Before you press play, dare yourself not to cry. Chris Stapleton released yesterday his video for “Fire Away,” and the visual is both stunning and saddening, a heart-wrenching four and a half minutes that call attention to the importance of mental health. Shot by Tim Mattia and starring Ben Foster and Margarita Levieva, the video features Stapleton only in a brief cameo, letting the story serve as the focal point.
“Fire Away,” which appears on Stapleton’s Grammy and CMA Award-winning solo debut Traveller, brings the emotionally charged song to new thematic depths in the visual. The video in particular seeks to draw awareness to The Campaign to Change Direction (www.changedirection.org), an organization brought to Stapleton’s attention by Foster. Levieva demonstrates the Five Signs of emotional suffering in the video: change in personality, agitation, withdrawal, decline in personal care, and hopelessness.