JUST IN: Morgan Wallen is the Top Country Artist of 2021

Morgan Wallen reigns as Billboard’s Top Country Artist of 2021, dethroning Luke Combs, who ruled as the Top Country Artist…

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

December 4, 2021

2:31 pm

Morgan Wallen; Photo by Andrew Wendowski

Morgan Wallen reigns as Billboard’s Top Country Artist of 2021, dethroning Luke Combs, who ruled as the Top Country Artist in 2019 and 2020.

Wallen is also the Top Country Male of 2021, the Top Hot Country Songs Artist, Top Country Streaming Artist, Top Country Albums Artist, and has the Top Country Album, with his sophomore effort, Dangerous: The Double Album.

Despite backlash from his use of a racial slur in early 2021, sales of the East Tennessee native’s album surged.

Morgan Wallen; Dangerous: The Double Album

Dangerous closed out the year as the best-selling album of 2021 across all genres, marking the fourth country album in history to achieve this honor. The other three country albums to close the year at the top of the year-end Billboard 200 Albums ranking were Garth Brooks’ Ropin’ The Wind in 1992, Carrie Underwood’s Some Hearts in 2006, and Taylor Swift’s Fearless in 2009.

The recently RIAA certified Double Platinum album was produced by Joey Moi, features his latest single “Sand In My Boots,” as well as fan-favorite hits like “Wasted On You,” “7 Summers,” “More Than My Hometown,” “Cover Me Up,” “865,” “Somebody’s Problem” and more.

Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton, Gabby Barrett, Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, Dan + Shay, Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line and Carrie Underwood follow Wallen in the Top Country Artists of 2021 ranking.

The crowning titles are calculated by year-end music metrics from the Billboard weekly charts from Nov. 21, 2020 through Nov. 13, 2021. The year-end rankings are calculated using MRC Data and “reflect equivalent album units, airplay, sales or streaming during the weeks that the titles appeared on a respective chart during the tracking year.”

Heading into 2022, Wallen is poised to continue his streak of success as he’s set to embark on his 46+ date, The Dangerous Tour, in support of his 30-track double album.

Additionally, Wallen is confirmed to headline several premier country music festivals, including Country Thunder, Tortuga Music Festival, TidalWave Music Festival, and more.

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.