01of 06Evan DeStefanoWe shot this music video over the course of two days outside Nashville to accompany my favorite song that I’ve ever released. For the first time in my career, I could envisionthe whole videoas I was writing the song.I wanted to use it to shine a light on the topic of mental health because it’s something that makes way too many people feel alone. It’s definitely a heavy, dark video, but hopefully it’s one that inspires some important conversations.
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Evan DeStefano
We shot this music video over the course of two days outside Nashville to accompany my favorite song that I’ve ever released. For the first time in my career, I could envisionthe whole videoas I was writing the song.
I wanted to use it to shine a light on the topic of mental health because it’s something that makes way too many people feel alone. It’s definitely a heavy, dark video, but hopefully it’s one that inspires some important conversations.
02of 06Evan DeStefanoThe funeral scene was the first thing we shot forthe entire music video, so it really set the stage for how emotional this was going to be. Because the song is really personal to me, we included a lot of little details that are personal to my life — like the Carolina Blue casket as a nod to my time at UNC which, I’ll be honest, was hard to see.
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The funeral scene was the first thing we shot forthe entire music video, so it really set the stage for how emotional this was going to be. Because the song is really personal to me, we included a lot of little details that are personal to my life — like the Carolina Blue casket as a nod to my time at UNC which, I’ll be honest, was hard to see.
03of 06Evan DeStefanoMy dog, Jack (on the right), was one of the stars of this video and this song is the reason I have him. A dog saved my best friend’s life when he was in a really dark place, and now Jack has blessed mine more than I ever thought he could. This song and video are based on that story.
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My dog, Jack (on the right), was one of the stars of this video and this song is the reason I have him. A dog saved my best friend’s life when he was in a really dark place, and now Jack has blessed mine more than I ever thought he could. This song and video are based on that story.
04of 06Evan DeStefanoFor this video, I worked with Kaiser Cunningham who also directed most of my recent projects — the one-take “Way Down Yonder"video, thevideo traveloguefor “Key West & Colorado” and thevintage rodeo “I Hate Cowboys” videowhich hopefully shows you that the song title couldn’t be further from the truth!
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For this video, I worked with Kaiser Cunningham who also directed most of my recent projects — the one-take “Way Down Yonder"video, thevideo traveloguefor “Key West & Colorado” and thevintage rodeo “I Hate Cowboys” videowhich hopefully shows you that the song title couldn’t be further from the truth!
05of 06Evan DeStefanoLauren Whistle played the role of my girlfriend in the video, and she did an incredible job of bringing the emotional story to life. Little man Axl Taylor played the role of my son, who was named Danny — aftermy dad who passed away when I was in college— and whose picture is the cover ofmy new albumcoming out in February.
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Lauren Whistle played the role of my girlfriend in the video, and she did an incredible job of bringing the emotional story to life. Little man Axl Taylor played the role of my son, who was named Danny — aftermy dad who passed away when I was in college— and whose picture is the cover ofmy new albumcoming out in February.
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The last scene of the video shows my character seeing the life he would have had if he had been able to overcome his struggles. Instead, you see that the little boy is now wearing the hat that his dad wore during happier times and he’s watching him grow up from Heaven. This scene represents what I hope peopletake away from the video— that when you’re in a dark place, heavy moments can feel really overwhelming and like you have no other choice. But you are not alone and there is help out there. You can get to the other side and be there for the happy times like this.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
source: people.com
