Chris Stapleton and His Powerful Message About Mental Health

When Chris Stapleton released “Fire Away,” he wasn’t just giving us another country song; he was using his literal voice to send a powerful message about mental health. The Grammy-winning artist used his platform and influence to spotlight suicide prevention and challenge the stigma surrounding mental illness, and the challenges faced by others who were trying to seek professional help.  

His track is proof that sometimes the most important conversations don’t start in a health professional’s office; they start with an artist who is serious about their responsibility to shed light on serious social issues.    

From Stapleton’s Grammy-winning album Traveller, “Fire Away” is a song about loving someone through the worst of times. The accompanying music video perfectly captured the song’s message, even if Stapleton was initially resistant to the idea of creating a music video. He recalled that he was “putting it off and putting it off... finally, they kept asking enough, and I just spouted out basically the treatment for this video.”  

Stapleton added that he faced initial skepticism from his record label for his vision for the song and video of “the hardest possible space in which to love somebody.”   

The singer-songwriter also collaborated with ChangeDirection.org and the Campaign to Change Direction. Ben Foster, who acted in the video, introduced him to the mental health organization. Stapleton cameoed as a bartender. The video won the CMA Music Video of the Year award in November 2023. Stapleton also received the Agent of Change Award for his contributions to mental health awareness.   

Watch the video below.  

Stapleton’s vision for the music video entails a devoted husband trying to save his wife, who has several emotional episodes. The video begins with flashbacks of the couple during happier times: when they bought their house, when they moved in, laughing and dancing while settling in. Then it shifts to show the woman’s deteriorating mental health with crying and erratic behavior.  

During these trying times, the video uses a dark aesthetic to symbolize the darkness the wife was trying to fight, illustrating how mental health issues can cast a dark and heavy atmosphere over moments of happiness. In these difficult scenes, the husband can be seen being supportive and understanding, but also drowning in his helplessness, drinking at the bar. The final scene depicts the wife’s suicide and the man mourning the loss of his wife while holding her wedding ring.   

Stapleton partnered with the Campaign to Change Direction organization. Founded in 2005 by Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, the campaign’s mission is to change the culture of mental health in America. It garnered support from various cultural figures, including Ben Foster, Brian Wilson, and even former First Lady Michelle Obama.  

The video for “Fire Away” supports this initiative, and with celebrities and artists’ involvement, the culture around mental health discussions has significantly improved.  

Stapleton’s “Fire Away” demonstrates music’s power to address serious social issues. His song and video highlighted the importance of vulnerability and emotional openness in addressing mental health, how supporting loved ones through their darkest moments requires patience and understanding, and the ongoing need for mental health awareness and suicide prevention efforts.  

Visit ChangeDirection.org for more info.