Stephen Wilson Jr. Reveals The Inspiration Behind ‘Stand By Me’ Cover And Why the Song Holds Such A Deep Meaning For Him [Exclusive]

Stephen Wilson Jr. is opening up about the deeply personal inspiration behind his cover of “Stand On Me,” a track that has resonated with fans and helped him honor the memory of his late father.

Earlier this year, the country artist dropped the deluxe edition of his critically acclaimed debut album, ‘Son of a Dad’ via big loud records, which included 10 acoustic tracks and two new songs – “I’m A Song” and a new rendition of “Stand By Me.” The latter has already been streamed more than tens of millions of times.

While hanging out with Country Now backstage of the CMA Awards, Stephen explained the project serves as a “testament” and a “monument” to his father, who he claims helped catalyze his career in music and acted as his biggest supporter.

“I grew up boxing. A boxing ring was my first stage, and that’s where I learned how to be in front of people. And he’s been training me in that way for a long time. But when the music stuff came along, when all this started, he passed away,” the singer/songwriter acknowledged with a heavy heart. “So he never got to see any of this stuff. So I’ve been trying to get it to him. I feel like music crosses the membrane and crosses the veil, and so really, I’ve just been trying to keep him alive this whole time.”

The classic tune, “Stand By Me,” first recorded by Ben E. King in 1961, also has deep roots in his childhood, as Stephen revealed he instantly felt a connection to it while watching a movie of the same name that’s based off a Stephen King book. After his father passed, Stephen began singing the song in his living room, and eventually, he naturally transformed it from a haunting tune into something more like a hymn. For him, it became a way to keep his father’s memory alive.

“It made him feel like a kid on my shoulders. And I’ve been back to what I said before, kind of chasing that feeling ever since. So it’s really wild that I’m playing it at the CMAs and it’s done what it’s done. It has wings that I can’t quite understand. My dad’s probably has a lot to do with that,” he shared.

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Stephen will get to put his rendition of the song on display for the world in a whole new way on Wednesday night when he performs it at the 2025 CMA Awards. Later that night, he will team up with Shaboozey to perform “Took A Walk,” another song inspired by a Stephen King movie.

“We also wrote that for a Stephen King movie called ‘The Long Walk,’ which was, by the way, his very first book he ever wrote. He wrote it as a 19-year-old boy at the University of Maine in his dorm room. So I don’t know. I’m Steven with a ‘PH’ so there’s a lot of weird parallels going on that I couldn’t have planned if I tried.”

Along with these performances, the rising star is celebrating the milestone of earning his first CMA nomination for New Artist of the Year. He is vying for the win alongside Ella Langley, Shaboozey, Zach Top and Tucker Wetmore.

“It’s a strong club to be part of that I’m very humbled and honored to be a part of,” he said of the recognition. “I couldn’t really quite believe it when they told me about it. I just kind of went and looked at a wall for 10 minutes and tried to process it.”

This honor is even more impressive considering the fact that Stephen Wilson Jr. didn’t start singing until about 10 years ago. Prior to that, his main goal in life was to write songs for other artists to sing.

“I quit my job as a scientist to be a songwriter, and songs are everything for me. I never dreamt I’d be a singer in this capacity, but sometimes your dreams out dream you, and that’s what’s happened,” the Indiana native explained.

Stephen Wilson Jr.’s upcoming appearance at the 59^th Annual CMA Awards is set to air this Wednesday when the show broadcasts live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Fans can tune into the event hosted by Lainey Wilson on at 8:00-11:00 PM/ET on ABC. It will also be available next day on Hulu.

The performance will take place amid his Son of a Dad tour.