Myles Whittingham's video for Emeli Sandé finally sees the light of day - over nine years after it was made - and it turns out to be an immensely powerful, must-watch experience.

Beginning with the moment that a young man is told by his lover that he is ending the relationship, we witness the aftermath of this traumatic moment in real time. But centred around a brilliant performance by Kazeem Amore, the combination of Whittingham's direction and Sandé's soulful delivery transform this into an existential reflection upon the meaning of life, love, community, faith and mental health.

As the main character heads across a busy street, to find solitude in an abandoned building, and heading inexorably for the rooftop, there is still room for interpretation as to his fate. But it is an incredibly moving and poignant piece of work from Whittingham. And as he reveals, he has waited a very long time for this exceptional video to be released. 

"It’s a funny one - we actually made this nine years ago, in the summer of 2013," he explains. "It was my first music video after leaving film school. I called in so many favours, all the extras are friends or family. And we’ve been sitting on it ever since, as for various reasons it never came out at the time - with me hoping one day it would see the light. 

"Emeli and I had initial discussions about many issues surrounding societal pressures, mental health, isolation, community and sexuality. Which led to touchpoints that we wanted to hit, with the title being ‘Who Needs The World’ I really wanted to show how someone can feel isolated and alone in the world even amongst its hustle and bustle.

"I really wanted to show the sense of community and the feeling of being isolated throughout. So decided to open up with the busy community shot seeing our lead having to wear a metaphorical mask to hide his pains, and there’s a beautiful moment where I think the lead actor Kazeem Amore nails that superbly! 

"I then wanted to allow him to have his isolated time, so wanted the second half of the video to show the juxtaposition between the two. Having him in an isolated environment allowed him to express his emotions in various ways before the culmination at the end - which I wanted to leave up to interpretation."