Get to Know Sam Smith, the 22-Year-Old Overnight Sensation Who Totally Stole Our Hearts
"Being yourself can be quite scary," says the guy who released a chart-topping debut album, sold out his spring 2015 headlining tour in the United Kingdom in under an hour, and has a lead single that's gone certified-platinum three times over. But just a year ago, when Teen Vogue editors combed the web for "Sam Smith" to find the face behind the mysterious but memorable voice on Disclosure's hit "Latch," nothing came up.
Cut to the present day, when a Google image search of Sam Smith photos yields infinite results—you'll find a superstar who's partying with Katy Perry, best friends with Daisy Lowe, and collaborating with Mary J. Blige and A$AP Rocky. He has been showered with well-deserved accolades and is poised for Grammy greatness. "The minute I started to tell a story, everything clicked into place," Sam explains of his ascent to fame. "I became an artist because I had something to say." The singer's unique narrative and wide vocal range have now been heard around the world thanks to his gospel-inspired, record-breaking ballad "Stay with Me." But the Brit, who grew up in rural Cambridgeshire and worked tirelessly to make a career of his craft, never imagined he'd be at the MTV Video Music Awards standing (or, in his own words, "nearly fainting") in Beyoncé's dressing room, hearing Queen B herself say, "I love your music—your voice sounds like butter!"
Like many young performers, Sam spent his seminal years entertaining his parents' dinner guests, participating in local musical theater productions, and attending vocal lessons. But his family's finances crumbled, his parents got a divorce, and the only light at the end of the tunnel was reflected off the toilets he was scrubbing in London at the age of 18. "I wanted this so badly that I was willing to completely sell myself to become a pop star because I was poor," he recalls. "No one was complimenting me anymore, so I started to lose my faith. I thought, I'm going to have to dress a certain way, lose weight, or sing a certain type of song. But the truth is, I was OK just as I was."
What separates Sam from the Swifts of the world is that his kind of confession is deeply raw and honest—sometimes embarrassingly so. "I stand onstage and I wanna cry for the entire thing because people know my business. You all know me," he insists. "You can read as many interviews as you want, but if you put on my record, I'm telling you, that is me." Sam's smash debut album, In the Lonely Hour, is his cherished soul-revealing diary, to which he's given all his fans a key. "I fell in love with someone last year, and he didn't love me back," Sam reveals. "I deleted him off of WhatsApp, and it felt like I'd just broken up with him. On the record you can hear heartbreak, and there's a beauty in that I will always treasure."
With this sharply dressed and perfectly coiffed balladeer, what you see is what you get. He's a self-proclaimed food and fashion enthusiast, and a Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, Stevie Wonder, and Anna Wintour superfan. "As a kid I collected Vogue every month for three years," Sam admits. "My cross earrings are a mini statement; I wear them every day! My whole dream is to be iconic, and the way you dress yourself is so important."
Sam has publicly shared that he's never been in an official relationship—but he's certainly open to it. "The idea of having a house, a kid, a husband, and a dog...I love that," he gushes. "I also really want to open a coffee and flower shop one day, probably in Italy." For Sam, his ideal future is as much about being ordinary as it is about being famous: "Just because you're selling out shows doesn't mean you deserve better treatment than the person next door."
The unassuming artist is able to connect with audiences in more ways than one. He's a musical therapist for many who seek comfort, and a voice for those who need to be heard. "With the whole gay thing, I've had zero reaction, which says something beautiful about our generation and how things are getting a little bit better," Sam says. And as his Instagram, @samsmithworld, suggests: It's his universe, and we're all just singing along in it.
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