Photo: Getty Images
Brittany Aldean showed her support for husband Jason Aldean amid backlash over his latest single and music video, “Try That In A Small Town,” which has stirred controversy over pro-gun lyrics and other issues.
“Never apologize for speaking the truth❣️🇺🇸,” Brittany captioned a selfie with Jason that she posted on Tuesday night (July 18), hours after the country star issued his own statement in response to the pushback he received over the song. Brittany also wrote on her Instagram story: “Media.. it’s the same song and dance. twist everything you can to fit your repulsive narrative. How about instead of creating stories, we focus on the REAL ones such as CHILD TRAFFICKING? Food for thought🤔”
Jason released “Try That In A Small Town” — written by Kurt Allison, Tully Kennedy, Kelley Lovelace, and Neil Thrasher — earlier this year. He premiered the music video on Friday (July 14). The video garnered reactions on social media as it was reportedly filmed in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, the site of the lynching of Henry Choate in 1927 and other violent acts, with footage throughout the video of robberies and more. It was later pulled from CMT’s rotation. Aldean said when the video premiered: “When u grow up in a small town, it’s that unspoken rule of ‘we all have each other’s backs and we look out for each other.’ It feels like somewhere along the way, that sense of community and respect has gotten lost. Deep down we are all ready to get back to that. I hope my new music video helps y’all know that u are not alone in feeling that way.”
“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 said in a statement he shared on his social media channels on Tuesday. “These references are not only meritless, but dangerous. There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it- and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage -and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music- this one goes too far.
“As so many pointed out, I was present at Route 91-where so many lost their lives- and our community recently suffered another heartbreaking tragedy,” he continued, noting pushback in response to pro-gun lyrics in the song. “NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart.
“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,” Aldean concluded. “Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences. 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.”