Trace Cyrus Takes Aim at Jason Aldeans Try That in a Small Town: A Country Music Controversy

Billy Ray Cyrus's son, Trace Cyrus, has made headlines this week by publicly criticizing country star Jason Aldean's 2023 track, "Try That in a Small Town." The 36-year-old, who follows in his father's musical footsteps but leans more towards pop punk, didn't hold back in his Instagram video on June 22. In the video, Trace mocked the lyrics of the song, saying, "OK, bro, great job. You wrote a song, brother. Wow. Congratulations. Claps for you." He then suggested that instead of Aldean's song, radio stations should play his own track, "On the Run," which he described as "trash for real." Despite his strong words, Trace insisted he wasn't trying to tear Aldean down. "I'm not trying to completely destroy Jason Aldean's soul right now but no one wants to hear that on the radio," he said. "They are still putting this on country radio and nobody wants to hear it." Trace also took the opportunity to criticize Aldean's music video, pointing out that the country singer shut down Columbia's town square to shoot it while Trace shot his own video using an iPhone. "I literally had my girl shoot my video on my iPhone and then I edited it myself and my video is cooler than his stupid video," he said. Aldean's song and video caused backlash after its release for featuring protest clips and being filmed at a site linked to a 1927 lynching, which some say gives it threatening and racially charged undertones. Following the criticism, Aldean pushed back against accusations that his song was "pro-lynching," writing on X, "There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it. 'Try That In A Small Town,' for me, refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief." Although Aldean previously defended the song, he has not responded to Trace's recent comments. This story was originally reported by Parade on June 24, 2025.