In his first Instagram post since being called out in February for using a racist slur, Morgan Wallen thanked fans for standing in his corner even though “my corner hasn’t been the most popular one to stand in recently.”
In a handwritten note, the country star noted the record-breaking success of his album Dangerous and praised his fans for buying and streaming the music.
“I had to write some of these songs to get them off my heart, so to see them landing in yours makes me feel connected to y’all,” Wallen shared.
The singer admitted a tough 2020 “carried into 2021” – a year in which he “made some mistakes.” He said: “I apologized because I was truly sorry [and] have been making my amends.”
In February, Wallen said he was “on hour 72 of a bender” when he was caught on camera calling someone a “p***y-a** n****r.” The singer said: “There’s no reason to downplay what I did. I was wrong. It's on me to take ownership for this and I fully accept the penalties I'm facing.”
The singer was suspended from his record label, dropped from his agency and his songs were pulled from radio stations and some streaming services after the video was posted on TMZ. The Academy of Country Music Awards said it was pausing Wallen's “potential involvement and eligibility for this year's 56th Academy of Country Music Awards cycle.”
Wallen added: “My words matter. My words can truly hurt a person and at my core, that's not what I'm okay with," he said. “I wish the circumstances were different for me to learn these things but I'm also glad it started the process for me to do so.”
In his new message to fans, Wallen said he has taken the time to work on himself. “I’m proud of the world I’ve put in [and] in many ways thankful to have had the time to do it,” he wrote.
Wallen said he will not be performing this summer but urged fans to get out and support country music.
“I’m back in Nashville getting back in the swing of things [and] you guys can rest assured that I am looking forward to giving you guys what you deserve,” he wrote, “especially after all you’ve done for me.
“My story is far from over [and] getting back out to see y’all is all I can think about. So just know you’ll be seeing me sooner than later.”