After stirring up quite a storm last year, Jason Aldean is back in the spotlight, set to rock the stage at the CMT Music Awards. Last summer, the country artist received criticism for his song "Try That in a Small Town," which was perceived by some as a critique of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Initially featured on CMT after its July debut, Jason Aldean's video was later taken down amidst online uproar. However, the CMT and Jason Aldean appear to have buried the hatchet. Aldean is set to showcase his song "Let Your Boys Be Country" at the upcoming Sunday night ceremony, marking his ninth appearance at the event. The song is also a contender for the Video of the Year award.
Fans React to Jason Aldean Agreeing to Play the CMT Music Awards
The country singer took to X (formerly Twitter) to hype his upcoming appearance. "THIS SUNDAY! Catch us performing on the @CMT Music Awards. Tune in at 8pm ET/PT on CBS or stream it on Paramount+" Aldean wrote.
While many fans reacted excitedly to the news, others were less than impressed. Some Aldean supporters felt like the artist shouldn't have extended an olive branch to the network after they shunned him. Some fans even implied Aldean was a hypocrite. "No way No how. There is nothin' country about cmt," one disappointed fan wrote. "Wow you support CMT? Sad. I'll upload a Ryan Upchurch song instead," another chimed in.
"On the same network @CMT that took your video down?", a third Aldean lover opined.
However, others simply wanted Jason Aldean to push back against CMT. "Would've been better if he had told CMT to shove it, instead," one fan mused. "I will [watch] if you promise to play small town," a second fan wrote.
The music video for "Try That in a Small Town" included scenes of a Molotov cocktail, a burning American flag, and intense clashes between law enforcement and citizens. Some critics thought the song's lyrics also contain potentially violent implications. "Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they're gonna round up / Well, that s—- might fly in the city, good luck / Try that in a small town."
However, Jason Aldean refuted any suggestion of racial undertones in the song and video.
"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 wrote on X last summer. "These references are not only meritless, but dangerous. There is not a single lyric in the song that references race."
