Stephen Wilson Jr. does it again.
Father’s Day is right around the corner, and while for most, that means spending time with family and celebrating the heroic dads we have, it has a different meaning for others. It’s a day of grieving, no longer being able to create memories with fathers who left this earth too soon.
As someone who knows the feeling of losing their hero too soon, Stephen Wilson Jr. released an emotion-filled music video for “Grief Is Only Love.”
Last year, Wilson Jr. released his debut album, søn of dad, which is a letter detailing the love, loss, and grieving process he has gone through after he unexpectedly lost his father. The love letter to his hero was hands down one of my favorite albums of 2023 and is indeed a masterpiece.
Today, ahead of Father’s Day, Wilson Jr. released a heartfelt music video detailing the story of his own life and the memories he holds close of his father before getting the phone call that it was time to say goodbye. The highly emotional video shows the heartbreak of only being able to say goodbye to his father over the phone, where his father’s final words to him were:
“‘Write a good song for me,’ and then he said, ‘I love you’ four times.”
Wilson recalled. The video highlights the moment with gut-wrenching detail as the character playing Wilson Jr. feels a rollercoaster of emotions, knowing that his father is no longer here, and the numbness you feel right after you lose someone you love. The video, directed by Stephen Kinigopoulos and Alexa Stone, cinematically details living, loving, and losing.
To accompany the video release, Stephen Wilson Jr. penned an emotional poem that accompanies the heartfelt lyrics.
“Brevity is a theme and life is only brief
grief is only love and love is only grief
the gravity of this epiphany
from a life’s mission to what seems like to the moon
Standing proud with my sad flag in a dune of a cratered heart
Unable to tell between the
two at times
One plus one equals
through at times. Learning.
Trying to understand & accept that I won’t understand
Whilst accepting that letting go is perhaps the best heavy hand. Learning.
Life down here is a line far from straight
And this song was a gift to help lighten up the weight…”
You will feel an array of emotions watching this video, but wow, it’s beautiful in the same breath.
Stephen Wilson Jr. Tour Dates:
6/13: Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live! Outdoor Amphitheater *
6/14: Buffalo, NY – Terminal B at The Outer Harbor *
6/15: Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheater *
6/20: Mack, CO – Country Jam Colorado
6/21: Colorado Springs, CO – Black Sheep – SOLD OUT
6/22: Fort Collins, CO – Aggie Theater
6/27: LaFayette, NY – Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards Summer Concert Series *
6/28: Newark, NJ – New Jersey Performing Arts Center – Prudential Hall *
6/29: Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica *
7/6: Madison, IN – Roostertail Music Festival
7/8: London, UK – Royal Albert Hall %
7/10: Paris, FR – Casino de Paris %
7/11: Ostende, BE – Kursaal Oostende %
7/20: Grand Rapids, MI – The Stache at The Intersection
7/21: Brooklyn, MI – Faster Horses Festival
7/25: Three Forks, MT – Headwaters Country Jam
8/1: Detroit Lakes, MN – WE Fest
9/1: Weston, CO – Caveman Music Festival
9/13: Pryor, OK – Born & Raised Festival
9/28: Memphis, TN – Autozone Park #
10/24: Birmingham, UK – O2 Institute
10/25: Newcastle, UK – Think Tank
10/26: Glasgow, UK – King Tut’s
10/27: Manchester, UK – The Deaf Institute
10/29: London, UK – Oslo
10/30: Cardiff, UK – The Globe
11/1: Amsterdam, NL – Melkweg Upstairs
11/2: Groningen, NL – Take Root Festival
11/4: Köln, DE – Club Volta
11/5: Berlin, DE – Passionskirche
* – with Brothers Osborne
% – with Joss Stone
# – with Miranda Lambert
