Singer-songwriter and part-time nurse Megan Palmer has a story of strength of tell in the music video for her new song "Stetson." While the single's lyrics are universal enough to be interpreted in myriad ways, the clip -- premiering today on The Boot -- shows viewers exactly what it means to its writer.
Palmer was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016, and her new "Stetson" video chronicles her time fighting -- and surviving -- the disease. Photographer and director Stacie Huckeba weaves together pre-chemotherapy stills of Palmer with footage shot about halfway through her battle, as well as with video captured after Palmer was declared cancer-free and back onstage. Huckeba and Palmer didn't have a plan for what they were capturing while Palmer was fighting cancer, but after she recorded "Stetson," they decided it would make the perfect accompaniment.
I was moved to do it to support Megan, and I’m so grateful for the outcome," Huckeba reflects. "It seemed right to celebrate her victory and make something we could share with others.”
"So many hats sittin' at the table / Cover my head with one at a time / Which one do I wear for this occasion? / I want you to think I'm feelin' fine ..." Palmer sings to open "Stetson." The song, she explains, imagines "a ‘perfect’ hat as a way to keep me in my body, perhaps more metaphysically than physically." Karl Derfler produced the track.
For the release of "Stetson," Palmer and Blue Rose Music, the artist collective and charitable organization through which she is releasing the single, have partnered with Gilda's Club of Middle Tennessee. Proceeds from the song and Palmer's official "Stetson" T-shirt will benefit the community organization, which helps people with cancer and their loved ones.
The Ohio-born Palmer found her way to Nashville via New York City. She's friends with Americana stars including Aaron Lee Tasjan and Margo Price, and is working on a new album now that she's beaten cancer. Readers can visit MeganPalmer.com to learn more.