Michael Ray has already released “Whiskey and Rain” from his upcoming third studio album, but fans will get another taste of his next record this Friday, with the release of “Picture.” The song, written by Ray, along with HARDY and David Garcia, was inspired by a loss in Ray’s own family.
“We wrote ‘Picture’ the day of my Uncle Terry’s viewing,” Ray said of his new song. “The night before, my buddy and I were going through photos and he said, ‘Isn’t it wild how, no matter what you do in your life, we’ll all just end up being pictures that somebody who loves us holds onto?’ I wrote that down at three in the morning, and I decided not to cancel my write the next day with my friends Michael Hardy and David Garcia. I came in with this idea and I told them, ‘I think we have something special here.’”
Ray was brutally honest in the lyrics in “Picture,” about his own grief over the loss of his beloved uncle.
“I wanted it to write it very autobiographically,” Ray acknowledged. “This last year has made me so appreciative of the people who can just sit still with me, reflect and reminisce. It’s one of my favorite things about growing up in the South, and I hope we never lose that. ”
Ray might have written “Picture” during a sad time in his own life, but he insists the song is anything but sorrowful.
“I hope that when people hear this song, it’s not something that brings sadness,” Ray said. “It’s something that brings joy. I hope it serves as a reminder that it’s okay to slow down and be present, because you’ll never regret the time to take to be with family and friends. I hope listeners can go back to pictures and relive good times with loved ones that maybe have passed, but I also hope it reminds them to capture those memories, in the moment, while they can.”
Ray recently teased the song and video on social media as well.
I hope this song brings y'all joy and serves as a reminder that it’s okay to slow down and be present… because you’ll never regret the time you take to be with family and friends. "Picture" is out Friday. Pre-save it now: https://t.co/yXBjG1S2gB pic.twitter.com/760dtTfvbm
— Michael Ray (@Michaelraymusic) May 3, 2021
“I hope this song brings y’all joy and serves as a reminder that it’s okay to slow down and be present… because you’ll never regret the time you take to be with family and friends,” he tweeted.
Ray previously said that he will write some of the songs on his still-untitled next record, and while they will be personal, they won’t be about his recent divorce from Carly Pearce.
“There’s things that — obviously people can go back and forth, and I could say this, and she could say that, but that ain’t my game,” Ray told New Country 93.1. “Trying to throw shade on anybody else is not my thing.”
Pre-save “Picture” here.
Read 11 Things to Know About Michael Ray here.