Morgan Wallen is one of the biggest rising stars in country music right now. The American singer-songwriter has seen huge success with songs like “Whiskey Glasses” and his 2020 album Dangerous: The Double Album, which spent 10 consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Wallen’s popularity has skyrocketed both in the US and internationally. This has left many of his European fans wondering if Morgan Wallen will be coming to tour the UK and Europe anytime soon.
Who is Morgan Wallen?
For those unfamiliar, Morgan Wallen is a 28-year-old country music singer and songwriter originally from Tennessee. He first gained attention in 2014 when he competed on the sixth season of The Voice. Though he was eliminated during the playoffs, Wallen parlayed his newfound fame into a record deal with Panacea Records and Big Loud Records. His first major single “The Way I Talk” was released in 2016.
Wallen’s big breakthrough came with his 2018 debut album If I Know Me. It produced hits like “Up Down” featuring Florida Georgia Line, which went double platinum. His follow-up album Dangerous: The Double Album was released in 2021 and was an even bigger smash success. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, breaking the record for the longest consecutive run at number one by a solo male artist.
With his laidback, southern rock inspired sound and party anthems, Wallen has become one of the most popular new country stars on the scene. He has over 5 million monthly listeners on Spotify and sold out arenas on his recent US tour.
Morgan Wallen’s Success in the US
To understand Morgan Wallen’s potential for a UK tour, it helps to comprehend just how hugely successful he has become in such a short period of time. Dangerous: The Double Album spent 10 consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, which is a rarity in modern music. The album’s songs collectively tallied over 3 billion streams in the US alone.
Five singles from Dangerous went to number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, also a record-breaking achievement. Those hit singles included “7 Summers,” “Wasted on You,” “More Than My Hometown,” and “Sand in My Boots.” Morgan Wallen broke streaming records and chart records left and right.
Dangerous was the top selling country album of 2021 by a massive margin, selling over 3 million units. To put that into perspective, no other country album sold over a million copies last year. The album was the fourth best selling across all genres, behind only albums by pop superstars like Adele, Olivia Rodrigo, and Taylor Swift.
Clearly, Morgan Wallen’s popularity has reached incredible heights in the US. He is capable of selling out the biggest stadiums and has millions of passionate fans. His music appeals to a wide audience, transcending just country music lovers. This level of success indicates that Wallen would likely do extremely well touring overseas.
Possibility of a UK Tour
Given Morgan Wallen’s meteoric rise and tremendous sales power in America, the chances seem high that he will embark on a UK tour sooner rather than later. Wallen has not yet announced any official tour dates in Britain or Europe. However, looking at other factors, a UK visit feels imminent.
His Streaming Popularity in the UK
While Morgan Wallen has not toured abroad yet, his streaming numbers suggest there is a big audience for him in the UK already. Looking at Spotify metrics, Wallen currently has over 2 million monthly listeners in the UK. That puts him in the top 200 most streamed artists in Britain. For comparison, other popular country acts like Luke Combs and Kenny Chesney have around 1 million UK listeners currently.
So Wallen is already one of the most streamed country artists across the pond, despite not even promoting there yet. If he were to tour the UK, these streaming numbers would likely translate into strong ticket sales. Fans are clearly eager to hear Wallen’s music live.
UK Dates Missing from Recent Tour
Morgan Wallen just finished his 55-city US Dangerous Tour in October 2022. The tour sold over 500,000 tickets and grossed $20 million, proving his tremendous popularity right now. While the tour did not visit Europe, that seems to have been a deliberate choice to focus on America first.
There were no UK dates on this initial tour, but that leaves the door wide open for Wallen to plan a full European leg next. He likely wanted to build demand by touring in the US first. Now that he’s done that successfully, he can turn his attention across the pond. A UK/Europe tour seems the logical next step to capitalize on his momentum.
Other Major Country Acts Tour the UK
Looking at Wallen’s peers in the country world, touring the UK and Europe has become commonplace. Acts like Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, and Kenny Chesney have all done European tours recently. Given country’s growing popularity globally, any big rising country star like Morgan Wallen would be wise to expand into those international markets.
Since the UK in particular has proven receptive to contemporary country music, it’s a natural fit for Wallen to plan dates there. Fans want to see him and he’d likely have no trouble selling tickets, given other country stars’ success touring Britain. Wallen will want to seize that opportunity to grow his fanbase worldwide.
Country Artist | Most Recent UK Tour |
---|---|
Luke Combs | 2022 |
Kenny Chesney | 2019 |
Carrie Underwood | 2019 |
Miranda Lambert | 2018 |
He’s a Breakout Superstar
Simply put, Morgan Wallen is one of the biggest breakout country stars in years. He’s reaching a level of popularity not seen since artists like Taylor Swift and Keith Urban rose to fame in the 2000s. Given his meteoric success, Wallen and his management will undoubtedly be looking to capitalize quickly and extend his reach worldwide.
What better time to plan big international tour dates than when you’re the hottest act around? Wallen has all the momentum right now, so announcing a UK leg would generate massive buzz and likely sell out fast. Strike while the iron’s hot.
Potential Hurdles
Up to this point, the signs point towards Morgan Wallen likely touring the UK soon to capitalize on his success. However, there are also a few potential hurdles that could delay an overseas tour or complicate things:
Ongoing Pandemic Concerns
The COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench into touring plans for all musicians. Even as conditions improve, surges and restrictions could still cause issues planning international concert dates. Wallen may opt to wait until the pandemic feels fully in the rearview mirror before venturing overseas.
Travel restrictions and quarantine rules also complicate international tours currently. So pandemic unknowns may push Wallen’s team to focus on North America for now. That said, other artists like The Weeknd and Justin Bieber still toured the UK successfully in 2022. It can be done if planned well.
Controversies and Backlash
Wallen also faced some significant backlash in early 2021 due to a leaked video where he used a racial slur. The fallout saw his music briefly pulled from radio playlists and awards shows postponed his performances. However, his popularity soon rebounded thanks to his loyal fanbase.
Nonetheless, the backlash may give Wallen’s team pause when considering how a UK tour would be received. There’s a risk of renewed criticism or protests. Then again, Wallen pressed forward with his US tour with little controversy, suggesting he may be in the clear. But the backlash remains a factor to consider.
Busy Schedule
The final hurdle is simply Wallen’s jam-packed schedule. He just finished a massive 55-date US tour and is also focused on releasing new music. Fitting in a whole UK/Europe leg will be challenging with his other commitments. His team may opt to hold off until 2023 or 2024 to properly plan a robust overseas tour.
There’s no rush for Wallen to tour the UK yet when he still has so much momentum in America. Prioritizing that homegrown success to build his fanbase even further makes strategic sense for now. An international tour seems inevitable given his popularity, but it may take another year or so to materialize.
The Verdict
Given Morgan Wallen’s record-breaking success and superstar status, he seems primed to take his tour overseas to the UK and Europe soon. Massive streaming numbers and fan demand make it a virtual certainty he’ll announce international dates within the next couple years. It’s more a matter of when, not if.
The only question is whether his team will see fit to announce a UK leg coming off his triumphant 2022 US tour, or if they’ll opt to build anticipation a bit longer. There’s a strong argument for capitalizing now while his name is dominating headlines. But they may prefer waiting one more album cycle.
Either way, Morgan Wallen touring the UK feels like an inevitability in 2023 or 2024 at the latest. He has the fan support, momentum, and peer precedent to make it a huge success when he’s ready to make the jump across the pond. For British country fans eager to see the mullet in person, the wait likely won’t be much longer.
Conclusion
Morgan Wallen has clearly established himself as country music’s newest superstar with his blockbuster success over the past couple years. Given his meteoric rise at such a young age, he still has a long, bright career ahead of him. Expanding his touring empire internationally into markets like the hungry UK country fanbase simply makes sense the more popular he becomes.
It’s never easy for American country acts to plan extensive overseas tours. But Wallen has laid the perfect groundwork with his record-smashing streaming and sales numbers in both the US and UK now. He has the name recognition and fan support to sustain big gigs across the pond. It’s now just a matter of fitting a UK tour into his packed schedule.
For British fans, Morgan Wallen’s live show promises to be an electrifying, boot-stomping experience based on the rave reviews from his US tour. The thirst is there for him to bring hits like “Wasted on You” and “7 Summers” to UK arenas. With the key factors lined up, it seems just a matter of when, not if. So for those awaiting the “Sand in My Boots” singer’s arrival, patience should pay off soon.