Current:Home > reviewsMorgan Wallen's version: Country artist hits back against rumored release of 2014 album -BrightFutureFinance
Morgan Wallen's version: Country artist hits back against rumored release of 2014 album
View
Date:2025-04-18 11:53:30
Morgan Wallen is releasing a new version of one of his early hits as he lashes back against rumored plans to release a 2014 album against his wishes.
The new track, "Spin You Around (1/24)," was recorded this week in Nashville with the aid of acoustic guitarist Bryan Sutton and Big Loud co-founder and producer Joey Moi.
It is a redux of one of Wallen's breakout hits, "Spin You Around."
Wallen announced his release via social media, while on a duck-hunting trip. He related the story of how a deal he struck in 2014, when he was 21, went awry. Wallen signed the artist management and recording deal with without legal representation, he said.
"We made 13 songs. Some were ok, most were terrible, as I was just learning how to write &figuring it all out," he said. "I was not the only collaborator, so many of these songs were not really my ideas nor met my standards."
Of those songs, Wallen said five were deemed worthy of the eventual "Stand Alone" EP. The music was released in 2015 by Panacea Records, a Miami-based independent record label founded by Bill Ray and Paul Trust in 1993, Wallen said. The EP includes, "Spin You Around."
The song helped Wallen on his path to stardom.
In April, Trust made an Instagram post celebrating "Spin You Around" achieving 160 million Spotify streams.
"This song has been a wild ride from its creation to its climb. The story could be a chapter in an industry tell-all book. It's streaming more now than it ever has. It will be double platinum in the next few months," wrote Trust.
The record label founder continued: "A shout out to the OG team, the people that believed in the project long before Morgan Wallen was an international star. William Ray, Dirk Hemsath, Sergio Sanchez, Mark Annino, Luke Rice, Dominic Frost, Mike Bachta and of course that boy from some small town in Tennessee, Morgan."
Trust could not immediately be reached for comment.
Morgan Wallen could not acquire rights to his music from label
By 2015 (and through July 2017), Wallen was managed by The Hard 8 Working Group's co-founders Bachta and Hemsath. Currently, Wallen is managed by Big Loud partner and CEO Seth England.
Wallen noted that, while his initial partnership was short-lived, he was unable to acquire the rights to the music he recorded. Alerted to rumors about a planned 10th-anniversary edition of the "Stand Alone" EP -- including eight other unreleased songs -- Wallen pressed into action.
Morgan Wallenscores Apple Music's top global song of 2023, Taylor Swift and SZA trail behind
The "Last Night" performer wanted to "keep the quality of my catalog consistent with songs I choose to release (and) believe in," calling the unwanted release "gross, greedy" and "an example of how the dark side of the music business can suck the soul out of artists."
Wallen continued: "I want you to know this is not my new music" and "I don't want to see this happen to anyone else.
"I cringe when I listen to these songs" and "I'm very concerned my fans may mistakenly believe this is a new release by me," he said. "I begin recording my next project at the end of February ... I'm feeling inspired creatively" and "super excited to make more music I'm proud of."
Alongside his release, Wallen announced he is donating $100,000 from his Morgan Wallen Foundation to the Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals For The Arts (VLPA) program. His reason? He "(hopes) young aspiring musicians read (his) story" and "know they should never have to give up their creative freedoms for an opportunity in this business."
He closed his post, adding: "Trust me, when new music is ready, you'll hear it directly from me."
Taylor Swift vs. former record label:A quick history
veryGood! (835)
Related
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- Japan issues tsunami warnings after aseries of very strong earthquakes in the Sea of Japan
- See New Year's Eve store hours for Walmart, Target, Costco, Kroger, Publix, Aldi, more
- Bradley women's basketball coach Kate Popovec-Goss returns from 10-game suspension
- Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
- UFL (the XFL-USFL merger) aims to not join long line of failed start-up pro football leagues
- Lithium-ion battery fire in a cargo ship’s hold is out after several days of burning
- States set to enact new laws in 2024 on guns, fuzzy dice and taxes
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Massive waves threaten California, coast braces for another round after Ventura rogue wave
Ranking
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- This group has an idea to help save the planet: Everyone should go vegan
- Nick Carter Shares Family Video in First Post Since Sister Bobbie Jean Carter's Death
- Watch this family reunite with their service dog who went missing right before Christmas
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- On New Year’s Eve, DeSantis urges crowd to defy odds and help him ‘win the Iowa caucuses’
- Want a polar bear plunge on New Year's Day? Here's a deep dive on cold water dips
- Kyler Murray throws 3 TD passes as Cardinals rally past Eagles, disrupt Philly’s playoff path
Recommendation
See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
UFOs, commercial spaceflight and rogue tomatoes: Recapping 2023's wild year in space
Detroit Pistons beat Toronto Raptors to end 28-game losing streak
Off-duty sergeant fatally shot at North Carolina gas station while trying to intervene during a crime, police say
Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
Displaced, repatriated and crossing borders: Afghan people make grueling journeys to survive
The Empire State rings in the new year with a pay bump for minimum-wage workers
Kirby Smart after Georgia football's 63-3 rout of Florida State: 'They need to fix this'