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Country singer Aaron Lewis recently spoke with Fox News Digital about his newest album, “Frayed at Both Ends,” and what in his personal life inspired him in the writing process.
Lewis is extremely proud of this album, going as far as calling it “one of the best records (he’s) ever made.” He hopes making the choice to include one song, which is quite “politically charged,” doesn’t prevent people from listening to the album as a whole and appreciating it for what it is.
“The song in question has done incredibly well without really any support behind it at all,” Lewis said “And the record has sold a bunch of copies because my fans like to have a record in their hand. You know.”
Lewis was seemingly referring to his single, “Am I The Only One.” Despite reaching the top of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs list, the song was widely criticized.
AARON LEWIS’ LIBERAL-BASHING TRACK DEFENDED BY BIG MACHINE LABEL FOUNDER WHO REFUSES TO ‘CANCEL’ HIM
The lyrics harped on liberals and encouraged them to leave the United States over their un-American views. The song talks about many things, such as the removal of Confederate statues from public spaces across the country, fears of flag burning, and he even fits in a jab at Bruce Springsteen.
However, Big Machine Label Group founder Scott Borchetta defended the song at the time.
“Aaron Lewis and I have political disagreements. But there are also things we agree on. I think that’s the foundation for the idea of our country,” Borchetta wrote. “It doesn’t work if we’re so divided that we can’t reach across the aisle, have a conversation or an argument, and ultimately, shake hands. If we can’t do that, and this moment is so divisive, we may never get our country back.”
Having been in the music industry since the mid-1990s, Lewis’ career has been through a few evolutions, as his life outside the business changed as well. Lewis said he “communicate(s) a lot better in songs than (he does) in regular life” and that his albums are his way to let fans in on what he was going through in that moment.
Lewis hoped a politically charged song on his album wouldn’t prevent listeners from listening to the whole album.
(Suzi Pratt/WireImage)
This particular album was written during the COVID-19 lockdown period and highlights Lewis’ frustration in that time, specifically surrounding the damage the lack of human contact was causing people.
“It came on the tail end of lockdown, which it never made sense to me. It never seemed like it was the answer to our issues,” Lewis said. “That was a long period of time that we were alienated from each other, that we didn’t have that very much-needed human bond with other humans. I could see the damage it was doing. I could see the damage that it was doing to my own life. There’s a lot of that in the record.”
Aaron Lewis’ newest album, “Frayed at Both Ends,” was written during the COVID-19 lockdown period.
(Mat Hayward/Getty Images)
When it comes to artists who inspire him and what music he likes to listen to, Lewis said he doesn’t really listen to music outside his own because he doesn’t want to accidentally cross that line between inspiration and imitation.
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He thinks the line separating the two is very thin, and he tries very hard not to cross it, using music in general as his inspiration when writing his albums.
“It’s a very fine line as an artist that you have to walk. I’m inspired by all music. Music is an amazing, amazing gift that has been given to human beings and culture, and so I’m inspired by all music,” Lewis said. “I really don’t listen to music very much for that same reason where, you know, I’m inspired by all music, but I certainly don’t want that inspiration to be accidentally coming out in something that I’m doing.”
Lewis’ love for music makes him miss the days when music was consumed on vinyls, cassette tapes and CDs. While he admits streaming services have made it easier for people to listen to more music and discover new artists, he says some of the magic in the music is lost now.
Lewis has a special place in his heart dedicated to vinyls and the old-fashioned way of consuming music, saying the process is now driven more by convenience rather than the experience.
(Lisa Lake/Getty Images)
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“There’s a quality to the original methods of recording and listening to music that isn’t there anymore. When you digitize everything, it’s just not there. There is a faint hiss to a vinyl record. There’s a sparkle that just isn’t there,” he said. “Our new ways of listening to music is all very convenience driven instead of experience driven. Like so many things in life now, nothing is really experience driven anymore. It’s all right there at your fingertips.”
Fox News Digital’s Lauryn Overhultz contributed to this report.
