Jenny Tolmanis saluting those who have served with a touching tribute.
Thecountryartist exclusively premieres themusic videofor her new song“Timbuktu”on PEOPLE on Friday in honor of Veterans Day on Nov. 11.
The moving visual tells the story of a young family as they work together through the husband’s deployment and his mental health upon returning home. As the couple appears as if they could be both in present day or the 1950s, and the video is interspersed with vintage footage of men and women heading off to war as loved ones say farewell, “Timbuktu” speaks to what decades of military families have persevered through.
Jenny Tolman.Hunter Berry
Hunter Berry
On the chorus, the singer-songwriter lulls, “Timbuktu where are you / beyond the hurt you’re going through / There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep from losing you / Timbuktu.”
Tolman shared a statement exclusively with PEOPLE about writing the song with country artistHolly McCubbinand herhusband,Dave Brainard, 48, who is a veteran himself. “When we (Dave Brainard, Holly McCubbin, and I) were writing this song, it started off with us just thinking that the couple was falling out of love. But as we got deeper into it, the song revealed itself to us, and that it wasn’t at all about falling out of love, but actually about a much deeper love — loving someone through their hard times.”
She continued, “My husband and co-writer on this song, Dave Brainard, is a veteran, and comes from a military family, where some have been deployed and have seen things that none of us could even imagine. So, he brought a very unique perspective to the writing room, and it felt like the song was taking us in the direction of a military wife loving her husband through PTSD.”
Jenny Tolman’s “Timbuktu” single artwork.Amy Richmond
Amy Richmond
“However, it was important to me that anyone could listen to this and relate, no matter what the circumstance they, or their loved one, are going through,” the “High Class White Trash” artist added. “But, with the video, I really wanted to honor the PTSD side of the story that came out when we were writing the song.”
Beyond releasing the song, Tolman is also partnering withOperation Stand Down Tennesseeto raise awareness and funds for their Operation Connect program, which offers outreach and support towards suicide prevention for veterans across Tennessee.
The “Married in a Honky Tonk” artist also opened up to PEOPLE about the partnership in a statement. “For Veterans Day, it is so important to me to show gratitude and honor the men and women who put us before themselves, and were willing to do whatever it took to keep us safe. I show my emotions best through music, so I hope that whoever hears this song can hear that someone loves them and values them,” she shared.
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The star added, “I am also very blessed to be taking part in this year’s Music City Cares Benefit Concert in Nashville on Nov. 11, which will be directly supporting OSDTN.”
source: people.com
