The world of country music is currently mired in controversy, with Garth Brooks and John Rich weighing in on Bud Light’s controversial decision to partner with Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender activist and TikTok star.
Fans and artists alike have taken sides for and against the company, but for country star Tyler Farr, the whole thing has been blown a little out of proportion.
“I mean, that doesn’t offend me at all,” Farr told Fox News Digital when asked about Brooks recent comments. “I live out in the country. I kind of mind my own damn business. I think more people should mind their own damn business, to be completely honest, the world would be a hell of a lot better place.”
“If people want to drink Bud Light, go ahead. I don’t drink beer anyway, so it really doesn’t affect me,” he said with a laugh. “But it is kind of like the last couple of years in our society has just been just full of silly s—, just a bunch of silly stuff. Just nonsense.”
He continued, “Why are we using beer cans to make a statement? I don’t care if you’re a guy and want to be a girl. If you’re a girl and want to be a guy. If you’re homosexual… I do not care. I do what I do, and people do what they do. And as long as they don’t try to push it on my family, my kid, and affect their own God given decision, then I don’t have any problem with it.”
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Tyler Farr told Fox News Digital he thinks “more people should mind their own damn business” when it comes to things like the recent Bud Light controversy. (Dominik Bindl)
Garth Brooks admitted he would carry every kind of beer at his new Nashville bar. (Suzanne Cordeiro)
To Farr, the reactions from people across the board have been a little much.
“I just think it gets kind of silly when people are trying to make huge statements… on a beer can, and I think people get a little too involved in it, too. Like [on] social media just gets kind of like, okay, guys, come on. If you don’t want to drink it, don’t drink it. Drink Miller Lite. If you do, great, don’t care.”
As Farr noted, he has strong country roots that he’s never been shy about celebrating.
In his newest single, “Rednecks Like Me,” also the title track off his newest EP, out July 14, Farr declares he’s “Country to the bone/From my hat down to my boots.”
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“The song also really, if you listen to all the lyrics, it’s about who I am as a person, what I believe in, and also that, you know, there’s rednecks everywhere,” Farr said.
Throughout his career, Farr has embraced the “redneck” label. One of his first singles was titled, “Redneck Crazy,” and he’s had other hits like “Better in Boots,” “Only Truck in Town” and “Soundtrack to a Small Town Sundown” that celebrate country life.
Tyler Farr’s new EP, “Rednecks Like Me” features songs paying tribute to his country roots. (BBR Music Group)
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“Redneck to me means if you’re a blue collar, working man,” Farr said. “And that’s I think it probably came from. If you think about it, red on the neck. So, I think it defines a man’s man that, you know, don’t take any s— and don’t care what the new fad is. He’s going to do what he wants to do and don’t care what people think of them. And that’s kind of what redneck means to me.”
He continued, “It’s the people I hang out with now where I live, you know, they’re not in the music industry. They’re just good old boys and, and you know, sometimes we do some redneck s—. I mean… it happens sometimes. There’s gonna be some tannerite getting blown up or, you know, sometimes you might drink one too many beers or ten and decide we want to go grab some catfish. It’s just about the lifestyle for me.”
The Missouri-born singer and songwriter also collaborated with country icon Jason Aldean on the album, which includes the song “Country as S—” with country rapper Jelly Roll.
“That was a fun one for me and Jason, because we had never worked with Jelly Roll, and he just… blew us was away with his talent, and he’s just a great person,” Farr said. “I became friends with Jelly a few years ago. He’s just super talented, so that was cool. And it was I think a perfect song for him to be on just because he’s kind of like me doesn’t have much of a filter. So he didn’t mind that I said s— in it, which I didn’t figure he would, but I knew he impressed Jason a lot.”
Jason Aldean and Tyler Farr performing together in 2014. (Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Country Thunder USA)
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Jelly Roll is featured on Tyler Farr’s song “Country as S–t” with Jason Aldean. (Getty Images)
The “Rednecks Like Me” EP is one of Farr’s more personal projects, one where he could be clear about who he is as a musician and a person.
“It’s my first project that I wrote all the songs that were on it, [which is a] pretty important big deal for me because of that,” he said.
The song “Rednecks Like Me” not only speaks about who he is but has “kind of a little shout out to our military,” the 39-year-old said.
In the song, Farr sings, “I’m red, white, and blue/How about you?” and sings, “It’s in my roots to take a stand/’Cause freedom isn’t free.” He’s set to perform in the coming weeks at several military bases around the world including Germany, and has played others in the past in Japan, Italy and Spain.
The album also includes songs more personal to him, like the one dedicated to his daughter, Hollis.
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“I hope they just get me,” he said of the album. “It really kind of makes up who I am.”
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Part of Farr’s background that may surprise fans is his classical training as an opera singer, which he began in seventh grade, and which earned him a vocal performance scholarship to college.
Farr said it was his mom who got him into voice lessons, although he wasn’t excited about the classical nature initially.
“I liked to sing R&B and rap and country and rock and stuff,” he recalled. “But I did it and once I started doing it, I liked it and singing’s the one thing that’s always just came easy to me. So once I realized I was good at it and it was fun, it just kind of grew on me.”
Farr found that the training has helped him maintain his voice while touring and remains in the back of his mind when he’s performing.
“It’s just it’s a whole different type of singing than what I do on stage now. I did it for so long I can probably… bust into a classical song. It definitely help[s] my vocal range, my vocal control, and stuff like that because it’s just very intricate.”
Tyler Farr credits his classical opera vocal training with helping maintain his voice on the road. (Tim Mosenfelder)
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He did joke that his noticeably gravelly speaking voice might not indicate all the training he’s had.
“I know you can’t tell because of this voice, but this voice is a product of singing in honky tonks for the last 15 years,” he said with a laugh.
The “A Guy Walks into a Bar” singer is happy to continue entertaining fans and celebrating the country lifestyle.
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“The good thing about country fans, that I like, which makes them country fans, is they’re just good folks,” Farr said. “I mean, they’re down to earth people for the most part, and they’re extremely loyal. And I do the same stuff they do. So that’s why I write songs like I write, and I think that’s what makes you good country fans, country fans.”