Michael Ray ‘Lived’ the Story of ‘Her World or Mine’

Ray related to the song on a whole other level.

Written by Cillea Houghton
Michael Ray ‘Lived’ the Story of ‘Her World or Mine’
Michael Ray performs at the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage on Friday, June 8 during the 2018 CMA Music Festival in downtown Nashville; Photo credit: Caitlin Harris / CMA

“Her World or Mine” is perhaps the rawest song Michael Ray has ever cut. More than just a hypothetical scenario, Ray lived the story of the song in real time when recording the emotional track.

Co-written by Ray’s friends Travis Denning, Brett Beavers and Jamie Paulin, “Her World or Mine” chronicles a breakup from two starkly different vantage points as one person moves on with their life while the other is wracked with grief. When Denning sent him the track, the country crooner was in awe of how much it connected to his own story. “I said ‘I don’t know if you’ve been following me around my house, but you nailed everything that I’ve been going through,'” Ray tells Sounds Like Nashville. “That’s a song that I lived.”

Ray was experiencing an unexpected breakup during the making of his current record Amos and while he was trying to channel his complicated emotions into lyrics, he couldn’t quite convey the sentiment of what he was feeling. “I wasn’t getting close to it. I don’t know if it was one of those things where it’s too close to home, I was too far into it,” he explains, adding that he was going through many professional changes in the midst of the breakup, along with managing a hectic touring schedule. “I think my mind was real cluttered in a lot of ways, but the songwriters in Nashville were writing my story better than I could write it at the time.”

The Florida-born singer also appreciates how the moving song captures the essence of country music with its honesty and ability to connect with a vast audience through a relatable message. “You really don’t know if it’s her or him or who it is in the whole situation, so it’s very easy for the listener to put their life in that situation,” he describes, revealing that fans have been sharing stories about how the song has impacted how they interact in their own relationships. “I think that’s what country music is, you’ve got to keep the core real and honest and make sure that the listener can put their own life in that situation and connect.”

Listen to “Her World Or Mine” on Ray’s new album Amos now.