Aaron Lewis spoke candidly about why industry executives abandoned him.
In a recent interview on the podcast Pickin’ It Out with Andrew Pope, the 54-year-old musician spoke about his upcoming album and why he believes the music industry has turned its back on him.
“Everything is too political now,” he explained. “I have played at the (Grand Ole) Opry many times, but I will never be invited to the Opry again. It’s all because I believe that this beautiful, wonderful country is such a blessing to us.”
This musician first rose to fame as the lead vocalist and founding member of the band ‘Stained’. He remained with the band until the early 2000s before finding success as a solo artist in 2010.
In the interview, he reflected on the fact that in two years it will be 30 years since Staind was formed, saying, “I’m really grateful that we can still be active even though we’ve been active for almost 30 years.”
“We earned our Hall of Fame status,” he said, adding, “That’s never going to happen.”
His sixth studio album, Give My Country Back, is scheduled for release on July 17th. Lewis and Pope stated that they hoped listeners would discover and listen to the album.
“I have to look for it. Anything that’s mine,” Lewis explained. “That machine will turn its back on me without any problem.”
Lewis isn’t the only musician dealing with political backlash.
Vanilla Ice recently received backlash when it was announced as one of the performers at the Great American State Fair, which celebrates America’s 250th anniversary.
After the lineup was announced on May 29, several performers announced their departures, including Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, Young MC, The Commodores, and Morris Day.
Addressing the backlash he received after agreeing to perform at the Trump-backed Freedom 250 event, the rapper said he is “just an entertainer” and that it’s not fair for him or other entertainers to “get wrapped up in politics and stuff.”
“I think people take everything too seriously. We should all enjoy this concert, this celebration of our country, and come together. Music is all about bringing people together,” he said. “Music brings people together, that’s what music is all about.”
While he chose not to drop out, he did not blame other artists for choosing not to perform at the concert, saying, “They have their own reasons, they live in different places, their situations are different,” but said they were “honored” to be able to celebrate their homeland.
