Ruston Kelly Wonders About His Legacy in ‘Brave’ [LISTEN]

Ruston Kelly's "Brave" is a statement of strength over demons. The singer-songwriter debuted the reflective new track on Monday (April 13); press play above to listen.

"Who am I will be remembered when I die? What will I leave behind?" Kelly opens. "My mama called me brave in my weakest time," he continues, adding later, "I already lost some years to addiction and the fear that I was worthless."

"That I stood by every promise that I made / That I tried my best at selflessness / Never took more than I gave / And I didn't give up to the darkness / I fought with all my might / And I never took for granted all the love in my life," Kelly sings in the chorus of "Brave." "That's how I hope I'm remembered when I die."

In a press release, Kelly calls "Brave" "a sword song." He explains, "Writing it made me feel armed to face my lesser self. Because becoming a better version of myself requires taking account of the painful missteps along the way and fighting the anguish of facing them."

The goal, Kelly adds, is "to ultimately (and hopefully) come out better than I was before. Taller and stronger."

"This is the highest achievement a human being can hope for," he concludes. "Everything else is secondary."

The "Brave" music video features footage from Kelly's Ryman Auditorium performance in early March, along with photos and video from throughout Kelly's life. He's dedicating the clip to his mom.

Kelly, who is married to country star Kacey Musgraves, has battled addiction and alcoholism. The kernel idea for his 2018 debut album, Dying Star, in fact, arrived in early 2016, after an overdose.

"It was as if I had already heard this record before," Kelly explained to The Boot in 2018, "and I just needed to catch up to it and make it."

"Brave" is Kelly's first release since 2019's Dirt Emo, Vol. 1 covers EP.

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