Jason Aldean, the country music singer who is facing continuing criticism for his track “Try That in a Small Town,” has scored a major win through increased social media popularity.

Aldean, 46, appears to have benefitted from the furor over his controversial song—which compares city life to small-town lifestyles—with a notable boost in followers on Instagram and Twitter in recent days. He has also used his sizable online audience to defend himself from critics, some of whom have accused him of releasing a “pro-lynching” song.

Musician Aldean unveiled the music video for his song, which includes the lyrics that if somebody “cross[es] that line,” to “cuss out a cop, spit in his face” or “stomp on the flag and light it up,” to “try that in a small town.”

Jason Aldean is pictured on April 28, 2019 in Indio, California. The country music singer has scored a major win on social media, amid a backlash over his controversial new track, “Try That in a… KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES FOR STAGECOACH

Expressing a reluctance to part ways with firearms, he goes on to sing: “Got a gun that my granddad gave me. They say one day they’re gonna round up/ Well, that s*** might fly in the city, good luck.”

The track and its accompanying video have sparked a spirited debate on social media. On Twitter, one detractor branded it “very scary,” while a supporter said that the song depicted how Americans “are sick and tired of the crimes, criminals, violence, repeat offenders, liberal DA, 2A assault, defund the police BS.”

As the discussion continues, it would appear that Aldean is enjoying something of a popularity boost—at least as far as social media is concerned.

Figures provided by Social Blade show that up to July 12, Aldean had been losing up to 500+ Instagram followers per day. Things sharply turned around on July 13, when he gained 309 followers, starting a new positive trend.

On July 19, Aldean gained 11,933 new followers, while the first few hours of July 20 has already seen his biggest boost of all over the past few days, with a 48,646 increase. As of press time, his follower count on the image-sharing platform stood at 4.1 million.

This uptick in popularity has also been reflected on Twitter, where, like Instagram, Aldean had previously been shedding followers—860 accounts unfollowed him on July 14. The turnaround on the platform came on July 17, when 352 accounts followed him, whichstarting a trend that saw him gain instead of lose.

Within the first few hours of July 20, Aldean had already gained 61,773 followers, bringing his Twitter tally, as of press time, up to 3.7 million.