This shouldn’t come as a surprise: country singer Morgan Wallen is the number one streamed artist on Spotify and Apple Music. As we know, racism isn’t a dealbreaker in America so of course his catalogue still impresses his fans.
On Apple Music, Wallen’s “Last Night” was the number one streamed song globally. Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” was number two, “Kill Bill” by SZA came in third, “Rich Flex” by Drake and 21 Savage was fourth and SZA’s “Snooze” was fifth.
For Spotify’s U.S. chart, Wallen’s “Last Night” was the number one streamed song while another one of his tracks “You Proof” was number eight. He is the third most streamed artist after Taylor Swift and Drake.
Back in February 2021, Wallen was caught on camera using a racial slur outside of his Nashville home. “Take care of this “pussy-ass motherfucker,” Wallen said, before adding “take care of this pussy-ass nigger,” seemingly referring to a person in his group.
After the video went viral, the singer apologized, said he would meet with Black leaders to become better educated about racism and pledged $500,000 in donations to Black led organizations.
“I’m embarrassed and sorry. I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back,” Wallen explained 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.”
Wallen’s contract was suspended by his label, he received backlash from his fellow artists, radio stations dropped his music, and he was not welcome at certain events and award shows.
However, these streaming numbers show that Wallen’s behavior has been wholly forgiven in the eyes of his listeners. His comeback was a disheartening, but a predictable one.