Allen was born in Milton, Delaware, United States, but moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2007.[5] During most of his first few years in Nashville, he experienced poverty and often lived out of his car.[6][2] He auditioned for the tenth season of American Idol, but was cut before the live voting rounds. While on American Idol, he performed with Colton Dixon during one of the group rounds[7] and befriended Scotty McCreery, who eventually won the competition that year. Allen and McCreery later reconnected and toured together after the release of Allen's debut album.[8][9][10]
Career
Allen signed a publishing deal with Wide Open Music, a songwriting imprint formed by singer-songwriter Ash Bowers, in 2016.[2] After doing a talent showcase for representatives of Broken Bow Records in early 2017,[2] he was signed to that label's Stoney Creek imprint and released his self-titled debut EP, which Bowers produced.[11][12] The label's executive vice president said that the decision to sign Allen was one of the fastest they ever made at the label.[5]Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic compared the EP's sound to the "slick, assured style" of Thomas Rhett and Sam Hunt.[12] Similarly, Rolling Stone Country writer Brittney McKenna compared Allen's contemporary R&B influences to those artists and Maren Morris.[5] A track from the EP, "Blue Jean Baby", was added to Spotify's "United States Viral 50 chart".[5]
His first official single, "Best Shot", was released in early 2018. The week of its release, it was the second most-added song to country music radio playlists.[5] The song has made the Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, and Billboard Hot 100 charts and was made into a music video.[13] Allen said that the song's title and central theme were inspired by his grandmother and his son, who was 4 at the time of the song's release.[14][2] His debut album, Mercury Lane, was issued in October 2018.[12] Also produced by Bowers, the album takes its name from the street on which Allen lived as a child.[15] "Best Shot" was a Number One hit on the BillboardCountry Airplay chart in November 2018, making him the first Black artist to send his debut single to the top of that chart.[16] The album's second single, "Make Me Want To" released to country radio on February 1, 2019,[17] and it also became a Number One hit on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.
In 2020, Allen released "This Is Us", a duet with Noah Cyrus.[19] It was included on his new EP, Bettie James, which was released on July 10, 2020.[20][21] The project's second single was "Freedom Was a Highway," a duet with Brad Paisley, which was released on February 1, 2021.[22] It became Allen's third Number One hit and Paisley's twentieth on the Billboard Country Airplay in February 2022.
Allen became the first Black solo performer to win New Male Artist of the Year at the 2021 ACM Awards (at which he also performed a duet with Brad Paisley).[23] In September 2021, Allen was announced as one of the celebrities competing on season 30 of Dancing with the Stars.[24] He and his partner Emma Slater were the ninth couple to be eliminated, ultimately placing 7th.[25]
He also featured on Noah Schnacky's "Don't You Wanna Know" for his 2022 album Thoughtfully Reckless[29] and a duet with Nick Carter in "Easy".[30]
Allen release the lead-off single, "Down Home," to his third studio album Tulip Drive on March 8, 2022.[31] The album was released on June 24, 2022.[32]
Allen married his wife, Alexis Gale, in 2021 after the couple had been dating for two years. At the time of their relationship, Allen had a son from a previous relationship and Gale was pregnant with a second child. In April 2023, Allen stated through social media that he and Gale would be separating, and that Gale was pregnant with a third child.[34]
Lawsuit and termination from record company
On May 11, 2023, Variety reported that an unnamed former manager of Allen's had filed a lawsuit against him, as well as his management company Wide Open Music and Ash Bowers, who serves as both the owner of Wide Open Music and as Allen's record producer. The manager alleged as part of the claims that Allen had sexually and verbally abused her, and that she had been fired from her role after bringing these allegations to Bowers.[35] As a result, Allen's record label, BBR Music Group, suspended the artist effective immediately.[36] On June 1, 2023, the Western Idaho Fair, held in Boise, Idaho, dropped Allen from scheduled performances on the grandstand lineup and announced that he would not be attending the fair that year.[37] Further reporting from Variety on June 8 published similar reports that a second anonymous woman, who stated that she and Allen had a long-distance relationship for several months which culminated in him sexually assaulting her in a Las Vegas hotel and recording their encounter on his cell phone.[38] Later the same day, Taste of Country confirmed that BBR Music Group dropped him as an artist.[39]
His lawsuits are scheduled to go to trial in November 2024 and March 2025.[40] However, Allen's decision to change lawyers has been seen as an effort to delay litigation.[41][40]
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