{"id":156,"date":"2018-05-31T13:20:12","date_gmt":"2018-05-31T17:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/morganwallen.com\/?p=156"},"modified":"2018-05-31T13:20:12","modified_gmt":"2018-05-31T17:20:12","slug":"up-down-morgan-wallen-interview-axes-5-quick-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/morganwallen.com\/home\/up-down-morgan-wallen-interview-axes-5-quick-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Up Down \u2013 Morgan Wallen Interview, Axes &#038; 5 Quick Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-157 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"<?php echo site_url(); ?>\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Morgan-Wallen-BATL-Feature-2.jpg&#8221; alt=&#8221;&#8221; width=&#8221;1000&#8243; height=&#8221;499&#8243; \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Morgan Wallen<\/strong> is inspired and hungry, and it keeps him pushing forward to new heights, like the ones he\u2019s reaching right now with his hit single,\u00a0<strong><em>Up Down<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">I caught up with the Sneedville, Tennessee native in Toronto at BATL to throw some axes and talk about the single, his new album, and being on his first stadium tour with <strong>Sam Hunt, Jon Pardi, and headliner Luke Bryan.<\/strong> Immediately it was clear that<em><strong> Morgan\u00a0<\/strong>a laid back guy who is having the time of his life making music. But as chill as he is, he wants more.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Just minutes before we sat down to talk, <strong>Morgan<\/strong> was surprised with a<em> gold plaque for\u00a0Up Down, his first in Canada, to match the same gold status that the single has reached in the United States.<\/em> The smile on his face when he received the gold was genuine, and it was awesome to see.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">The single is a collaboration with superstars<strong> Florida Georgia Line,<\/strong> and with more than <em>37 million spins on Spotify, to go with 25 million plays of the video on YouTube,<\/em> it\u2019s safe to say that it\u2019s a fan favourite. We talked about the country music fans embracing the song and his music, and he told us that he really knew that it had happened this spring on his own tour.<strong> Morgan<\/strong> told me that about halfway through the tour dates he was able to look out and see the crowd singing along with him. It\u2019s a feeling that a lot of artists have trouble explaining because it\u2019s not comparable to anything else in everyday life \u2013 but it\u2019s one that <strong>Morgan<\/strong> knows he\u2019s ready for more of.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/77qc4ZtufzM\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Off the top, we talked about <strong>Morgan\u2019s<\/strong> hunger and inspiration, and as we spoke it became apparent that he\u2019s taking cues in those areas from artists like <strong>Florida Georgia Line and Luke Bryan<\/strong>. He talked about <strong>FGL<\/strong> and how they continue to push forward, even after finding as much success as anyone could hope to in country music. And beyond even the hit singles and tours, he talked about songwriting and how he wants to emulate <strong>Tyler Hubbard\u2019s<\/strong> work.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">The history of music is littered with examples of successful young artists who think they\u2019ve got it all figured out and that they can coast by doing what they\u2019ve done so far. <strong>Morgan Wallen<\/strong> isn\u2019t one of those artists. The more we talked, the more clear it became that he wants more.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Bonus:<\/strong>\u00a0While we had <strong>Morgan<\/strong> with us we played a quick round of 5 Quick Questions\u2026 check it out!<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>5 Quick Questions with Morgan Wallen<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Q1 )<\/strong>\u00a0If you\u2019re on a road trip and can only play one album on repeat, which album do you choose?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>MW)<\/strong>\u00a0The Eagles \u2013 Greatest Hits<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Q2)<\/strong>\u00a0Do you remember the first album you bought?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>MW)<\/strong>\u00a0Breaking Benjamin\u2019s\u00a0<strong>Phobia<\/strong>\u00a0(on CD)<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Note:<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>Morgan<\/strong> told us that it\u2019s an answer that a lot of people don\u2019t expect from him as a country singer \u2013 but we love it. The reality is that we\u2019re in a great generation for music and the ability to love artists and songs from all genres.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-158 size-full\" src=\"<?php echo site_url(); ?>\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Morgan-Dom-BATL-1.png&#8221; alt=&#8221;&#8221; width=&#8221;1000&#8243; height=&#8221;500&#8243; \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Q3)<\/strong>\u00a0Do you have a dream vacation spot<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>MW)<\/strong>\u00a0Fuji<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Note:<\/strong>\u00a0Morgan wasn\u2019t quite ready for this one, and while he did settle on Fuji\u2026 it was pretty obvious that he could be talked into other tropical spots as well.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Q4)<\/strong>\u00a0What is the one thing you need to have when you walk into a writing session?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>MW)<\/strong>\u00a0Morgan told us that what he needs isn\u2019t a thing, it\u2019s more of a vibe. He needs to feel comfortable and connected to the people he\u2019s writing with. The ability to be open with ideas and feelings allows for those fringe ideas he might not be sure about to come out without fear of them being shot down, and with the possibility of mining them for gold.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Q5)<\/strong>\u00a0Is there an artist, in any genre, that you think people should be paying more attention to?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>MW)<\/strong>\u00a0Nothing But Thieves<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed?uri=spotify%3Atrack%3A6rAXHPd18PZ6W8m9EectzH\" width=\"300\" height=\"380\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Wallen\u2019s<\/strong> debut album,\u00a0<strong>If I Know Me<\/strong>\u00a0was released on April 27, 2018\u2026 and it\u2019s good. The 14 tracks (including\u00a0<em>Up Down<\/em>\u00a0and his 2016 breakout hit,\u00a0<em>The Way I Talk<\/em>) are an excellent showcase of his voice and songwriting (he\u2019s credited as a co-writer on six songs). We talked a little about the process, specifically on his songs, and echoed a story we\u2019ve heard from other artists before\u2026 some of the songs were written nearly two and a half years ago when Morgan first moved to Nashville, and some of them weren\u2019t finished until the day before they were recorded. That\u2019s just the way it is.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">On top of being proud to release the album, and happy to have his music and voice shared with the world, <strong>Morgan<\/strong> sees the songs on\u00a0<strong>If I Know Me<\/strong>\u00a0as a chance to bolster his live show.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Note:<\/strong>\u00a0The Axe throwing tournament ended with a trophy being handed to the winner. And the winner was me. I\u2019d gladly\u00a0throw with everyone in the group for a rematch any day. Also, if you\u2019ve never been axe throwing, get on it. Check out\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/batlgrounds.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">batlgrounds.com<\/a>\u00a0to learn more and find a location.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-159 size-full\" src=\"<?php echo site_url(); ?>\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/BATL-Trophy-Shot.jpg&#8221; alt=&#8221;&#8221; width=&#8221;1000&#8243; height=&#8221;625&#8243; \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">He talked about the challenge that came with playing 60 to 75 minutes with only half a dozen of his own songs that anyone had ever heard. But now, with those previous singles and his newly released material, the show can be beefed up and Wallen is ready to show it all off.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">On Thursday night in Toronto, he\u2019ll get the chance to do that when <strong>Luke Bryan\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lukebryan.com\/tour\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What Makes You Country Tour (XL Stadium Sized)<\/a>\u00a0fills the Rogers Centre.<\/strong> And armed with a brand new gold plaque we\u2019re guessing that he\u2019s going to see and hear some strong singing voices from the GTA\u2019s country fans.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">We know he\u2019s ready for this. He knows he\u2019s ready for this. And soon, country fans all over Canada and the United States are going to know he\u2019s ready for this and a whole lot more.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Hit play on the stream to listen to <strong>Morgan Wallen\u2019s<\/strong> debut full-length album,\u00a0<strong>If I Know Me<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 and stay up to date with his live show dates, behind-the-scenes action and more through his website and social media channels.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"<?php echo site_url(); ?>\/&#8221; target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; rel=&#8221;noopener&#8221;>Web<\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/morgancwallen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/morgancwallen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/morgancwallen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCzIyoPv6j1MAZpDHKLGP_eA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/6cm5xvkq0vGcOtLvyWXEM8\" width=\"300\" height=\"380\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-160 size-full\" src=\"<?php echo site_url(); ?>\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Morgan-Wallen-If-I-Know-Me-Album-Cover.png&#8221; alt=&#8221;&#8221; width=&#8221;815&#8243; height=&#8221;815&#8243; \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gold-certification","category-if-i-know-me"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/morganwallen.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/morganwallen.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/morganwallen.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morganwallen.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morganwallen.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/morganwallen.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":161,"href":"https:\/\/morganwallen.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156\/revisions\/161"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morganwallen.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/morganwallen.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morganwallen.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morganwallen.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}