Ty Herndon Stands Up for LGBTQ+ Kids in ‘So Small’ Video
This is so, so powerful!
Country singer and social activist Ty Herndon sends out a message of love and acceptance for young people in the LGBTQ+ community in his new video for “So Small,” a heartfelt cover of the classic Carrie Underwood hit.
Featuring members of the Nashville-based Rainbow Squad — a group dedicated to providing safe spaces and support resources for LGBTQ+ kids — the clip was directed and edited by Joshua Britt and Neilson Hubbard. It finds Herndon serenading the squad in full rainbow face paint, using his soulful, gospel-influenced vocal to push back against the stigma they encounter each day. The star behind ’90s hits like “What Mattered Most” and “Living In a Moment,” Herndon is member of the LGBTQ+ community himself, so the project is an especially meaningful one.
“It is my true passion to work with LGBTQ kids,” Herndon says in a statement. “I have the honor of working with some of the best organizations in [the] country, and we all share a determination to see the suicide rate go down with kids. I knew I had to do something special with The Rainbow Squad, and I wanted to spotlight their amazing hearts and faces. The message in ‘So Small’ was perfect. The video represents the joy these kids have in their hearts; their stories and challenges are all different, but together the love and strength they share with each other is unbreakable.
“All of their parents showed up for the video shoot, it was a very loving and emotional day for them,” Herndon continues. “As I hugged one of the moms, she held my face and said ‘Please tell them to love their kids, no matter what. It’s the most important thing you will ever do.’”
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Underwood praised Herndon’s cover of the song, writing, “When artists write & sing songs, we hope people will be able to relate to them…to find themselves in the lyrics. When another ARTIST relates so much that they want to sing it, too, it makes the song mean even more! I love this,” she concluded, tagging Herndon in her tweet.
Herndon’s version of “So Small” appears on his newly released album, Got it Covered, and the hit maker has also partnered with The Trevor Project, the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ young people under 25. For every follow to his Got it Covered Spotify playlist, Herndon’s foundation — The Concert for Love and Acceptance — will donate $1 to The Trevor Project.
