Jason Aldean hasn't gotten this far by selling out. The award-winning country singer has had his ups and downs, but one thing hasn't changed -- he's always true to himself.

In a recent interview with CMT, Aldean thought back to his early days as a country singer. The '1994' hitmaker started out with a different record label than he's working with now, but he was dropped after refusing to change his image.

"I was signed to another deal at one point, and they wanted me to take the cowboy hat off and wanted me to change what I was comfortable doing," the singer recalls.

After leaving that label, Aldean promised himself that he would always do things his way from that point on.

"When I got dropped [from the previous label], I made a promise to myself," Aldean says. "From then on out, I was gonna do things my way. And if it didn't work, at least it didn't work on my terms. If I was any other way, I don't think it would've worked out this way. It's always been about me singing about things and recording songs about things I can relate to. I'm a pretty normal guy, and there are a lot of people out there like me. They like to hunt and fish and hang out with their friends and drink beer and have a good time."

To Aldean, the cowboy hat isn't just about style -- it's about who he is. And he wasn't interested in compromising just for the sake of a record deal.

In the end, everything worked out for the 'Night Train' singer. He signed to Broken Bow Records, and he's remained with the label through five albums and 13 years.

"I just feel like what's gotten me to this point is doing things the way I've always done them," the star shares. "I'm a very loyal guy, and my team has helped me get to this point, and I don't really see any reason to change anything. These guys have my best interests at heart, and that's the kind of people I want to surround myself with."

Not only is Aldean serious about staying true to his image, he doesn't plan on changing his musical style, either. While he appreciates Kenny Chesney's beach-themed country rock, he doesn't picture himself going that route anytime soon. He dishes: "I mean, I love the beach, but I don't see that ever being my niche."

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