12 INTERVIEWS OF XMAS: Sam Smith on Ireland, Dating, Ed Sheeran and GLORIA

Originally published in Hot Press in January 2023:

How much has changed since Sam Smith’s heavenly vocals pierced through the electronic beat on Disclosure’s 2012 breakout hit, ‘Latch’? A Golden Globe and an Academy Award in their trophy cabinet for penning Bond theme ‘Writing on the Wall’ in 2015, for one, but a decade of metamorphosis is about more than just accolades for the London-raised star.

The journey towards feeling secure in their own body and voice was often marred with challenges, from the days of relocating to the English capital from the tiny Great Chishill and wearing makeup as a teenager to the threatening street atmosphere which caused them to pare back their style for safety. Exploring the complexities, but also the wonders, of queerness, Sam Smith is reborn ten years on - currently feeling more comfortable in their skin than ever before.

Having been thrown in the deep end as a 20-year-old, the days of Smith performing in a jazz band and national youth choir evaporated after they secured a nomination for the Brit Critics' Choice Award and the BBC's Sound of 2014 poll, taking home the crown in both. Their voice had featured on Naughty Boy’s ‘La La La’, which became a number one single in May 2013, before Smith's debut studio album, In the Lonely Hour, arrived 12 months later on Capitol Records UK. Down tempo belter ‘Lay Me Down’ and falsetto bop ‘Money on My Mind’ - their second UK number one single - were unveiled before ‘Stay With Me’, the hit that cemented their international status.

The balladeer nabbed another number one in the UK and number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 before ‘I'm Not the Only One’ and ‘Like I Can’ further asserted chart dominance in his homeland. In the Lonely Hour won Best Pop Vocal Album, Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year, out of six Grammy nominations. “Just a quick one – I want to thank the man who this record is about, who I fell in love with last year. Thank you so much for breaking my heart, ’cause you got me four Grammys!” Smith quipped while accepting Record of the Year.

In the space of 24 months, the soulful musician’s life was turned upside down, predominantly because of heartbreak hits. The stark vulnerability of their loneliness paired with powerhouse vocals ensured Sam Smith became a household name, whether they were ready for fame as a member of a marginalised community or not.

Two more albums followed, 2017’s The Thrill of It All and 2020’s Love Goes, which sound incomparable to this year’s turnaround record GLORIA - an Irish and UK number one chart-topper.

“After my first album did so well, my life changed so drastically,” Smith told Hot Press in April 2020. “I started to make music almost as a bit of a character, thinking ‘What would Sam Smith do?’ because I’d never written music before with a fan-base waiting for it. I started to get a bit too caught up with what people thought of me. That spiralled, into not just music, but into my queerness, my gender, my weight, my mental health, all these things. I was just so concerned about what people would think of me and how this future looked. I just sat back one day and said ‘What music do you actually love?’ It’s always been female pop stars.”

Aside from collaborating purposefully with women of this genre - from Demi Lovato, Jessie Reyez, Mary J. Blige to Normani and Renée Zellweger (their dream partner in the studio is Rihanna) - Sam is embracing the divine femininity in their work with a self-assurance that comes with time. The foray into more disco, R&B and pop terrain rather than regret-soaked ballads couldn’t be clearer on GLORIA. Rather than playing the character of Sam Smith, they simply lived their life with exuberance and allowed the music to come from experiences of friendship, dates, travel and parties.

Though Smith’s four studio albums excavated the depths of queer love, the forthcoming opus feels the most joyful. Shrugging off the need to paint queer pain in all its dramatic lows, the singer instead chooses to explore dance and desire. TikTok viral smash single ‘Unholy’ led Smith and collaborator Kim Petras to the Billboard Hot 100 top spot last year, becoming the first non-binary and trans artists to do so. It’s a groundbreaking achievement in a country hell-bent on stripping back LGBTQ+ rights. In the era of Drag Race, Beyoncé’s Renaissance and Lil Nas X, queer-driven, unapologetic pop and the energy it creates is king (and queen).

Meeting the singer-songwriter as they stop in New York ahead of Saturday Night Live, their mood is relaxed, outgoing and gracious despite a day of promo ahead. One mightn’t expect Sam to have any relationship to Ireland whatsoever, but research tells us otherwise. Aside from the numerous times performing all over the country, they’ve also recorded in Donegal with Tommy McLaughlin and Jimmy Napes at Attica Studios back in 2017 and even sang in a youth choir camp in the region. We’re not totally alien to the artist, in other words. Have they ever been on an Irish cover?

“I don’t think so! Not to my recollection. I’m really thankful that you’d have me on the front,” they grin cheerily, despite the time difference. Smith is gearing up to play the 3Arena on April 14th and 15th as part of their continent-spanning GLORIA tour.

“I remember being in that arena the last time I toured in Dublin. I can’t recall what the national holiday was, but it was the first time something had been passed? I’ll have to figure it out. It was such an exciting day,” the English crooner laughs, shaking their head. “Everyone was drinking and smoking. It was wild! Honestly, it was one of the best gigs of the whole tour. I’ll never forget it for as long as I live.”

Was it potentially the first time alcohol was legal to buy in Ireland on Good Friday? It could have just been a regular Tuesday in Dublin (binge drinking culture, etc).

“That was probably it!” Sam exclaims, smiling. “The energy was out of control. I’ve always loved the culture in Ireland. It’s absolutely incredible. I went there when I was young, and did a national musical theatre camp for a few weeks. It was one of the first times that I was ever away from my family. It was beautiful. I love the food and the people. I walk to the venue down the river Liffey every time, it’s gorgeous.”

“I’ve got good nerves about the GLORIA tour, but I’m just really excited to bring people a show that’s even more me than ever,” Sam smiles. “I want my love of theatre and pop music to collide. I think people will be pleasantly surprised.”

Before their eagerly-awaited project drops, Smith performed on Saturday Night Live as the NBC show’s first musical guest of the year on January 21st.

“It’s my fourth time performing on SNL, and I’m used to that feeling of pressure. To be honest, I try not to think about that stuff. I feel like, even if it goes wrong, it’s fabulous,” they reply, with an easygoing shrug. “Some of the most iconic performances are ones that have gone wrong. I just remind myself of that now whenever I go on stage. If something bad happens, it’s not the end of the world.

“We’re in the entertainment industry. Pop music is about fun!” Sam concurs. “I took it so seriously when I was younger, and it really felt like life or death sometimes with anxiety. Now I have a bit more perspective. My main aim is to go out and enjoy it.”

Sam Smith by Michael Bailey Gates.

The musician is currently styled by Ben Reardon, who has helped Smith source a new element of pride, expression and self-worth through their wardrobe. Fashion has become one way for Sam to fight back against anyone trying to box them in.

“Ben is incredible. He’s taught me a language with clothes that I’ve never had before,” Smith offers, heaping praise. “He’s been a visionary during this process. I think about my styling for album rollouts heavily. Even with my first album, there’s always been intent behind how I look as an artist and what message I want to put across with my clothes. Earlier on, the message was more muted for sure but it was about being classic and timeless. We wanted people to focus on the voice and music, nothing else. Now, I want the fashion, clothes and visuals to collide with GLORIA the record. It’s about unashamed confidence and humour, as an art form.”

There are some surprising but welcome twists and turns on GLORIA, in comparison to Love Goes, which some critics claimed stuck to the tried and tested formula of sadness-soaked romantic connections. Their chilling, singular vocals may stand out, but the genres explored on GLORIA have the potential to revitalise Smith’s brand.

Take ‘I’m Not Here To Make Friends’, for example. Sam Smith was more known as the vulnerable, brutally diaristic songwriter producing tracks people wanted played at their wedding - or possibly their funeral. The album track obliterates that reputation, showcasing Smith as a sexually liberated person with defiance.

“I did so much dating, it was crazy,” Sam laughs, when I poke them about the song’s origins. “It was exhausting. A lot of the guys just wanted to be friends. They had no intention of anything romantic! Sometimes they wanted to just meet me, which was pleasant, but I went into the studio in LA after a really frustrating date and was so pissed off,” Sam giggles. “I was with Jessie Reyez, and I literally said, ‘I am not on a date to make friends’. I wrote a song out of that frustration, and we had a great time.”

“I have fabulous mates, and I know ultimately that the person you’re dating should become your friend, but on the first meeting? I’m not here for friendship,” Smith concedes, without shyness. Jessie Reyez’s vocals appear on Smith’s latest single, ‘Gimme’, which also features Jamaican reggae act Koffee. His love for Jessie’s work and character goes back a number of years.

Jessie Reyez.

“She’s incredible!” Sam tells me, enthusiasm brimming. “The first time I met her was the day we wrote ‘Promises’ with Calvin Harris. I’d heard of her writing and artistry. We went into the studio and met each other, and it was such a beautiful day. She really taught me about the fun that can be had in the studio and not taking yourself too seriously. She can lift any mood in that space, and it allows amazing music to come out. Jessie is sensational. I’m so excited about her new album, too.”

There’s also a saccharine Ed Sheeran collaboration at the end of the GLORIA, titled ‘Who We Love’. The duo have performed ‘Stay With Me’ together at Wembley, while Smith recently told Kelly Clarkson that Sheeran gifted him a six foot, two tonne, marble penis statue. I manage to ask about the GLORIA track instead of celebrity strangeness, through sheer force of will.

“Ed and I have been friends for a while now and we’ve always wanted to work together,” Sam offers, admiringly. “It was just about waiting for the right song. Then Ed sent me the beginnings of ‘Who We Love’, and I was bowled over at how beautiful it was. The timing was ideal. I wanted it to be on the end of the record because I really feel like it showcases how much I studied pop. What better way to end it than with one of the greatest songwriters and pop artists in the world? I also just love the sentiment. It’s a queer album, about joy, confidence and love. That song sums it all up for me.”

Described by the balladeer as “sexy, raunchy, honest”, the most sexually-driven track on GLORIA has already topped charts around the world. The video for Grammy-nominated sultry banger ‘Unholy’, which discusses infidelity, is especially fearless. The backlash that often comes when queer artists - especially gender-fluid and queer artists of colour - embrace sexuality in such a carefree manner can be swift and unforgiving. We need only look at the torrent of abuse levelled at Lil Nas X after the ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name’) video was released, featuring a tongue-in-cheek pole dancing session in Dante’s inferno.

Much like ‘Unholy’ and ‘No God’ on the album, this reclamation of sexuality in a Christianity-inflected culture that remains focused on shame is rubbing all the right people up the wrong way.

“That’s the energy I’m trying to share, because that’s how I feel at the moment - I just don’t care,” Sam affirms, nodding. “I don’t give a fuck about people’s opinions who don’t give a fuck about me. Everyone needs to remember that as a life lesson. I’m not being aggressive, but I’m not going to mute myself anymore as an artist. I’m doing nothing wrong, I’m just having a good old time!” they shrug, airily. Considering the harmless aura of Sam Smith, it’s increasingly hard to see why many take issue.

“Being alright with becoming more outwardly sexual, in my visuals and lyrics, just comes with age,’ they add, airily. “My mum always said to me, and she always seems to be right, ‘As you get older, you care less and less about what people think’. That’s what happened. With the transitional period I went through with my last album, Love Goes, and everything that came with that, I felt like I cared so much about pleasing people who didn’t have my best interests at heart. It was about sharing who I was, but I had to wait until I was confident enough to do that. In my private moments and when I’m partying with my friends, I’ve always been this person.

“Sharing that onstage in front of 20,000 people at age 21, it’s something I didn’t feel safe doing when I was younger,” they muse, confessionally. “I do not blame myself for that at all. If anything, I think I did the right thing by handling myself in the way I did, because it wasn’t safe. It still isn’t. In these moments when the negative noise can be so loud, it’s important to focus on the beautiful community around us who are so loving. As much as the comments can be tough, there are incredible, gorgeous comments. People are feeling true joy from Lil Nas X and all of these female and queer artists. And male artists - the ones doing the good work. You just have to focus on positivity, and that can be hard, but age is helping me in that sense.”

Considering the wealth of artists in Sam’s contacts list, as collaborators, friends or otherwise, has any musician in particular had the best advice for the industry?

“Honestly, I’d say Ed. I have felt low in my career at certain moments, and he’s been an incredibly supportive voice. He just tells me to keep going, that I’m brilliant, and reminds me that this is about the music and the art. Patti Smith once said that nothing affects art as much as fame, success and money. It does change how you write in the studio at first. People like Ed have inspired me to carry on focusing on the music, on what we do as writers and artists. I’m really thankful to him for that.”

Ed Sheeran.

Considering the primary theme of the album is joy in all its freedom and formats, can the singer recall a time when they felt most at peace?

“For sure!” they reply immediately. “My 30th birthday last May. I basically threw myself a wedding. I got all my friends and family to wear white, and we all sat around this big table and ate food together and drank wine. It was sensational. I felt so lucky. I do feel loved every day of my life, no matter how sad and anxious I’ve been in the past. This is why we have to love our children so much, and each other as a society. In those tough moments when things are dark and difficult, you go back to that love you experienced. In my worst moments, there’s always been a glowing light of love around that has given me hope. That’s what GLORIA is, that light in a dark room.”

“I want to have my 40th party in India,” Sam beams, excited. “I’ve always wanted to go there. That would be my dream. I want my kids to be at my 40th, that’s for sure. I definitely want children, and in my 30s. I hope to have more albums under my belt, and I hope my eyelids don’t sag over my eyes. My family have these sagging eyelids as they get older,” they laugh, brightly. “I’m hoping I’ll look like a fresh fish!”

In light and dark, you can count on Sam Smith to be refreshingly forward.

GLORIA is out now via Capitol Records UK/Universal Music Ireland.