Jennifer Nettles’ new song is more than just a song.
The country singer-songwriter will release the official music video for last month’s “I Can Do Hard Things” on Friday. Nettles, 44, is using the promotion to speak about something that is very important to her: community. She also wrote a piece for Medium.
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“This song took on a life quickly and unexpectedly. For me, in writing it, I was just writing my own Truth and story. But what I have come to see is that so many women share this Truth and that inspired me to make an invitation,” she said in a press release from Big Machine Records. “This video is an invitation to a community; the beginning of a beautiful tapestry of women sharing their stories of doing hard things.”
“This kind of community is both sword and shield. When you share your own story, you own your power. And when you own your power, it is harder for someone to take it from you. When you share in community, you protect each other’s power and that makes it even harder for someone to take it from you,” she continued. “Owning your power is a shield that says, ‘You can’t take this from me!’ Holding your sister’s power is a sword in front of her that says, ‘Don’t even THINK about trying to take this from her!'”
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Nettles released a PSA video featuring a small representation of real women and the stories of “hard things.” The women in the video include an advocate for the transgender community, a photographer who is adopting a baby as a single mom, a graduate research assistant who cares for her disabled mother, and more.
You can listen to “I Can Do Hard Things” below.