Will Dempsey is honoring his 7-year-old son, Weston, with the release of his new song, “The Man You See In Me.” After teasing the song for weeks on TikTok and other social media platform, the fast-rising country star officially released the tune on Friday, March 8.
Listen To Will Dempsey “The Man You See In Me” Below
Produced by Matt McQueen at Gem City Studios, “The Man You See In Me” was solely penned by Will Dempsey and finds the Louisiana native singing about the life-changing moment when he became a father and the impact that it had on his life.
The tune also finds Dempsey showcasing his desire to be the best dad possible and striving to be a positive role model for his son, with hopes that it will set a good example and create a lasting impact on his son’s life.
“And I hope you love with all you got/ Never try to be something you’re not/ Always a fighter, dreamer, survivor/ Heart full of fire/ Look ’em in their eyes/ When you shake their hand/ Sir and mam/ Understand God’s got a plan for you/ And I hope you grow up to be/ The man you see in me,” Dempsey sings on the song’s chorus.
The Story Behind “The Man You See In Me” In Will Dempsey’s Own Words
Will Dempsey recently opened up about the track with Music Mayhem. “I knew this song would have to be different from the one I wrote for my daughter,” referencing his viral hit, “Best Parts Of Me,” a song that he wrote for his daughter that put him on the map. “Raising a son and raising a daughter can be two very different things. I know that my job as his father is to be a good role model for him, to teach him how to be a good man, and to help him grow to be a strong, confident, and independent person.”
He continued to explain, “I wanted this song to be more of a guide for him to listen to if anything were to ever happen to me, and I wasn’t around to teach him these things. It’s very hard to fit all of these lessons into a 4-minute song, which is why it took me so long to write it. He may not understand everything about the song right now, but one day he will, and that’s what matters most to me.”
Dempsey added, “I feel like the most important job for a father is to teach his son how to be a good man. And in today’s world, that can be pretty tough sometimes. So I thought about everything I would want him to know if anything ever happened to me, and I wasn’t around to tell him while he was growing up. I feel like this song does just that.”
Song Took Dempsey Years To Write
Ever since Dempsey released the song he wrote for his daughter, he knew he wanted to release a song that honored his son too. “He would always ask me when his was coming, but I had gotten so busy with trying to juggle a growing music business, a full-time job, and a family that I couldn’t find a lot of time to write. And I didn’t want to rush this one.”
RELATED: Will Dempsey Honors Late Friends Audrey & Caleb With Heart-Wrenching New Song, “Beat You There”
The tune took him several years to write as he was balancing family life with his full-time career as well as his newfound musical success, and he wanted to be sure the song was well-written.
“I started writing this song over 2 years ago and came up with the title, ‘The Man You See in Me’ almost immediately. He would always say how he wants to be just like me when he grows up and to do the things that I do… like he only sees the good in me and thinks that I do everything right. I think most little boys look at their fathers this way, and I wanted to capture that in his song. It took a while for me to build the rest of the song around that idea, and to find a way to bring it full circle. I didn’t want to take any shortcuts and just put out a song with a good hook. So I took my time with it and finally finished writing it and was able to get it recorded in the studio last summer.”
Will Dempsey Shares His Son Weston’s Reaction To The Song
The 37-year-old singer/songwriter recently took to TikTok to share a video capturing his son’s reaction to the song. Will Dempsey pretended that he needed his son’s assistance in setting up a camera, but in reality, he was filming his son’s genuine reaction to the song he had written for him. Weston, unaware that he was about to listen to the song his father had written, appeared in the clip seated on a brown leather couch, making funny faces.
“What’s something that you’ve been asking me for, for a long time?” Dempsey asked his son in the clip. Weston promptly replied to Dempsey, saying, “I don’t know… a dirt bike?” Dempsey then revealed to his son that he had completed the song he had written for him and was ready for him to hear it.
A giggly Weston then listened to the song with a big smile on his face and danced along to the tune and told Dempsey that song was “very good.”
We asked Will Dempsey about his son’s reaction to the song, and he admitted, “Let’s just say it’s much different than my daughters, lol! He’s a typical boy and can’t stay still for very long. But he loves the song and is always excited to tell people about it!”
RELATED: Will Dempsey Talks “Moments Into Memories,” TikTok Success, How His Family Inspires His Music & More
Full Circle Moment For The Louisiana Native And His son
The song serves as a full-circle moment for Will Dempsey and his son, Weston, as the “Best Parts Of Me” singer first went viral in May 2019 when Dempsey’s wife Tiffany shared a clip of him and his son (who was just 2 years old at the time) having a moment together singing a cover of Luke Combs’ “Beautiful Crazy.”
The video quickly went viral at the time and amassed tens of millions of views, and prompted Dempsey to launch a career in country music after viewers praised his vocal talent.
“This is most definitely a full circle moment. My son is the reason that this whole music thing started for me. Before that video of us singing “Beautiful Crazy,” I was relatively unknown,” Dempsey continued to tell Music Mayhem. “Playing music is not something that I did publicly. Even some of the people that I worked with and interacted with on a daily basis had no idea that I could play guitar and sing. So I’m happy that I’m able to give him something like this because he changed all of our lives forever.”
Since sharing that precious moment he had with his son Weston, Will Dempsey has found quite an amount of success and is actively pursuing a career in Country music. He has released several original songs, including his viral hit “Best Parts Of Me,” as well as “Moments into Memories,” “Beat You There,” “Mississippi Mud” and more.
First Went Viral With “Best Parts Of Me”
Will Dempsey also went viral with the release of his first-ever original song, “Best Parts Of Me,” which was a song that he wrote for his daughter, Isabella.
He released the song in January 2020, but it wasn’t till a month later when Dempsey shared a clip of his daughter’s emotional reaction to the song when the song really took on new heights of success. The viral clip caught the attention of Oprah Magazine, as well as a number of high-profile celebrities, including actor Channing Tatum, Mario Lopez and UFC President Dana White. The song also earned Dempsey millions of streams, launched his career in music in a big way, and even his debut on national television with a performance and interview on the TODAY Show.
Additionally, the singer often releases covers of hit songs on his YouTube channel, some of which have gone on to become fan-favorites including Hootie & The Blowfish’s “Let Her Cry,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man,” Luke Combs’ “Beautiful Crazy” and more.
You can keep up to date with Will Dempsey by following him on Facebook and Instagram.
