Aaron Lewis has responded after a Taylor Swift fan found his upcoming album being used as shredded packaging for the pop star’s merch.
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In a social media post, the Staind frontman responded to a Swift fan’s unboxing video that showed her piecing together bits of shredded paper that, when put back together, made up the cover of Lewis’s unreleased album, ‘Give Me Back My Country’.
“Oh look, there’s my new album, that hasn’t even been released yet, shredded as packaging paper in Taylor Swift merch,” Lewis wrote on X/Twitter. “Ain’t that some shit.”
Fans who ordered the CD collection for Swift’s new track ‘I Knew It, I Knew You‘ for the Toy Story 5 soundtrack took to social media to show that the merchandise arrived wrapped in paper that featured lyrics, art, and album pages from Lewis’s album, which is due out July 17.
Because of her penchant for leaving fans Easter eggs to decode, some thought it was a deliberate move from the ‘Midnights’ singer, although it remains unclear why exactly his album materials were used.
Oh look, there’s my new album, that hasn’t even been released yet, shredded as packaging paper in Taylor Swift merch. Ain’t that some shit. pic.twitter.com/77KhZ1ziI2
— Aaron Lewis (@Aaronlewismusic) June 25, 2026
His record is being released through Big Machine Label Group, which is Swift’s former label, while the merchandise is being handled by Universal Music Group.
Lewis – who started out in alt rock outfit Staind but has since become more well known for his pro-Trump, politically conservative country tracks – has since spoken to USA Today about the situation.
“I don’t have any social media. I didn’t have it when I was younger. It’s never felt important to me,” he told the publication. “I never even had a MySpace. So I don’t see anything of that type of stuff. And when this was brought to me, I was just like, ‘What is going on? This is just weird.’”
Lewis went on to say he was not happy about the mix-up. “That’s the cover to my brand new record that hasn’t even been put out yet. As artists, we put our trust in the distribution companies to get our material way up front and trust that they’ll be responsible with what it is that we give them.”
He added that he is not blaming Swift for the incident, saying: “We live in two very, very different worlds. And she’s such a huge star that her world doesn’t intertwine with anyone’s worlds. I certainly wouldn’t 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.”
@taylorswift13 and I are 13 twins… pic.twitter.com/uVieknmRMR
— Aaron Lewis (@Aaronlewismusic) September 18, 2016
As noted by Stereogum, Swift was once pictured alongside Lewis at Nashville’s Music City & Wine Festival, pointing out his 13 neck tattoo, which is famously her lucky number.
That being said, it’s looking unlikely that he’ll be invited to her wedding. Over the weekend, however, reports emerged claiming that her longtime friend Stevie Nicks is rumoured to be performing.
