The music video certainly is not a new art form, but it for sure has taken some innovative turns since back when they started as simple clips of artists and bands performing their cuts live in front of a camera. It took iconic videos helmed by Michael Jackson or groups like a-ha to push the ideas to a place where not only are they performance pieces, but ones that are also telling full stories as well. Unfortunately nowadays it’s a bit rare to see a music video that even aims to challenge the basic “Artist, beautiful woman or man, music” checklist.

Thankfully, Miguel has been offering that and more with WILDHEART Chapter 1: Find What You Love and Let It Kill You. It’s a mini-movie he directed that’s wrapped around music from his third studio album, Wildheart. When the Grammy Award-winning singer sat down with TriBeCa Film at New York City’s Bowery Hotel, he explained that he set out to tell a story “exploring the hope and desperation in Los Angeles, using the music to illustrate the dynamic of hope and desperation in different circumstances.

Featuring Wildheart’s “…goingtohell," “Coffee,” and “NWA,” Chapter 1 finds Miguel chasing, getting and then swaggering away from a female counterpart. It’s a short filled with tension and wonderfully shot. Miguel particularly was a fan of the steady cam work on it. “It was more wanting to make sure that the shots were picturesque and well-framed,” he says. “That was really important for me.”

Miguel’s hands-on approach is similar to Beyonce, who also plays an integral role as co-director of her ambitious music videos to ensure that her vision is executed. Like her, Miguel also knows how to edit video and works with Adobe Premiere and Final Cut software. The two are just a part of a small bunch of musicians creating videos with a high level of artistry in them. Acts like Kanye West and recently, fka Twigs also take much pride in creating content levels far past basic.

“I’m really particular,” Miguel mentions during his interview. “I’ll either draw out how I want the camera or I’ll use clips from other movies—scenes that I’m really into—as examples.”

Miguel just wrapped up the first leg of his North American tour for Wildheart. He recently shot Chapter 2 of the video series, which will at least feature “Waves” from his album. Watch Miguel talk about creating Chapter 1 and be on the lookout for it's follow-up coming soon.