Morgan Wallen is facing the music—literally. Last April, the CMA’s reigning Entertainer of the Year made headlines for all the wrong reasons when he was arrested after allegedly throwing a chair off a sixth-story roof in Nashville. Pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges last December and avoiding jail time, Wallen, 32, is seemingly turning over a new leaf. His fourth studio album, I’m the Problem, has been predictably dominating the country music charts since its release earlier this month. Recently, the “Whiskey Glasses” crooner shared how he used his arrest as inspiration for the album’s cover.
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Speaking with Zane Lowe on Apple Music’s New Music Daily Radio, Wallen said the idea struck him as he awaited court in his lawyer’s office.
“I saw old school court drawings in there, and at the same time, me and my team were talking about what’s this artwork going to be? I’m like, ‘Ah, I’m not really sure,’” he said. “And I saw those old-school court drawings and something just clicked in my head. I was like, ‘That might be cool.’”
Finding through research that no other artist had ever attempted anything similar, Wallen thought, “Maybe I’m onto something.” He didn’t want to use the actual image from his appearance in Davidson County court—that felt “too real.” So instead, the album cover features an artist’s rendering of the country megastar from the shoulders up.
“I just wanted to just pay a little bit of homage to that and make people say, ‘Hey, is that what that is?’” Wallen said. “And I feel like we toed the line of it pretty well, and I think it looks cool.”
Morgan Wallen: “Shout Out To My P.O.”
The I’m the Problem cover art wasn’t the first time Morgan Wallen has subtly made light of his legal woes. Recently, the “Cowgirls” hitmaker stopped by his own Nashville establishment, This Bar & Kitchen, for a chat with Caleb Pressley on Sundae Conversations.
Morgan Wallen is so unserious because why is his album cover a sketch of him in court lmfao
— Shannon (@shannonn0327) May 21, 2025
“Hopefully I don’t violate my probation by being here,” Wallen said, cracking a mischievous smile.
“Are you on probation right now?” Pressley asked.
“Yeah,” replied the country star. “Shout out to my P.O.”
Featured image by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images
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