Remaining independent: Country singer Aaron Watson finds new spark in writing, readies new album

It’s been a minute since Aaron Watson played shows in the Northeast and Southern part of the United States.

“It’s refreshing,” Watson says during a recent interview. “The crowds have been good and it’s been fun.”

The country singer never stops working. He’s currently on “The Armadillo Dance Hall Tour,” which makes a stop at The Liberty Inc. in Roswell on Friday, Feb. 23. Opening for the tour is Jenna Paulette.

“Jenna did a song with me on my most recent album, ‘Cover Girl,’ ” Watson says. “She’s doing amazing things with music.”

Watson says the 16-date tour is the “calm before the storm.”

Aaron Watson finds success in being an independent artist

“I’m getting ready to put out a new album and I think it’s the best album that I’ve put out,” Watson says. “It’s fun to be able to say that. I’m fired up for new music. I tell my family and team that the first 25 years of my career was just the warm up.”

Watson has chosen to remain an independent artist during his career. This has allowed him to grow and make music the way he feels is right.

“It took me a while to figure out who I am,” he says. “I’ve grown into my style and it’s who I am. I tell a lot of new artists to take their time in finding who they are. There’s the talent and it has to be real. You can’t mock someone else’s style. The more you practice, a style will come out of it. I have conversations with my son and daughter who are now starting their own journey in music. I tell them to put in the time and hard work and they’ll get there.”

Watson says some of the new songs will be played on the tour, as the show is revamped.

“We try to keep the set open enough for new things,” he says. “We have little gaps where we can take requests. There are plenty of medleys with songs that have similar meanings. It’s rough to go through more than 20 years of music and make a cohesive set that has a great flow to it. I have to think about tempo. There has to be peaks and valleys to the show.”

Watson knows that the fans have made his journey a fun one.

“Being independent has kept my focus on the fans,” he says. “I’ve been doing music for so long that I’ve never been keen on awards. I cherish the relationships I’ve built with fans over the years. As a songwriter, the music is making a difference in people’s lives. There are people that are hurting and music is therapeutic. I’m happy to be making art that helps others at various times in their lives, just as music of others does for me. It’s a beautiful art form.”