Jason Aldean Lashes Out Against Bro-Country Label

As one of the leading male artists in country music, Jason Aldean is well aware of the stereotypes that go along with much of today's uptempo, rock-based party anthems. He was one of the first artists to be tagged with the label "bro-country," and but it seems like the Georgia native has finally had enough.

In an interview with Penn Live ahead of his concert at Hersheypark Stadium, Aldean was pretty blunt about his feelings.

"It bothers me because I don't feel like it's a compliment," the star says of being tagged as bro-country. "To me, it's sort of a backhanded thing that comes from a very narrow-minded listener, and I don't know who came up with that ridiculous term."

Music journalist Jody Rosen actually coined the term in an article in New York magazine in 2013, talking about the huge success of Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" and songs by Luke Bryan.

"If you would take a minute and look at my catalog of songs over the years, there are songs that, I guess, fit whatever the hell that description of 'bro-country' is, but at the same time we've got songs like 'Fly Over States' and 'The Truth' and 'Amarillo Sky,'" Aldean explains. "We've got songs that definitely have some meat on them and tell a great story. It's not all about trucks and girls and beer and whatever else they think it is."

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, that's exactly what bro-country is: "A sub-genre of country music sung by young white men, featuring songs with macho themes such as trucks, drinking and partying.”

Jason Aldean's Burn It Down tour featuring special guests Cole Swindell and Tyler Farr is underway now. It's scheduled to continue through Oct. 24.

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