Chase Rice Explains the Moving Story Behind His 'Bench Seat' Music Video: Go Behind-the-Scenes of the Shoot

"My buddy was in a really dark place – to the point where he was ready to end his own life. When he told me what stopped him it stopped me in my tracks: his dog came and laid his head on his lap, and that connection saved him," the country star said in a statement. "I wanted to shine a light on the topic of mental health because this is something that makes way too many people feel alone and especially when addiction becomes part of the picture, one bad moment can have horrible consequences. I personally know how hard it can be to ask for help when you need it, but I hope this helps start a few more conversations."

Evan DeStefano

We shot this music video over the course of two days outside Nashville to accompany my favorite song that I've ever released. For the first time in my career, I could envision the whole video as I was writing the song.

I wanted to use it to shine a light on the topic of mental health because it's something that makes way too many people feel alone. It's definitely a heavy, dark video, but hopefully it's one that inspires some important conversations.

Evan DeStefano

The funeral scene was the first thing we shot for the entire music video, so it really set the stage for how emotional this was going to be. Because the song is really personal to me, we included a lot of little details that are personal to my life — like the Carolina Blue casket as a nod to my time at UNC which, I'll be honest, was hard to see.

Evan DeStefano

My dog, Jack (on the right), was one of the stars of this video and this song is the reason I have him. A dog saved my best friend's life when he was in a really dark place, and now Jack has blessed mine more than I ever thought he could. This song and video are based on that story.

Evan DeStefano

For this video, I worked with Kaiser Cunningham who also directed most of my recent projects — the one-take "Way Down Yonder" video, the video travelogue for "Key West & Colorado" and the vintage rodeo "I Hate Cowboys" video which hopefully shows you that the song title couldn't be further from the truth!

Evan DeStefano

Lauren Whistle played the role of my girlfriend in the video, and she did an incredible job of bringing the emotional story to life. Little man Axl Taylor played the role of my son, who was named Danny — after my dad who passed away when I was in college — and whose picture is the cover of my new album coming out in February.

Evan DeStefano

The last scene of the video shows my character seeing the life he would have had if he had been able to overcome his struggles. Instead, you see that the little boy is now wearing the hat that his dad wore during happier times and he's watching him grow up from Heaven. This scene represents what I hope people take away from the video — that when you're in a dark place, heavy moments can feel really overwhelming and like you have no other choice. But you are not alone and there is help out there. You can get to the other side and be there for the happy times like this.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.