Brad Paisley Says 'Son of the Mountains' Release Is 'Edgy,' May 'Get a Little Flack' for New Music (Exclusive)

Brad Paisley knows his new music may ruffle some feathers.

The country singer, 51, opened up to PEOPLE at the Music Saves L.A. event on Wednesday night about how he might "get a little flack" for his new music.

"There's some edgy parts of this," he said of his forthcoming album Son of the Mountains. "I mean, some of the songs go down easier than others. Only four are out right now, but the rest will come."

Referring to "Same Here," Paisley said it was "attention grabbing" and "caused people to do a double take" because it featured Ukranian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and "dealt with the ways we are the same."

Paisley added that his "favorite" song that he's ever written is "The Medicine Will," which focuses on "the real negative of the opioid crisis."

"Sometimes you write something that's more important than you know as a writer. And I am amazed that what we wrote is something that works as a song, because it's more of, it's more of a Nightline report," he said. "So, it's been exciting to believe so much in these things and know that I'm gonna get a little flack, and I'm ready for that when it comes."

The "She's Everything" singer explained that he's always had a somewhat edgy approach to his career, referencing his album American Saturday Night that "got a little bit of flack and also a largely positive reception."

"'Welcome to the Future' was written about a lot of progress we've made as a country all the way through Obama's election and reflecting on the fact that here we are with the first African American president, and trying to celebrate the fact that that seemed inconceivable just years earlier to that," he said of the 2009 track from American Saturday Night.

Paisley continued: "As you can imagine, it rubbed a few people the wrong way, but when you believe something, and when you're proud of something, I think, [it's] very important to sing it and say it."

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For Paisley, "it's not enough to play it safe" with his music.

The "Whiskey Lullaby" musician released a four-song teaser from his forthcoming album titled The First Four Songs EP. His album Son of the Mountains is due in 2024.