It would’ve been a big-enough weekend for Morgan Wallen simply from the release of his fourth album Friday’s (May 16) I’m the Problem — his third album this decade to consist of 30+ tracks, this time with six of them already ranking as pre-release Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits. But the biggest star in country also debuted his new music festival at the same time: a three-day fest of heavy-hitters from the worlds of country, hip-hop and 2010s indie rock (??) that went down from Friday to Sunday in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
On this week’s Pop Star Performance Review episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger talks to the great music and culture writer Meaghan Garvey – who has not only already spent many hours with I’m the Problem (even reviewing the album for Pitchfork), but who also flew down to Gulf Shores for the first-ever Sand in My Boots festival. Meaghan shares her experiences at the sunny, friendly and largely conflict-free fest — which she also brilliantly recapped for us at Billboard earlier in the week — as well as some of her takeaways from Wallen’s 37-track latest.
Among the matters discussed: How did Morgan Wallen do in his first big headlining set of 2025 (and as the closing act to Sand in My Boots?) Is it actually strangely logical that Real Estate and The War on Drugs would be a major part of a Wallen-curated music festival? Will duetting with Tate McRae — his first collab with any woman, let alone one from the top 40 world — open Wallen up to the larger pop world? Is Wallen better off when he’s actually singing about being The Problem? And of course: Wallen is unquestionably one of the biggest artists in the world, but do we really consider him a true pop star yet?
Check it out above, and subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) for weekly discussions every Thursday about all things related to pop stardom!
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