended … indefinitely” by his Nashville-based label, Big Loud.
Billboard’s editorial director, Hannah Karp, told The Associated Press the recent uptick in album sales could be from people who are curious about Wallen in light of the scandal.
She also said the singer’s fans are responding to the decision to remove Wallen from the airwaves.
“His fans are likely streaming him more because they can’t hear him on the radio anymore,” Karp said.
“Some fans may be streaming him more in addition to show their support for him, which is something that super fans and fan armies often do,” she said.
Karp said that it was too soon to predict the long-term consequences of Wallen’s outburst.
“Radio is a really powerful driver of consumption, so it’s possible that will end up in decreasing streaming and sales eventually,” she said.
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