Aaron Lewis’new album, Give back my countrywon’t be available until next month, but it’s already starting to make the rounds — in the form of packaging material for Taylor Swift goods.
Earlier this week, TikTok creator Christa Jo (@heartwasglassidroppedit) posted a unboxing video for CDs featuring Swift’s new single “I Knew It, I Knew You,” which is featured in Toy Story 5. As she rifles through the recycled packaging, she finds what appears to be an “entire music book” for Lewis’ new album, complete with lyrics. The material is shredded, but Lewis’s face against the background of the American flag is unmistakable.
Lewis reposted the video and addressed the packaging issue on Thursday. “Oh look there’s my new album not even out yet shredded like wrapping paper in Taylor Swift merch,” Lewis wrote on social media. “Isn’t that shit.”
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Lewis told USA today he learned about the packing incident from his team, but he doesn’t know why it happened. “I don’t have social media. I didn’t when I was younger. It never felt important to me,” he said. “I’ve never had a MySpace myself. So I don’t see any of that stuff. And when it was brought up to me, I was just like, ‘What’s going on? This is just weird.'”
He added: “I don’t know how this happened. I hate to think it’s malicious, but at the same time I don’t know it’s not.”
Loudwire has reached out to Big Machine Records and Swift’s team for comment.
What to expect from Aaron Lewis’ ‘Give My Country Back’
Lewis will release Give back my country on July 17 via Big Machine Label Group — incidentally, the label that signed Swift as its first artist and released the pop superstar’s first six albums. The album is preceded by two singles so far: the defiantly pro-MAGA title track and the acoustic ballad “The Door”.
The Staind The frontman previously praised Big Machine for standing by him amid the backlash over his 2021 conservative anthem “Am I the Only One,” even though he and label boss Scott Borchetta didn’t see eye to eye.
“There was a complete call for my cancellation when I released ‘Am I The Only One,'” Lewis said on Devin Nunes Podcast in 2024. “I’m very blessed in the sense that even though my label president Scott Borchetta doesn’t agree with us at all, he believes in free speech and freedom of expression, and he’s the president of a record label — that’s creativity, that’s freedom of expression.”
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