Jenna Paulette Recruits the Love of Her Life to Star in Heartbreaking Video for 'You Ain't No Cowboy' (Exclusive)

“I was talking about video ideas and he said, ‘Well, how about we tell the story of how I got sober?'” the country artist recalls of her partner Ross.

Jenna Paulette was desperately searching for the right cowboy to star in the music video for her song “Midnight Cowboy” back in 2019 when she finally found the love of her life.

“We had only just met, but we immediately started talking about how we both wanted to start cattle businesses in our grandfather’s name,” recalls Paulette of her love Ross. “It was just a bond that I think is impossible to forget.”

Little did she know that Ross had gotten sober just months before the conversation that would ultimately change their lives.

“I just really think one of the most amazing things you can conquer in life is to say no to addiction, especially if you have an addictive personality, because it’s really in your blood,” Paulette says of the former professional bull rider’s past struggles. “It’s not something that’s easy to do.”

Jenna Paulette. Nick Swift

So when it came time to shoot the music video for Paulette’s current single, “You Ain’t No Cowboy,” Paulette told PEOPLE she began to wonder if Ross could tell his own story of redemption in it.

“I was talking to Ross about video ideas, and he said, ‘Well, how about we tell the story of how I got sober?'” Paulette recalls. “It just brought tears to my eyes. That was the only thing that could have made this thing mean more to someone.”

Indeed, while the lyrics of “You Ain’t No Cowboy” are about the true definition of a true cowboy, the music video tells a far deeper story.

“I think the struggle in the farming community is the fact that we can give it our all and it can still be drought,” notes Paulette, herself a longtime rancher with her family, working cattle on their large property in Thackerville, Oklahoma.

“All those calves can get sick and die. There’s so much that’s not up to us. And then you add any kind of addiction to that, and that just compounds the problem. And then you have a family with an inheritance that depends on you to pass it on to the next generation, and the pressure is enormous.”

Jenna Paulette.

Wes Walker

After all, the music video for “You Ain’t No Cowboy” was shot in West Texas on the ranch Ross previously managed and delved deep into his own story.

“I didn’t feel like the first clip of the video was clear enough that Ross was struggling with suicidal thoughts,” Paulette says of the heart-stopping five-minute music video directed by Quinton Cook, which encourages conversations about mental health among farmworkers.

“That’s when we partnered with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Hotline and the Texas Department of Agriculture. I thought people should know that it’s possible for [sobriety] last. That sobriety isn’t just a three-week thing. It can be a five-year thing, a ten-year thing and a lifetime thing.”

Jenna Paulette.

Wes Walker

Jenna Paulette Authentically Describes Heartbreak in ‘Pretty Ugly’ Video: ‘Sometimes Things Can Be Both’

The music video also put Paulette’s own cowboy in situations he hadn’t been in for a long time. “He was in a really tough space all day,” says Paulette. “He kept saying, ‘I haven’t held a can of beer in so long.’ It’s something he used to be so used to.”

He replaced the liquid in that beer bottle with Topo Chico. “He drinks that every day now,” Paulette tells PEOPLE.

Ross.

Wes Walker

Seeing her love so very vulnerable was something that still melts Paulette’s heart. “He felt that part of his calling in life was simply to be true to himself,” she says. “Nobody says, ‘I’m perfect.’ It’s not someone who says, ‘I don’t struggle with it anymore,’ because he does. But someone still sticks with it and finds his reason. I know what a struggle it is for him on a daily basis.”

And for the record, if you’re going to wear a cowboy hat around Paulette, you better mean it.

“Being a cowboy is a job just like anything else,” concludes Paulette, who performs the national anthem at this year’s National Finals Rodeo on Wednesday.

“There’s a cowboy code. You take off your hat and pray, and if you say you’ll be there at 6:00 a.m., you’re there at 5:50 a.m. and your horse is saddled and you’re ready to go before the boss says it’s time to we ride out. People don’t realize the standards we hold ourselves to when we wear that cowboy hat.”

Jenna Paulette.

Wes Walker

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Line by dialing 988, texting “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Line at 741741 or going to 988lifeline.org.

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Source: HIS Education