{"id":3158,"date":"2026-06-28T09:06:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T09:06:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3158"},"modified":"2026-06-28T09:06:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T09:06:56","slug":"aaron-lewis-speaks-out-after-record-label-uses-his-album-as-packing-paper-for-taylor-swift-merch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3158","title":{"rendered":"Aaron Lewis speaks out after record label uses his album as packing paper for Taylor Swift merch"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Taylor Swift\u2019s latest merch drop left country artist Aaron Lewis stunned after pages from his upcoming album turned up shredded as packing material inside fans\u2019 orders.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cOh look, there\u2019s my new album, that hasn\u2019t even been released yet, shredded as packaging paper in Taylor Swift merch,\u201d the Staind frontman wrote on X on Thursday. \u201cAin\u2019t that some s\u2014.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lewis was responding to a fan\u2019s unboxing video, which showed the fan, confused, piecing together shredded paper that revealed the cover of Lewis\u2019 unreleased record \u201cGive Me Back My Country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fans who ordered Swift\u2019s new \u201cI Knew It, I Knew You\u201d CD collection initially thought the shredded pages contained hidden Swift lyrics.<\/p>\n

Instead, Swifties on social media realized the paper featured lyrics, artwork and album pages from Lewis\u2019 upcoming album, which isn\u2019t due out until July 17 through Big Machine Label Group, Swift\u2019s former label, with the merch handled by Universal Music Group.<\/p>\n

Lewis said he first learned about the mix-up from his team because he doesn\u2019t use social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have any social media. I didn\u2019t have it when I was younger. It\u2019s never felt important to me,\u201d he told USA Today.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never even had a MySpace. So I don\u2019t see anything of that type of stuff. And when this was brought to me, I was just like, \u2018What is going on? This is just weird.’\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cCountry Boy\u201d singer said he couldn\u2019t believe fans had received pieces of an album that hasn\u2019t even hit stores yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the cover to my brand new record that hasn\u2019t even been put out yet,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs artists, we put our trust in the distribution companies to get our material way up front and trust that they\u2019ll be responsible with what it is that we give them.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Lewis, whose music has become more conservative since his early nu-metal years in Staind,<\/strong> said he has no explanation for how the album materials wound up as packing filler.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how this happened,\u201d he admitted. \u201cI hate to think it\u2019s malicious, but at the same time, I don\u2019t know that it\u2019s not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t even put the record out yet,\u201d he continued. \u201cIt\u2019s not like it\u2019s old stuff that was just sitting around that they decided to make packing material out of. It\u2019s my new record. I just don\u2019t understand how something like that can happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lewis previously met Swift during a Nashville event in 2016 when they were both affiliated with Big Machine and said he doesn\u2019t blame the Grammy winner for the packaging mistake.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe live in two very, very different worlds. And she\u2019s such a huge star that her world doesn\u2019t intertwine with anyone\u2019s worlds,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI certainly wouldn\u2019t be trying to bring her into this or blame her for anything. It just so happens that it was my record cover in her gift box for her fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also insisted he isn\u2019t looking to capitalize on the attention surrounding the mishap.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want people to think that this was an opportunity to promote my new record,\u201d Lewis said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand how a shredded-up copy of my new record\u2019s art ended up in a Taylor Swift gift box for her fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Aaron Lewis was stunned after Taylor Swift\u2019s \u201cI Knew It, I Knew You\u201d CD merch shipped with shredded pages from his unreleased album “Give Me Back My Country.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-page-swift"],"yoast_head":"\nAaron Lewis speaks out after record label uses his album as packing paper for Taylor Swift merch - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3158\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Aaron Lewis speaks out after record label uses his album as packing paper for Taylor Swift merch - 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