New England native, Aaron Lewis, may be best known for his work as lead singer of the rock group Staind. However, over the years, he’s blazed his own path as a solo country artist selling out shows across the country- especially up here in New England.
And as he readies for TWO SOLD OUT shows at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom tomorrow and Friday, he has a new single that is set to be sent to country radio in the coming week. The song, titled ‘Am I The Only One,’ can be labeled as patriotic, prideful, edgy and controversial. It touches on statutes being removed in towns across the country and burning of flags as he wonders what is going on in the country.
Let’s face it- Aaron has never been scared to have his voice heard and be outspoken whether that’s at one of his shows on stage or in his music. He’s an extremely proud person and not one to let his voice by muted and he’s definitely not allowing that with this song. You can hear Aaron’s raw emotions in his voice in this song which amplifies his message. There’s no over-the-top production on this single which also makes the song that much more powerful. It’s just Aaron, his guitar, and his message.
Personally, I am not sure where country radio will stand on the single because of the political-ness of the song- much of country radio tends to veer from anything with that edge. But radio support has never deterred Aaron from having success as a country artist. This song will resonate with his fans and it appears it already has as it currently sits at both Number 1 (explicit version) and Number 4 on the all-genre iTunes charts. ‘Am I The Only One’ also debuted at Number One at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart- the ninth to ever accomplish that. I can almost guarantee that this song will be used heavily on the popular social media platform TikTok for Americans who agree with Aaron’s message.
One blogger has called the song heinous and asked why Scott Borchetta, head of Big Machine Label Group, decided to put label support behind the song. It’s clear that Borchetta supports the First Amendment, including in his artists’ music. And it is pretty refreshing to see someone so respected in the music business supporting his artists’ beliefs rather than hushing them and forcing them into a box that fits their brand. But at the end of the day, Borchetta and his label’s decision to release the song have paid off as the aforementioned iTunes chart success back their decision. Units are being purchased at a high rate.
“Let it be a wake up call to reps and dems alike – be loud and be heard!” Borchetta said. “It woke you up. It inspired you to make a statement. It worked. And it’s working. It’s inspiring conversation.”
We made a statement about this song with this post- so it’s definitely working.
If you love Aaron Lewis and share his political beliefs, you will undoubtedly love this song. If you don’t share his beliefs, well you probably won’t, but that’s okay- we’re allowed to have different opinions. That’s what makes this country a beautiful place. Whether or not country radio backs ‘Am I The Only One’ is yet to be seen but either way this song will go down as one of Aaron’s must successful songs as a country artist.