Eric Church Praises Morgan Wallen’s Authenticity: ‘He’s Just Doing Him’

“He’s real damn good,” Church says of Wallen.

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

January 15, 2021

Eric Church, Morgan Wallen; Photos by Andrew Wendowski

It looks like everyone is a fan of Morgan Wallen, including Eric Church.

The superstar shared his thoughts on Wallen and his blossoming career in the latest issue of Billboard, telling the publication, “He’s real damn good and he’s authentic.”

Church, who forged his own path within the country music genre, applauded Wallen for never shying away from who he wants to be as an artist.

“That’s the key. Morgan is not trying to be somebody else,” Church acknowledged. “He’s just doing him. It’s refreshing to see and hear.”

Church and Wallen share a mutual respect for each other. In fact, Church’s music inspired Wallen to pursue country music.

“The way he wrote songs and the way that he said things really struck a chord with me. His realness, raw emotion and authenticity drew me in,” Wallen recalled in the Billboard cover story.

Things came full circle for Wallen, who recorded the Church-penned “Quittin’ Time” for his just-released sophomore project, Dangerous: The Double Album. The song serves as the closing track on the album’s second disc.

Wallen says Church “knows how much he means to me” and calls the opportunity to record a song co-written by Church one of his “favorite accomplishments” of his career thus far.

Morgan Wallen celebrated the release of Dangerous with his headlining debut at Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium. The show is available to view HERE.

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.