Jason Aldean Praises American Values at Concert After Facing Backlash to Newest Hit

Jason Aldean performs onstage during the 58th Academy Of Country Music Awards at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, on May 11, 2023. Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Country singer Jason Aldean has faced backlash following the release of the music video for his latest single, “Try That in a Small Town.”

Aldean, 46, addressed the criticism he’s faced at his most recent live show.

“It’s been a long week, and I’ve seen a lot of stuff. I’ve seen a lot of stuff suggesting I’m this, suggesting I’m that. Hey, here’s the thing, here’s one thing I feel: I feel everyone’s entitled to their opinion. You can think of something all you want to, it doesn’t mean it’s true–right?” Aldean told the crowd at Cincinnati’s Riverbend Music Center on Friday.

“What I am is a proud American. I’m proud to be from here. I love our country. I want to see it restored to what it once was before all this [expletive] started happening to us. I love my country, I love my family, and I will do anything to protect that–I can tell you that right now,” he added.

Aldea first released his latest track in May, but it wasn’t until the release of the video on July 14 that the song came under scrutiny.

The music video features Aldean performing in front of Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee—the site of the lynching of 18-year-old Henry Choate in 1927—with footage from protests, looting, and police confrontations.

The song’s lyrics pay tribute to Southern values, noting that small towns are “full of good ol’ boys, raised up right” and “around here, we take care of our own.”

The music video was met with mixed reviews, with critics saying his new video is pro-lynching, while fans agree with its traditional values.

On July 18, Aldean rejected the notion that he was “pro-lynching,” saying such an interpretation “goes too far” and is “dangerous.”

“There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it,” he wrote on Twitter. “Try That In A Small Town, for me, refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief.”

“NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart,” he wrote.

Mixed Reactions

Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones, a Democrat, described Aldean’s newest hit as a “heinous song calling for racist violence.”

Fellow country star Sheryl Crow has also voiced her disapproval.

“I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence. There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence,” Crow posted on Twitter on Tuesday. She further noted that Aldean should know better, “having survived a mass shooting.” Crow was referencing the shooting at Las Vegas’s Route 91 Harvest Festival in 2017 that saw 60 people were killed and 867 injured.

However, Republicans are defending Aldean after “Try That in a Small Town” was pulled from CMT rotation.

“Jason Aldean writes a song defending the values that ALL Americans used to share - faith, family, hard work, patriotism - only to be immediately sacrificed at the altar of censorship & cancellation,” entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy wrote on Twitter. “These are the same people who cheer songs like ‘Cop Killer’ & the glorification of sex and violence in hip-hop. Stand strong against these hypocrites and opportunist frauds, @Jason_Aldean. It’d be a real shame if the song hits #1. We’ll do our part & play it at our rallies.”

“Jason Aldean is a fantastic guy who just came out with a great new song. Support Jason all the way. MAGA!!!” Former President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social account.

“When the media attacks you, you’re doing something right. [Jason Aldean] has nothing to apologize for,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

On July 18, “Try That in a Small Town” rose to No. 1 on the iTunes U.S. Songs chart.

The official music video for the song has garnered more than 15 million views so far on YouTube.