Video: Stephen Wilson Jr. Shares Video for 'Grief is Only Love' In Honor of His Late Father

The rising star Stephen Wilson Jr. has 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 a highly intense and emotional video that pulls from his experience of living with, loving, and ultimately losing his father unexpectedly. Similar to the main character in the video, Stephen raced to be by his father’s 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.  

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. 

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

Photo Credit: Acacia Evans

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