Morgan Wallen Opens Up About Nearly Signing A Gospel Contract At Age 7
Wallen opens up about nearly signing a gospel contract at age 7, his new album, and a surprising golf win over Brady.
Artist Morgan Wallen and NFL legend Tom Brady recently reunited for a nine-hole match at Tennessee’s Troubadour Golf Club—and Wallen came out on top.
Filmed as part of Brady’s Last Week video series, the relaxed round of golf turned into a revealing conversation about Wallen’s early musical journey, upcoming tour, and new album, I’m the Problem.
Wallen reflected on how music was part of his life from the beginning, sharing a surprising detail from his childhood.
“I started singing in church when I was three years old. My dad was a pastor, so my mom just recognized early on that I had a love for it,” he said. “So she had me singing when I was three, then when I was five I wanted a violin for Christmas, and then I started learning it.”
Then came an unexpected offer. “I mean, hell, I was offered a Southern Gospel record contract when I was seven years old.”
Tom Brady was floored. “Get the f--- out of here.”
Wallen said his mom turned the offer down to keep him grounded.
“My mom was like, ‘Nah, I want him to be a kid’—thankfully. I really started focusing on baseball mostly, and then by the time I turned 12 I was...playing 100-something games a year, going all over the place playing baseball. I thought that was what I was going to do—but I’m better at music than I am at baseball.”
Now focused fully on music, Wallen is gearing up for his 2025 North American tour, which kicks off in June at Houston’s NRG Stadium.
“I'm very excited. I wasn't ready until my album was done, obviously, but now that it is done, it's something else to look forward to. I'm looking forward to getting it out and seeing what people like. Hopefully they like all of it,” he said, adding that the album features “three different styles or subdivisions of country.”
He also shared that this year’s tour schedule is more manageable by design.
“If you count [Sand in My Boots Festival], [there are] 21 [dates]...So it's a lot of year for me. I did that on purpose...Last year we did probably around 50, and the year before that, we did about 90-something.”
Wallen gave a behind-the-scenes look at his songwriting process, explaining how some tracks came together in unexpected ways.
“Usually, we won’t even start a song unless we already have the full concept and the payoff hook done at the beginning...There are a couple of songs on this album where I had an idea...and so we started from the top with no hook.”
One of those songs, Genesis, began with a single line:
“We started [‘Genesis’], ‘There was a day Jack and Jim didn’t know me from Adam’. So you just get all of those, you know, Garden of Eden type ideas, and then you just keep going.”
When asked about his musicianship, Wallen remained humble:
“I’m a mediocre guitar player, but my guys who play lead guitar for me...I mean, one of my main guitar players that started with me, he was 18 when he started with my band and he was already an expert.”
As for the golf match, Brady accepted defeat with good humor.
“Disappointed. Came out here, high hopes. Got my ass kicked. Yeah, it’s tough. Can’t win them all, yeah, you can’t win them all. We’ve won a lot on YouTube. I can take a step back and let one go.”
The pair have a growing history of collaborations. Last year, Brady joined Wallen and Mike Tyson for a Las Vegas concert walkout. They also played together in Northern Ireland earlier this month.
