Chris Young Directs Emotional Video for ‘Drowning,’ Written About Loss of Close Friend

Chris Young is making his directorial debut with the video for his current single, “Drowning.” The song, which Young co-wrote, was inspired by the loss of his close friend, Adam Carnes. Young teamed up with famed video director Jeff Johnson to bring the story of the song to life

“I’ve been so amazed at the reaction to this song,” shared Young. “I wrote it with two friends as a moment of healing and had no idea it would touch so many people before it was even chosen as a single. The video, combining so many personal moments alongside a live performance, totally embodies that and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.”

Young filmed the video in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, at his first headlining show in the city since the Route 91 Harvest Festival. Fans were asked to light up their phones during his performance, in honor of the victims and survivors of the tragic shooting.

Young previously opened up to PopCulture.com about the song, which he performed one night at the Grand Ole Opry, but was unable to finish due to his emotions.

“There’s a song called ‘Drowning’ on there,” Young told PopCulture.com, speaking of his upcoming Raised on Country album. “When I sang it on the Opry, it’s about a friend of mine that passed away. I’ve never really written anything like that before. I’ve been fine every single time that I’ve sung it, until that night. I just came apart as I got to the second verse. I was like, ‘Oh man. I’m gonna cry.’ And I did. And so I turned around to reset, and then everybody stood up and started clapping. We just played the rest of the song out. But it’s an incredibly powerful song.”

Young hasn’t announced a release date yet for Raised on Country, but he does promise that the album, his eighth, will be a mix of light-hearted and serious, but all personal to him.

“There’s a lot of fun stuff,” said Young. “There’s a lot of light stuff on there. And there’s a lot of stuff I just haven’t written about or cut songs about. I think this record is really, really special … I just think this album is really something that’s going to blow people away. I’m really, really proud of it. That’s the hallmark for me. We got done, and I listened to everything top to bottom, and I was like, ‘This is what I wanted to make.’”

Young is currently on his Raised on Country Tour. Find dates by visiting his website.

Photo Credit: Getty images / Rick Diamond