Credit: Acacia Evans
June 13, 2024: Today, the rising star Stephen Wilson Jr. released a poignant official video for “Grief is Only Love,” an emotional centerpiece to his critically-acclaimed debut double album søn of dad out now via Big Loud Records. At its core, søn of dad is a tribute to Stephen Wilson Sr., and was released on September 15, 2023, five years to the day that his father passed away.
The official video, directed by Stephen Kinigopoulos and Alexa Stone, channels Stephen Wilson Jr.’s life story into an highly intense and emotional video that pulls from his experience of living, loving, and ultimately losing his father unexpectedly. Similar to the main character in the video, Stephen raced to be by his fathers side in his final moments and was forced to say goodbye to him in his car on an iPhone 8 in the middle of Kentucky. “His last words to me were ‘Write a good song for me’ and then he said, ‘I love you’ four times,” he reflects.
Watch the official video for “Grief is Only Love.”
Stephen Wilson Jr. shared a poem to accompany the video’s release:
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
Following a completely sold out debut headline tour, tours with The Cadillac Three and HARDY, and his Stagecoach debut earlier this year, Stephen Wilson Jr. is currently in the midst of a tour supporting Brothers Osborne and a handful of summer festivals. In July, Stephen will head to Europe for a run of dates supporting Joss Stone, including Royal Albert Hall on July 8, and a date supporting Miranda Lambert in Memphis on September 28.
This Saturday, June 15, Stephen will make his UK television debut with a performance on Later… with Jools Holland. Earlier this year, he made his television debut on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers with a raucous performance of his viral hit “Cuckoo” and performed “Year To Be Young 1994” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s #LateShowMeMusic series. Wilson Jr.’s 22-song opus was one of the most acclaimed albums of 2023, appeared on year-end lists from Rolling Stone, Whiskey Riff, Wide Open Country, Billboard, and Grady Smith, as well as the #1 album of the year in both Holler and All Country News.
Acclaim for søn of dad:
“The most existential release of the year goes to relative newcomer Stephen Wilson Jr….if you listen closely, you’ll hear the work of a master craftsman versed in all manners of pop music.”
– Rolling Stone
“…the next iconoclastic leader of country’s rock revival.”
– The Tennessean
“Throughout the album, Wilson Jr. offers the kind of nuanced storytelling that has helped make stars of artists like Eric Church and Chris Stapleton, and he has the vocal prowess to back it up. An extremely promising debut.” – Billboard
“…the album ultimately feels like a declaration of creative independence — intriguing and insightful at all levels.” – Nashville Scene
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 Amphiteater *
6/20: Mack, CO – Country Jam Colorado
6/21: Colorado Springs, CO – Black Sheep – SOLD OUT
6/22: Fort Collins, CO – Agge 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
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