Jason Aldean opened up about how the birth of his son, Memphis, helped him heal after the Las Vegas tragedy that left 58 people dead and nearly 500 others injured.
“It definitely took me a little time to wrap my head around it and I needed some down time to kind of step away from it for a little bit and get home, and one of the things that helped me, personally, was the birth of my son,” the “Dirt Road Anthem” singer, 40, said during an interview with SiriusXM’s The Highway on Friday, January 26. “That gave me a chance to focus on something else … Within a couple months I saw the worst thing you could possibly experience and then I saw the best thing you could possibly experience, with him being born.”
As previously reported, on October 1, Aldean was performing outside for a crowd of 22,000 people during the Route 91 Harvest music festival when his set was interrupted by the sound of automatic gunfire just after 10 p.m. local time. The country singer immediately ran backstage as concertgoers ducked for cover. Many people initially believed the sound was fireworks before realizing that it had actually been a gunman opening fire from the 32nd floor of the nearby Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. The gunman was later identified as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock. He was found dead in his hotel room.
Aldean and his wife, Brittany Kerr, welcomed their first child together on December 1.
“So blessed today to see my little man come into the world,” he captioned a pic of his newborn in the hospital at the time. “In a year that has been a rollercoaster ride, this is what its all about. I cant wait to see what life has in store for this kid. Memphis Aldean… 9lb 5 oz. #mamawasarockstar.”
The country crooner released his first single, “You Make It Easy,” since the tragedy, on Friday.
2018 is here and that means new music! Here is the first single from the new album 'Rearview Town,’ called “You Make It Easy.” Let us know what you think about it. https://t.co/9EfCsbkw9W pic.twitter.com/e2licxpotx
— Jason Aldean (@Jason_Aldean) January 26, 2018
“2018 is here and that means new music!” Aldean tweeted. “Here is the first single from the new album ‘Rearview Town,’ called ‘You Make It Easy.’ Let us know what you think about it.”