The son of a live sound engineer, Sanford native Aslan Freeman (left) has worked with dozens of professional musicians as a producer, songwriter, engineer and musician in Nashville. Freeman is also the band leader for Grammy Award-winning country artist Lainey Wilson.
Sanford musician talks about his journey as band leader for megastar Lainey Wilson and their Best Country Album Grammy Award for ‘Bell Bottom Country’
By Gordon Anderson | gordon@rantnc.com
The ripples that come from something like a Grammy award win are felt in a lot of places. In the case of Lainey Wilson’s “Bell Bottom Country,” which won the Grammy for Best Country Album on Feb. 4, that list of places includes Sanford, North Carolina.
That’s because of Sanford native Aslan Freeman, who has been Wilson’s band leader for the last several years. As Wilson’s star has risen — her accomplishments since 2020 alone are almost too long to list, but they include appearances at famed venues like the Grand Old Opry in Nashville, on Jimmy Kimmel Live and most recently at the CMA Awards — so has Freeman’s. The 2007 graduate of Lee County High School recently spoke to The Rant about the Grammy win, sharing some details about the process and what the honor feels like.
“I was out with friends in Greensboro for the first time in many, many years. We were at a brewery catching up, and all the sudden a bunch of our phones started blowing up with people saying Lainey had won,” Freeman said. “I’d like to think I’m more of a realist than a pessimist, but I yet again did not expect it at all, and it was a totally surreal evening from there.
“We’ve been feeling like there’s more and more people from other genres starting to explore or rediscover an appreciation for country music, but at a big all-genre show like the Grammys, it’s still easy to feel like a bit of a red-headed stepchild in the country category. So even if you’re killing it in your genre, it’s hard to know what the rest of the industry’s impression of you truly is, and vice versa. But I am of course so grateful again to have an acknowledgement that something I was lucky enough to be a part of is enjoying so much appreciation and support from so many people.”
Of course, the Grammy isn’t the only accolade Wilson and “Bell Bottom Country” have earned. Wilson was named entertainer of the year and female vocalist of the year at the American Country Music Awards in November, and “Bell Bottom Country” won album of the year there as well.
“It was really intense, feeling like the overwhelming amount of travel and work and performing we’d all been doing was being recognized and appreciated for what it was,” he said of those recognitions.
“There’s been a lot of opinions that it’s ‘too soon’ or ‘she’s just an opener’ but that award is about overall impact on the industry and the world during the course of the year, and I think there’s more than enough evidence in her — and our — favor that our work made a significant impact.”
“Bell Bottom Country” was released in October 2022. Freeman said it’s the second consecutive record he and Wilson have made with Producer Jay Joyce at Neon Cross Studio. Having worked in the same environment once already, Freeman said he felt more at ease with the process than he had in the past.
“Starting was still fraught with pressure and anxiety for me personally, but it also felt nice having been there before and not feeling so much like I needed to either stay out of the way or prove I should be allowed in the room,” he said. “I should follow that by saying that everyone who has worked on these albums has been very welcoming and supportive and given me no reason to feel that way outside of my own insecurities. Still, I’m happy to let the truly seasoned veterans take the lead and gladly spend most of my time in these sessions with an acoustic guitar in my hands just trying to add a little color.”
Freeman said he’s “the wrong person to ask” if anything has changed with regards to the band’s career and future.
“My general mentality is to stay focused on the work,” he said. “The awards are of course an honor and meaningful sign of recognition from others, but it’s not why any of us do this, at least in our little corner of the world. Basically every achievement we’ve had has been handled in the same fashion – celebrate for an evening, or a day, or a weekend if we have time, and then get on to whatever the next show is, the next song to write, the next recording session.
“I remember when ‘Things A Man Oughta Know’ finally went to No. 1 at country radio, we surprised Lainey in the green room after our set with a little cake, champagne and some decorations, and then packed up and headed to the next show. At one point I asked her, ‘Well, you got your first number one; what’s next?’ and she said something to the effect of, ‘I wanna get three in a year.’ I laughed and shook my head because that seemed like an awesome goal, but pretty hard to reach, and then that’s exactly what happened.
“So I just don’t really doubt anything she says anymore, if she wants to do it she’ll find a way, and no matter what goal she achieves tomorrow she’ll find another one to chase down.”