Morgan Wallen Discusses Jelly Roll, New Haircut, CMA Awards and More with Katie Neal

During his recent appearance on Superstar Power Hour with Katie Neal, Morgan Wallen delved into his friendship with Jelly Roll, why he cut his mullet off and more.

The ‘Thinkin’ Bout Me’ hitmaker is taking Jelly out on the road with him for a number of his 2024 tour-stops, and Morgan underlined his admiration for his fellow Tennessee native to Katie.

Morgan explained that the two met via Ernest, “That friendship started through Ern, ‘cause Ern's known him for a long time...Me, Jelly and Ern went and played golf a couple of times. I'd be in the studio and Jelly would be in there going to write with whoever at Big Loud. We'd meet in passing, and you know, we've stayed in touch”.

He went on to touchingly pay tribute to Jelly Roll, “I think he's super talented, obviously I'm a big fan of his music, and I'm a big fan of him...I went into Big Loud one day and I was going to record, and Jelly was in the lobby on the phone. It was taking a while, I was trying to wait around and say, ‘What's up?’... he got off the phone and [he'd been] buying all the kids at juvenile some pizza. You know, I think he grew up in a hard way where he spent time there, and [he's] looking out for kids who are like him. That's just how he is, so I'm really proud. I think the success and exposure that he's getting is very well-deserved”.

Morgan Wallen also shed some light on what motivated him to shave off his iconic mullet in the summer, “Honestly, I'd been talking about it for a couple of years. I had a shaved head for a couple of years in high school...I just got tired of my hair, and for a couple of years I'd been telling a lot of people around me that I was going to shave it. And one night, I was by myself and shaved it off - and that was it”.

Earlier in the year, the ‘Everything I Love’ singer-songwriter was forced to cancel a run of shows due to sustaining a vocal injury. Katie Neal asked him about his recovery, to which Morgan responded, “It's going really good. I have a vocal coach now. I wish I'd had her a long time [ago], because she's taught me so much...about taking care of my voice that I never even had a clue about. I really never warmed up, I never cooled down, I didn't do anything - I didn't think I needed to, you know?”

He stressed that his pre- and post-show approach has changed drastically over the last few months, “Now that I see the benefits of it...it doesn't take me eight, nine songs to get warmed up, I feel good to go from the start...I always wake up feeling much better in the mornings than I did before, so shout-out to Melanie!”

Morgan is currently in the middle of a brief touring hiatus, with the ‘Thought You Should Know’ songsmith gearing up for a blockbuster performance at Wednesday evening's CMA Awards alongside Post Malone and HARDY. The Sneedville artist emphasised his gratitude at having earned slew of nominations heading into the ceremony, “Any time you get recognised for the hard work that you and your team put in, it's a blessing...Entertainer of the Year especially is more of a nod to my fans and how much they show up for me on the road than it is for me”.

He reiterated how thankful he is for his fanbase, “They know that I go out there and really do try my best every single time. I always try to bring as much energy as I have, and it's just nice to see they give me that same energy back. I think any time an Entertainer of the Year nomination or an award is on the table, it's more of a nod to them than it is to me”.

In addition to preparing for the 2023 CMA Awards, it seems Morgan Wallen has been making the most of his time off by working on some new music. Excitingly, Ernest shared a photo with Morgan and Post Malone in the studio, with fans immediately speculating - and hoping - that a blockbuster collaboration is on the cards.

For more on Morgan Wallen, see below: