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The Morgan Wallen juggernaut soared even higher this week as his new album, I’m the Problem, only proved problematic for its chart competitors.
The Big Loud/Mercury set debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 493,000 equivalent album units, according to Luminate, making it the biggest week for any release this year. Additionally, Wallen broke his own record with 37 songs on The Hot 100, taking up more than a third of the chart with his titles alone and claiming the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 spots, the first for a country artist.
The album, which has already logged three No. 1s on the Country Airplay chart, also debuts at No. 1 on Top Country Albums, knocking Wallen’s 2023 set, One Thing at a Time, out of the top spot and his 2021 album, Dangerous: The Double Album, down from No. 2 to No. 3.
Internationally, Wallen scores his first No. 1 on the U.K. Albums chart, besting One Thing at a Time, which debuted at No. 40. And all that activity helps earn Kolby Vetter, Wallen’s day-to-day manager at Sticks Management, the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
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Here, Vetter — who previously worked at Wallen’s booking agency, the Neal Agency, as well as Red Light Management and CAA — details the album’s rollout and how Wallen is leading the way domestically and internationally. “For the country genre as a whole, there has always been this myth that country music has a cap globally,” he says. “That glass ceiling is being shattered, and I think Morgan is leading the charge on that.”
I’m The Problem debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums. What decisions did you make leading up to the release that you felt would increase its chances for a No. 1 debut?
You can do all the planning and strategizing in the world, but at the end of the day it comes down to the music and how it resonates with people. I think everyone knew from the get-go the songs that Morgan was putting on this record were going to be strong and relatable. He spent a lot of time writing and crafting every detail of this project, and I think it shows.
The album is a joint project between Big Loud and Mercury. What was the division of duties between the labels?
There were a lot of different perspectives from a whole lot of smart people in a room together. Some of the best ideas for this album rollout came from the time spent sitting in a conference room together, bouncing ideas off of each other, each of us being unafraid to dream big. This whole project was a total team effort. Working with Seth England and his team at Big Loud was great; they’ve been with Morgan from the very beginning, which is a huge asset. Then you bring in guys like [Mercury’s] Tyler Arnold and Alex Coslov, who are responsible for building the careers of so many artists outside of the country format, and it becomes obvious why they are so successful.
I’m the Problem also debuted at No. 1 on the U.K. Albums chart, marking Wallen’s first No. 1 on that chart and a huge leap after One Thing at a Time debuted at No. 40 there. How did playing London’s Hyde Park last summer play into the plan for the U.K. and what other steps did you take to land such a high debut?
[Hyde Park] was a massive moment that really cemented Morgan’s status as a superstar in the U.K. and beyond. It was also a time for us as his team to sit there and think, “What’s possible here?” It’s really a testament to [Wallen’s manager and booking agent] Austin Neal and the strategy he has put in place from a touring perspective. The sky is the limit. And just for the country genre as a whole, there has always been this myth that country music has a cap globally. That glass ceiling is being shattered, and I think Morgan is leading the charge on that.
The album also debuted at No. 1 in New Zealand, Australia, Norway, Scotland and Canada. How will you continue to support the album and build his international career? When will his next global tour be?
We have an insanely talented international team with the folks at Big Loud/UMG and our internal team at Sticks Management. They are always combing through data and finding areas where growth is happening and where the next pop off could be. We’re able to draw from that data to formulate unique ways to break the market. Interesting enough, Morgan is seeing real growth in China. The tour is being worked on currently, but plans are coming together for an international run in 2026.
Wallen played an intimate show at London’s Roundhouse on Wednesday (May 28). How is that furthering his U.K. base or was that show mainly for the U.K. industry?
The idea for this show started way back in January. Last album cycle Morgan played a free show in Nashville at Bridgestone Arena, and it was a massive success. I don’t think I have ever seen a longer line. This time we thought it would be cool to go play a stripped-back set in an intimate setting where fans could get up close and personal. Morgan hasn’t played a room of this size in years, so I think it’s a cool moment for him as well to go back to where he started, and to be in a room where he can see the face of every fan.
Wallen is the first country artist to claim the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 spots on the Hot 100 with his duet with Tate McRae, “What I Want,” at No. 1. He told Billboard that he found out about Tate from his sister. What were the next steps after that with her camp to have the duet happen?
That one was all Morgan. They have known each other for a couple years and have been discussing a collab when the right song presented itself. As Morgan has said, “What I Want” wasn’t written as a duet but rose to the forefront and felt like the perfect match for them. Vocally it’s powerful, and they complement each other very well. We’re really excited to see what this song will do.
Was there any discussion that 37 tracks may be too many, or given that One Thing at A Time had 36 tracks and was still at the top of the charts, has the belief always been bigger is better?
I think we all knew this album would have a good number just by what we were hearing coming out of the writing rooms. So many great songs. They went into the studio and cut 50 tracks and worked back from there. If there is one thing I’ve learned about Morgan since working together, it’s that he is extremely tuned in. If there was any song that he didn’t feel totally great about or it didn’t feel like the right time for the song, it didn’t make the cut. Morgan has earned the right to that creative freedom. He had a lot of things to say on this album, and I think the 37 songs he chose to include reflect that.
At this year’s Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards, Ella Langley was the biggest winner of the night — but she can still recall fighting to perform in sweaty, hole-in-the-wall clubs in her home state of Alabama.
“I was the only woman, really, in that scene,” the 26-year-old artist says. “I was living with two other artists who were getting gigs over me. I was like, ‘I play just as good as they do. My band’s just as good as theirs. Give me a chance.’ There were times I’d have to send a couple of extra emails, but once they let me in [the venues], they would want me back. It made me work harder. But I grew up with a lot of strong women, so I’ve never looked at myself as anything other than equal.”
In the male-dominated country genre, Langley’s determination — along with her blockbuster single, the flirty, recitative Riley Green collaboration, “you look like you love me” — has helped usher her to the forefront of a new generation of country artists. Her lyrics are frank and unfiltered, her music a blend of neo-traditional country with a folk-rock edge, and she approaches her shows with the swagger of someone who battled for the attention of fans in those sweaty clubs and won.
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Onstage at the ACM Awards, while accepting the trophy for music event of the year for “you look like you love me” — one of five awards that she received — Langley again acknowledged the power of following her vision and instincts. “Everyone said this song was going to be the most underperforming song on the record,” Langley said of the duet — which ultimately defied expectations by topping Billboard’s Country Airplay chart in December and becoming her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100.
The video for “you look like you love me” has an Old West saloon vibe, but Langley has cultivated her own version of vintage-rock style that has drawn comparisons to 1970s music icons like Linda Ronstadt and Jessi Colter.
“I’m a tomboy [who] grew up with brothers, but I love to do my makeup and get dressed up,” says Langley, who can often be found in the forest deer hunting when she’s not onstage. “Jessi Colter was the outlaw of the outlaws. She didn’t put up with s–t, and I don’t either. I think the things they wrote about were very honest. That’s all I’m trying to do — write songs that mean something.”
That goal has roots in her Hope Hull, Ala., upbringing. Growing up in a musically inclined family, Langley says she learned to read by singing from a hymnal and became a disciple of classic artists such as Ronstadt and Stevie Nicks, but also modern ones including Miranda Lambert. (Langley performed Lambert’s “Kerosene” with her at the ACM Awards.)
Langley’s love of nature led her to study forestry at Auburn University, but she ultimately decided to pursue music, refining her performance and songwriting skills and honing her craft. She relocated to Nashville in 2019 and signed with Columbia Records/SAWGOD in June 2022, releasing the song “Country Boy’s Dream Girl” later that year and then following it with her EP Excuse the Mess in 2023. She wrote songs recorded by Elle King and collaborated with Koe Wetzel and Kameron Marlowe, but broke through in her own right with “you look like you love me,” which she began to work on with songwriter Aaron Raitiere while on tour opening for fellow Alabama native Green in early 2024.
Langley’s musical chemistry with Green, who contributed the song’s second verse and joined her on vocals, was undeniable — as was the catchy chorus. The track officially arrived in June, and the pair performed it on tour. When she issued her debut full-length album, Hungover, in August, “love me” surged on the charts. The 14-song set highlighted her unapologetic brand of songwriting, fusing it with rock’n’roll acuity (“Girl Who Drank Wine,” “I Blame the Bar”) while also conveying raw vulnerability (“People Change”).
This fall, Langley will extend her headlining Still Hungover Tour with additional dates, and she’s at work on a new album, which could arrive next year. “It’s unlike anything I’ve put out, and it’s the most me I’ve ever felt on a record,” she says of her forthcoming music. She dreams of one day adding acting and writing cookbooks to her résumé (“My kind of cooking is redneck cooking”) — but for the moment, music is her focus. Though it’s too early to tell whether the album will feature duets, “There will be things this year with collaborations that will appease the fans,” she teases.
Whatever shape the new album takes, one thing is certain: Billboard‘s 2025 Country Power Players Rising Star will keep making music her way.
“Where’s the damn rulebook that people keep telling me about?” she says. “I have yet to see it.”
This story appears in the May 31, 2025, issue of Billboard.
On Friday (May 30), a new wave of performers was unveiled for Billboard Country Live, coming June 5-6 to Category 10, Luke Combs’ Nashville bar and live music venue. The event will spotlight some of country music’s emerging talent alongside influential industry power players.
The festivities kick off Wednesday, June 4, with an exclusive gathering on the rooftop of Category 10 honoring Billboard’s Country Power Players, a premier event, presented by Bud Light, recognizing the most influential figures shaping the genre today — including Stacy Vee of Goldenvoice/AEG, our 2025 Executive of the Year.
On Thursday, June 5, the excitement continues with a showcase concert presented by Bud Light, which will feature newly announced country hitmaker Mitchell Tenpenny joining a lineup that already includes Alexandra Kay, Ashley Cooke, Drew Baldridge, Max McNown and Reyna Roberts. The showcase-style concert inside Category 10 will also include Billboard‘s video lounge, where Major League Baseball will film exclusive interviews with the country stars behind players’ walk-up songs.
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Tenpenny’s history on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart extends back to 2018 and includes three top 10s of eight total hits: 2018’s “Drunk Me” and 2022’s “Truth About Me,” which both peaked at No. 2, and his chart-topping Chris Young duet “At the End of a Bar” in 2021.
The Billboard Country Live celebration extends to Friday, June 6, with a second night of music that will spotlight “Country on the Rise,” shining a light on the genre’s future hitmakers. Featured performers will include Cooper Alan, Graham Barham, Harper Grace, Jake Worthington, Tayler Holder and Timmy McKeever.
Find the full lineups below, and to attend, visit live.billboard.com/country to RSVP.
Morgan Wallen holds firm at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart for a second week with I’m the Problem. The album has also topped charts in the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand and parts of Europe.
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Wallen was also the last male country artist to reach No. 1 in Australia, spending two weeks on top in 2023 with One Thing at a Time. Before that, Keith Urban topped the chart in 2020 with The Speed of Now Part 1.
Kisschasy re-enter at No. 28 with Hymns for the Nonbeliever following its vinyl reissue. The album originally peaked at No. 5 in 2007. Australian punk band Private Function debut at No. 43 with ¯_(ツ)_/¯, which includes a limited-edition scratch-and-sniff vinyl inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop fragrance. The band previously reached No. 9 with Whose Line Is It Anyway? and No. 11 with 370HSSV 0773H.
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Pitbull’s Greatest Hits makes a surprise return to the Top 10, jumping from No. 16 to No. 9 — its highest position since its 2017 release. The timing follows his recent announcement as part of the 2025 Fridayz Live tour alongside Mariah Carey, Wiz Khalifa, Lil Jon, Eve, Jordin Sparks and more. Pitbull’s top-charting album in Australia remains Planet Pit, which reached No. 5 in 2011.
On the ARIA Singles Chart, Alex Warren scores a tenth consecutive week at No. 1 with “Ordinary,” joining an elite group of just 30 tracks to ever spend 10 or more weeks at the top, including Tones and I’s “Dance Monkey” (24 weeks), ABBA’s “Mamma Mia,” Daddy Cool’s “Eagle Rock” and Jack Harlow’s “Lovin’ On Me.”
Sombr continues his rise on the chart, holding both No. 2 with “Undressed” and No. 3 with “Back to Friends.” Warren also claims the highest new entry of the week as “Bloodline,” his duet with Jelly Roll, debuts at No. 16, marking Jelly Roll’s first-ever ARIA Singles Chart appearance.
Kisschasy also dominate the Vinyl Albums Chart, landing at No. 1 with Hymns for the Nonbeliever and No. 5 with United Paper People. Private Function land at No. 2 on the vinyl chart with ¯_(ツ)_/¯, followed by Billie Eilish and Sleep Token.
Kelsea Ballerini is ready to hit pause. The country star appeared on TODAY with Jenna & Friends on Thursday (May 29), where she opened up about her plans after wrapping her Kelsea Ballerini Live on Tour run and completing her first season as a coach on The Voice.
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“I need a break!” Ballerini, 31, said during the interview. “And I’ve never been able to say that before, but I really think it’s just time for me to pump the brakes, figure out what’s next, have a summer, what? Go to the beach? Huh? Learn to cook a new meal, hang out with the dogs. So that’s kind of my agenda.”
Still, she admitted plans can shift quickly. “Every time I say that I have time off, something happens. But I’m very open to whatever is out there.”
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When asked whether she would return to The Voice, Ballerini left the door open. “Never say never,” she said. “It’s been such a beautiful season of doing things that are out of my comfort zone and bigger than I’ve ever done, and it’s been really fulfilling. I love being in that seat.”
The singer wrapped her 22-date arena tour on April 13 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The trek supported her fifth studio album Patterns, released Oct. 25, 2024 via Black River Entertainment. A deluxe edition of Patterns featuring five additional songs dropped in March 2025.
Last month, the singer spoke to Variety for her Power of Women Nashville cover story and reflected on the challenge of building a career in Music City amid Taylor Swift’s enormous presence. As a young, blonde, female singer-songwriter, Ballerini said she was often directly compared to Swift — something that forced her to define her own identity in the industry.
Recalling an early rejection from a label executive, Ballerini shared, “‘There’s already a Taylor Swift,’” he told her. “And he was right,” she added. “It forced me to be different.”
Ballerini previously described Patterns as a reflection of personal growth and radical self-acceptance. “I’m very aware of my flaws,” she said. “But in the same breath, I fully accept and celebrate myself right now. You have to learn yourself before you love yourself, and I had learning to do.”
Chris Stapleton is known for his unmistakable, thousand-watt voice and singing searing songs such as “You Should Probably Leave” and “White Horse,” but it turns out the guy with the burly vocals is also pretty sentimental.
During an interview with actor Josh Brolin as part of Billboard‘s 2025 Country Power Players cover story, Stapleton took Brolin into the space where he keeps a massive collection of guitars. While Stapleton does show some impressive axes such as a guitar that once belonged to Waylon Jennings (a gift to Stapleton from his wife and fellow musician, Morgane), he pulls out another guitar in his collection to show to Brolin — one he considers irreplaceable.
“This is the guitar that I bought when I moved to town, when I moved to Nashville,” Stapleton said, removing a well-used, scratched up acoustic guitar from its case.
“If I had to walk out of here with one thing, it would be this,” Stapleton said. “All the other stuff, I would be sad about a lot of it, but whatever I’ve done, whatever I’ve made, has pretty much been built on this thing. I would say 90% of the things I’ve written in my life has been on this guitar.”
That’s quite the statement, considering that not only has Stapleton written hits recorded by himself, but also hits recorded by artists including Josh Turner, Kenny Chesney and George Strait.
“It’s not precious in a collector way to anybody because it was in a flood at some point,” Stapleton said. “There’s mud inside it, somebody used it as a canoe paddle, there’s a million crack repairs. Yeah, if I were to walk out of here with one thing, if you want to know what’s the most important thing, it’s probably this.”
Elsewhere in the wide-ranging interview, Stapleton discusses the importance of family, the origins of his friendship with Brolin, and the actor even discovers how Stapleton likes his Hattie B’s Hot Chicken order.
Watch the full video interview between Stapleton and Brolin above.
Bunnie XO and Jessie Murph just had a far-out conversation about their first times taking shrooms, with the former revealing she once tripped so hard, she thought she was Michael Jackson.
In a clip from a recent episode Dumb Blonde, the podcaster asked the 20-year-old singer-songwriter to recount giving the psychedelics a try just a few weeks prior at Coachella. “I took them right before y’all’s party, actually,” Murph said, referring to Bunnie and her famous husband, Jelly Roll.
“It was so great,” the “High Road” singer recalled. “I was always apprehensive to try them … because they say it can mentally get you in a weird place.”
“But I had the time of my life,” Murph added. “I just was smiling, it made me really happy. But I’m gonna try not to do them a lot.”
One of Bunnie’s experiences with the drug, however, was a lot less serene. “I thought I was Michael Jackson one time,” she told Murph as both of them laughed. “I was in the snow making snow angels and then I cooked, like, a five-course meal … I did a big dose and it was phenomenal — that’s when I thought I was Michael Jackson.”
“And then I did a microdose and s–t got weird,” Bunnie added. “I started thinking about my childhood.”
According to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, shrooms — aka magic mushrooms — are consumed for their hallucinogenic effects caused by key ingredient psilocybin. The psychedelics can alter “a person’s thinking, sense of time and emotions,” an ideally pleasant experience that can sometimes lead to anxiety or paranoia instead.
Bunnie and Murph — who recently earned her highest peak to date on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Blue Strips” reaching No. 15 earlier in May — have been friends for a while. In 2023, the Alabama native teamed up with Jelly for a duet titled “Wild Ones,” reaching No. 7 on the Hot Country Songs chart, and all three of the stars recently walked the red carpet together at the Academy of Country Music Awards — where Murph’s piglet, Wilbur, stole the show.
In June 2024, Bunnie defended Murph against social media trolls who took issue with the latter being featured on Koe Wetzel’s “High Road,” which would reach No. 22 on the Hot 100. “All you grown ADULTS being mean to a beautiful 19-year-old girl who’s pursuing her dreams & has already accomplished so much in her career, more than some of y’all,” the social media star wrote at the time, sharing a video of herself hugging Murph on Instagram. “Don’t play w me or baby girl.”
Watch Bunnie and Murph discuss shrooms below.
This is partner content. Billboard has put together a prediction list for the Song of the Summer, and we’re breaking it down for you. Could KATSEYE, Drake or Alex Warren have the Song of the Summer? Keep watching to see who else may be in the top 10! Who do you think will have the […]
I recently had the opportunity to testify before Congress about the NO FAKES Act of 2025 — a landmark effort to protect human voices and likenesses from being cloned by artificial intelligence without consent.
I started singing when I was four years old and have used my voice throughout my career to amplify lyrics that I believe in. Each recording reflects pieces of my individuality and artistry that have evolved throughout my life.
My recordings reflect my human experience, and I am honored that they are a part of people’s lives — from wedding vows to breakups, to celebrating milestones and even the special relationship between a mother and daughter.
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But today, my voice and likeness, along with so many others, are at risk. AI technology is amazing and can be used for so many wonderful purposes. But like all great technologies, it can also be abused when it is harnessed to steal people’s voices and likenesses to defraud families, manipulate the images of young girls, impersonate government officials or pose as artists like me.
It’s mind-blowing that we must even question that our voices and likenesses should be our own to control. It’s scary and unquestionably wrong.
I was so gratified with the commitment of the bipartisan group of Senators I testified before last week in DC to deal with deepfake images by supporting the NO FAKES Act, which would prevent the theft of someone’s voice or likeness to harm, harass, bully or defraud them or others, and damage our careers, reputations and values.
The NO FAKES Act gives every person the power to say “yes” or “no” about how their most personal human attributes are used.
In Congress, I was asked about the impact of unauthorized deepfakes on the careers and livelihoods of young artists — and that impact can be immense. Every performer in our business must establish early in their career who they are and what they stand for, creatively, artistically and personally. That is how we build connections with our fans. But if bad actors can invade that artist-fan bond and distort the story a young artist tells the world about who they are, many careers could be lost before they truly get started. And that’s a problem that goes beyond the arts — unconsented deepfakes and voice clones rob every person of the ability to speak their own truth and tell their own story.
The NO FAKES Act also supports innovation by providing a roadmap for how these powerful tools can be developed responsibly. And it doesn’t stand in the way of protected uses like news, parodies, or criticism. Thanks to technology companies like OpenAI and Google who support this bill, as well as the legions of creators who have worked so hard to advocate for it (nearly 400 of us last week endorsed it here), and the child protection and anti-sex-trafficking and exploitation groups who support it and continue to fight for those who are most vulnerable, we have a real chance of it becoming law this year.
It has been a special honor to record songs that shine a light on the battles many women fight, especially domestic violence. Fans have shared with me that “Independence Day” has given them strength, and in some cases, the song has been the catalyst that has made them realize they need to leave an abusive situation.
Imagine the harm an AI deepfake could do breaching that trust, using my voice in songs that belittle or justify abuse. Or the devastation of a fan, scammed by a deepfake voice clone impersonating me or any artist they trust, into handing over their hard-earned money to a fraudster. Or my voice and/or likeness being used to promote a product that may be subpar at best, and harmful at worst. And while this isn’t the part that I am an expert on, knowing AI is being used to deepfake and manipulate young girls in ways that can devastate and ruin their lives is especially troubling. As a mother, an artist and a human being who cares about others — I ask you to join in the fight to stop that kind of betrayal.
Passing the NO FAKES Act will set us on the right path to develop the world’s best AI while preserving the sacred qualities that make our country so special — authenticity, integrity, humanity and our endlessly inspiring spirit.
Martina McBride is an award-winning country music singer who has charted seven top 10s on the Billboard 200 and landed 21 songs on the Hot 100 in her career, and been nominated for 14 Grammys. She’s also a four-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year and three-time ACM Top Female Vocalist winner, and in 2019 was honored with the ACM’s Icon Award.
Chris Stapleton‘s signature bluesy-rock guitar licks might be fiery, but his hot chicken order? Perhaps not so much. As part of a cover story for Billboard‘s Country Power Players issue, Stapleton and actor Josh Brolin spent time at the musician’s studio in Nashville, but also took time to eat at Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, one […]
