Michael Ray Channels Parents’ Divorce in ‘Her World or Mine’ Video

Deeply personal clip stars One Tree Hill actor Chad Michael Murray.

Written by Chris Parton
Michael Ray Channels Parents’ Divorce in ‘Her World or Mine’ Video
Michael Ray; Photo Credit: Jeff Nelson

Michael Ray taps into real-life torment in the emotional video for his current single, “Her World or Mine,” enlisting One Tree Hill star Chad Michael Murray for a deeply personal role.

Directed by Daniel Carberry and Keenan O’Reilly, the profound clip puts artistic spin on the struggle of Ray’s childhood, which included a tumultuous divorce and the death of a beloved grandmother. Ray’s whole family is depicted in the video, with Murray portraying his father.

“I wanted to tell the story of my parents’ divorce and that part of my life – the confusion and the fact that it wasn’t easy for a while,” Ray explains. “And losing my grandparents was a massive hit, not only to me, but my whole family.”

Ray and Murray first met at the CMT Awards four years ago, and Murray says he was touched by the poignant song — all about the wildly divergent paths taken by a couple after they break up.

“Watching the song play and seeing everybody react and seeing them go through their own honest memories is trippy. It’s really fun to watch,” Murray says of the impactful clip. “It’s so relatable and it deals with so many issues that everybody’s going through. You’re going to see so many people come up to you and say, ‘That’s my song.’ And it will be for different reasons because they went through different trials and tribulations to get them there. That’s what’s cool about it.”

Ray says it was this period of his life which ultimately pushed him toward country music, and that’s part of why he decided to tell the story in such dramatic fashion.

“When my parents were going through their divorce is when my grandfather started teaching me guitar chords – it was my outlet,” the “One That Got Away” hit maker says. “It was my way to get away from all the hell and chaos that was going on.”

“Her World or Mine” is part of Ray’s sophomore album, Amos, and luckily his “world” is much brighter these days. On October 6, he and fellow country star Carly Pearce were married in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, and the fall leg of his CMT On Tour: Presents Michael Ray Nineteen Tour kicks off October 17 in Greensboro, North Carolina, with Jimmie Allen and Walker County.