Michael Ray just premiered the music video for his new single, “Holy Water,” and it’s an especially personal clip for a few different reasons.
For one thing, it was filmed nearby his hometown of Eustis, Florida, at the church he and his family went to when he was growing up. The singer got a chance to put the visual spotlight on some of the places that were near and dear to him as a kid, and many of the people featured in the video are family members and friends to the singer.
But that’s not the only story that’s true to life in “Holy Water.” The song -- which tells the story of a preacher who’s got a side operation selling moonshine -- is a little slice of Michael’s family history, too.
“My family has a little back history of running some moonshine through the state of Florida,” the singer told fans in a livestream Q&A that aired on YouTube before the music video’s premiere. “So I knew I wanted to really show a different side of my town, but also give y’all some history on where I’m from and places that meant a lot to me.”
“Holy Water” follows Michael’s multi-week chart-topper, “Whiskey and Rain.” Both those tracks come off his Higher Education EP, which came out last year.