Jason Aldean just released his latest Songs About Us album. The 20-track record, Jason’s 12th, marks a career first for him, since it includes a duet with his wife, Brittany Aldean. Brittany is a talented singer, even competing on Season 11 of American Idol in 2012.  But on Songs About Us, the two sing “Easier Gone” together, marking their first official duet.

Jason is, understandably, a proud husband. But with more than two decades as part of country music, he admits he was also a little wary about having Brittany join him on a song, but not at all because he was worried about her vocal abilities.

“I thought the song turned out great,” Jason tells Taste of Country Nights. “But as a husband of hers, I want to be a little protective. I’m used to hearing people talk crap or whatever. Some people like it. Some people are never gonna like us, so they talk sh– or whatever.”

“With her, it’s like, you kind of want to protect that a little bit,” he adds. “But on the flip side of it, she’s a pretty strong chick too.”

With a dozen records to his credit, Jason is well aware that not everyone will like his music, with or without his wife singing with him.

“I do this a lot,” Jason says. “We drop albums or drop songs, and I read comments about whatever. Some people love it, some people hate it. I’m just saying my music in general, not that song in particular.”

The Story Behind “Easier Gone” by Jason Aldean and Brittany Aldean

Jason and Brittany have been married since 2015, so most people likely expected a love song. Instead, “Easier Gone,”  written by Charles Kelley, Dave Haywood, and Jimmy Robbins, is song about heartbreak, one that Jason says actually makes perfect sense.

“It was something we’ve always talked about,” Jason tells Fox News. “It’d be cool to do this if the right song came along, that was always my thing. Because I always feel like the song has to come in. And then you kind of figure out who goes on it versus going, ‘Hey, let’s you and I do a song.'”

“And a lot of times, I feel like with husbands and wives doing songs, it could go one of two ways. It’s either really cheesy or it could be cool,” he continues. “I’ve seen it both ways. So, I wanted to be really selective about what we did and for it to still be kind of on brand with me and my music and what I do.”

When discussing the song, Jason admits he wasn’t sure it would work with his wife singing on it.

“I feel like sometimes when husbands and wives do things, it can be cool or not cool,” Jason says in a video shared on social media. “And I actually told her in the studio, I said, ‘Listen, we’re gonna try this out. We have this really cool song that I thought would be amazing.'”

Although Brittany is grateful to sing with her husband, the mother of two reveals it wasn’t something she was dying to do.

“People have always asked if we were ever going to do anything,” Brittany says, “And I think we were kind of nonchalant about it for a long time. Jason always said it would have to be the right song. Finally, one came along.”