A decade after self-releasing his eponymous debut album, country singer Michael Ray scored his biggest career hit with 2020’s “Whiskey and Rain.” Following a very public divorce from country star Carly Pearce that same year, Ray left Nashville behind for small-town life in Georgia. And recently, he received a rude awakening during a return excursion to Music City. And he did not hold back his feelings toward the city’s shifting landscape.
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Country Star Goes Off On “Low Life” Who Damaged His Truck
Taking to his Instagram Stories Sunday (Nov. 10), Michael Ray shared a photo of his damaged truck. The Eustis, Florida-born artist unleashed an accompanying tirade against a “new Nashville.” Ray (born Michael Ray Roach) claimed the city is “losing the respect and foundation” of its past.
“Scum bag f—ers who if I would have caught them would have had holes in them!” he wrote.
Ray, 36, continued to lament the fact he wasn’t able to confront the offenders, “cause there would have been a few left [sic] for others to worry about!”
“Welcome to Nashville,” he concluded, adding a middle finger emoji for emphasis.
This incident isn’t the first time Ray has expressed a preference for the Nashville of yesteryear. The “Think a Little Less” singer previously said he feels a responsibility to keep traditional country music alive.
[RELATED: Michael Ray Says ‘Get Her Back’ Video is a Nod to ’90s Country]
“I just feel like it’s part of our job,” he said. “To continue to shine a light when you can on the men and women who have paved the way for the rest of us. The men and women that inspired us.”
How Michael Ray Learned To Keep His “Redneck Side” In Check
During a 2023 interview with Taste of Country Nights, Michael Ray opened up about checking himself into a seven-day retreat following his divorce from Pearce.
“When people start telling lies and there’s bulls— going around, and I’m like, first off, you weren’t around for none of that … the redneck side of me goes, ‘I wanna hit everybody,’” Ray said.
He continued, “Man, what I’ve learned was there’s so much of my life that I make hard on myself, because you carry all the stuff you went through growing up and there is such thing as generational trauma … I did not realize that you carry that with you.”
Featured image by John D Shearer/Shutterstock
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