Lee Brice is one of a few artists facing backlash for participating in Turning Point USA’s halftime show, which the conservative Christian organization hosted as an alternative to Bad Bunny‘s official Super Bowl program, but according to the country artist, he didn’t mean any harm.
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While calling in to the Big D and Bubba radio program on Friday (Feb. 20), Brice clarified his intentions and performance in the widely criticized TPUSA event titled the “All-American Halftime Show.” “I was never out to hurt anyone … and I didn’t say anything that did that,” he said in response to critics.
“I said something on stage for one time. I said, ‘Guys, this wasn’t meant for that,’” continued the musician, who shares three children with wife Sara. “‘This is just me being a daddy and just saying my truth, just like everyone else has their truth.’ So here we go.”
After performing his 2014 song “Drinking Class” at Turning Point USA’s event, the musician commented directly to the audience and mentioned the group’s polarizing late founder, Charlie Kirk, before he dove into his new song, “Country Nowadays.” He was the only performer that evening to mention Kirk, saying at the time, “Charlie gave people microphones so they could say what’s on their minds. This is what’s on mine.”
The new song about the struggles of “being country in this country these days,” according to the lyrics, also includes lines that some listeners consider divisive, such as “I just want to cut my grass, feed my dogs, and wear my boots/ Not turn the TV on, sit and watch the evening news/ Be told if I tell my own daughter that little boys ain’t little girls/ I’d be up the creek in hot water in this ‘cancel your a–‘ world.”
Brice also spoke on the radio program about the new track — which was officially released Feb. 20 — and how some viewers of the “All-American Halftime Show” misheard one of his lyrics, which includes the line, “I just wanna catch my fish,” but a few people thought he’d said “I just wanna kiss my fish.”
But the South Carolina native is choosing to embrace the confusion and has a line of “Kiss My Fish” hats coming to his merch store soon, he shared on the show.
The TPUSA alt-halftime show aired on the group’s YouTube channel between halves of this year’s Super Bowl on Feb. 8 at the same time as Benito’s performance. The former was pre-taped and drew in about 6.1 million concurrent viewers, while the Puerto Rican superstar performed live on the field at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., and had an estimated 128.2 million viewers.
Also on the “All-American” bill were Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert and Gabby Barrett.
Watch Brice’s interview above.
