Sam Smith goes the rebellious route for the brand new video for his single “Lay Me Down” from his album In The Lonely Hour with emotional slow motion effects. The video took place at the parish church of St. Margaret, Lee on the outskirt of London. The video has stirred controversy for depicting a same-sex marriage ceremony in the church, but Smith had this to say about it on set filming for it:

“Obviously gay marriage isn’t legal in churches, and we’re doing a gay marriage today, in the church. We’re the first ever to do it. It’s obviously not a real marriage, but still,” Smith tells Rolling Stone from the set. “The priest just said to us, ‘We’re going against the rules by doing this today,’ which I thought was a lovely element in the video.”

Smith, who’s single ‘Stay With Me’ peaked at #2 on the Billboard 100, has had quite a year in music and personally. The star came out last year by announcing to the world that he was gay. Smith says the video shines light on issues the LGBT community faces and wrote the following on Facebook where the video was released:

Dear All, Here is the Link to the LAY ME DOWN music video. This song holds a very dear place in my heart. With this video myself and Ryan Hope the director have decided to make a statement and showcase something we passionately believe in. This video shows my dreams that one day gay men and women and transgendered men and women all over the world, like all our straight families and friends, will be able to get married under any roof, in any city, in any town, in any village, in any country. I hope you enjoy it. I love you all x

Watch ‘Lay Me Down’ above and give us your thoughts on the concept of the video and the video itself.