Jason Aldean's 'Try That In A Small Town' faced backlash this summer as the song was iTunes' No. 1 hit in July. Star is set to release 'Highway Desperado' album on Nov. 3
The spike in support for Jason Aldean is a 'win for America': Failla
'Fox Across America' host Jimmy Failla provides reaction after Jason Aldean's controversial song, 'Try That in a Small Town,' saw a 999% increase in streams.
Jason Aldean has an idea on why "Try That In A Small Town" resonated so well with many of his fans.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Aldean – whose album "Highway Desperado" is set to be released on Nov. 3 – explained that people are "tired" of living in a country that, in his opinion, has turned into the "Wild West."
"I just think there's a lot of people out there that just want to go to work and come home, raise their kids, feel comfortable about sending their kids to school and knowing that they're going to come home," Aldean began. "Or let their kids go to a movie on a weekend and not worry about something crazy happening to them in the parking lot or inside a movie theater."
Jason Aldean thinks people are "tired" of living in the "Wild West." (Christopher Polk)
The country music crooner continued, "It's just we're kind of living in the Wild West right now, and I think people are just kind of tired of it. There's just constant chaos and something going on. Somebody is always pissed off about something, and it's just one of those songs where there's a lot of people that could relate to that because they're just sick of it."
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Aldean explained that the constant "chaos" that he is seeing is far different from how he was raised, and it doesn't "fly" in a small town.
"You just happen to see more, in my opinion, in larger towns where it's a little more lawless and I don't know, it's the Wild West to me."
Jason Aldean is set to release "Highway Desperado" album on Nov. 3. (Rich Fury/ACMA2019/Getty Images for ACM)
Jason explained that country music is for the "everyman" and that it's "blue collar music" which is why "Try That In A Small Town" was received well by his fanbase. The song's streams jumped 999%, and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard chart in July.
"I think there's a lot of people out there that kind of felt the same way and I don't know that I feel like that's the reason, but I truly don't. I don't really know," Aldean said on why his song, which was released in May, was such a success with his fans.
After Aldean released the song's music video two months later, he faced backlash online. At the time, Aldean addressed his critics and defended his lyrics, denying that the song has racial undertones.
"In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests," Aldean shared with his nearly 8 million fans across social media. "These references are not only meritless, but dangerous."
Jason Aldean responded to "Try That In A Small Town" criticism on social media in July. He said in part, "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." ( Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
Aldean went on to say that, "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. My political views have never been something I’ve hidden from, and I know that a lot of us in this Country don’t agree on how we get back to a sense of normalcy where we go at least a day without a headline that keeps us up at night. But the desire for it to- that’s what this song is about."
In his interview with Fox News Digital, Aldean said of his decision to comment: "People are kind of scared to say something a lot of times out of fear or losing a job or losing friends or losing. Maybe they're not going to get work again or whatever it is. People tend to hop on the side that's just politically correct, and it may be politically correct, but it's not right. Like, it's just not, you know what I'm saying?"
Aldean explained that "Try That In a Small Town," like all of his records, was a way for him to express his feelings creatively.
"I can't go grab my phone, go on Instagram and go off on an almost 30-minute rant about how I feel about all these things," he said. "It's like I do that through music and that's what it is, and obviously it's struck a chord out there with a lot of people that felt the same way and the song did well."
"Try That In A Small Town" streams jumped 999%, debuted at No. 2 on Billboard chart after backlash. (Photo by Erika Goldring)
"Try That In A Small Town" is featured on Aldean's 11th album, "Highway Desperado," which is set to be released Nov. 3.
Aldean told Fox News Digital that he "hit a different lane" when it comes to this album.
"It's just trying to reinvent yourself a little bit and I think we kind of did that a little bit with this album," he began. "I think for people that are fans of the music, it's going to feel familiar, but it's a little bit different. It's kind of in a little bit of a new direction, I feel like for us, but nothing crazy, just a little bit. So, I'm excited for people to check it out."
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Aldean is also currently touring for the album.
"I think the highlight there would have been last weekend, honestly, when we were out playing Oklahoma City and Toby Keith came out and joined us on stage," Aldean said of his Oct. 13 show. "Just going through all the stuff he's been going through the last couple of years, for him to come out on stage and the crowd – that's a hometown crowd for him – it was just one of those kind of electric nights."
Toby Keith joined Jason Aldean on stage during his show in Oklahoma City on Oct. 13. (Photo by Tammie Arroyo)
Jason noted that Keith joining him on stage was a highlight of his career and reminisced on how he got started in country music, which included playing some of Toby's songs at different clubs.
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"Then years later, got my record deal, went on the road, got a chance to tour with him, you know, early on in my career, and it's kind of a full circle moment. Here we are, we're headlining our show, and he comes out and gets on stage with us."
Aldean continued, "Even more important to me than that, though, is just what he's gone through the last couple of years and knowing that he wants to get back out there on the road and get on stage."
Jason Aldean told Fox News Digital he sang Toby Keith songs in various clubs at the start of his career. (Photo by Erika Goldring)
Keith revealed he was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2022.
"He's trying to take care of himself and get back in shape and dealing with what he's got to deal with," Aldean said. "I know it was a fun night for him to jump on stage and the fans reacted to him the way they did. I just know it was probably a great day for him, and it was a great night for us."
PROGRAMMING ALERT: Tune in to Fox & Friends on Friday to catch the interview with Jason Aldean
Janelle Ash is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital.
