To coincide with the opening weekend of CMT on Tour, Michael Ray is releasing an autobiographical music video, “Her World or Mine.”
The video is based on Ray’s experience as a child of divorce, with his entire family and himself as a child portrayed, as they navigate hard life changes and separation until the death of Ray’s grandmother brings them together.
“I wanted to tell the story of my parents’ divorce and that part of my life — the confusion and the fact that it wasn’t easy for a while. And losing my grandparents was a massive hit, not only to me, but my whole family,” he says.
Ray was raised in rural central Florida and was very close with his grandfather, who taught him how to play guitar.
“When my parents were going through their divorce is when my grandfather started teaching me guitar chords — it was my outlet. It was my way to get away from all the hell and chaos that was going on,” Ray says.
The new video features actor Chad Michael Murray in the role of Michael’s father. The two met at the CMT Awards four years ago and have been friends ever since.
“This song touched me. It’s my favorite, personally. Watching the song play and seeing everybody react and seeing them go through their own honest memories is trippy. It’s really fun to watch,” Murray says.
“It’s so relatable and it deals with so many issues that everybody’s going through,” he adds. “You’re going to see so many people come up to you and say, ‘That’s my song.’ And it will be for different reasons because they went through different trials and tribulations to get them there. That’s what’s cool about it.”
CMT on Tour, which also features Jimmie Allen and Walker County, launches today in Greensboro, North Carolina.
