Sam Smith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sam Smith
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Smith performing at the 2015 Lollapalooza
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Samuel Frederick Smith
19 May 1992 London, England
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| Years active | 2008–present |
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Works
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Discography |
| Awards | Full list |
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Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. They became well-known in 2012 after being featured on Disclosure's song "Latch". This song reached number eleven on the UK Singles Chart. The next year, they were featured on Naughty Boy's song "La La La", which became a number one hit in the UK.
Smith's first album, In the Lonely Hour (2014), was released by Capitol Records UK. It quickly reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. The album's second song, "Money on My Mind", also became a number one hit in the UK. Their song "Stay with Me" was very popular around the world. It reached number one in the UK and number two in the US. Other songs like "I'm Not the Only One" and "Like I Can" also made it into the top ten in the UK. This album won four awards at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. These awards included Best Pop Vocal Album, Best New Artist, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year.
Smith's song "Writing's on the Wall" was the main song for the James Bond movie Spectre (2015). This song won Smith a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Smith's second album, The Thrill of It All (2017), also reached number one in both the UK and US album charts. The first song from this album, "Too Good at Goodbyes", was number one in the UK and Australia.
In 2018, Smith released "Promises" with Calvin Harris, which was a number one hit in the UK. In 2019, they released "Dancing with a Stranger" with Normani. This song reached the top ten in the UK and the US. These songs, along with "How Do You Sleep?", came before their third album, Love Goes (2020). In 2022, Smith's song "Unholy" with Kim Petras became their first number one song in the US. It also won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. This song came before their fourth album, Gloria (2023).
Smith has won many awards, including five Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, and an American Music Award. They also won a Golden Globe and an Academy Award. Their album In the Lonely Hour was the best-selling first album of the 2010s in the UK. It was also the sixth best-selling album of the decade. Smith's albums spent the fourth-most weeks at number one in the UK in the 2010s. This was behind only Ed Sheeran, Adele, and Eminem. Smith is the first openly non-binary musician to have a song reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. They are also the first openly non-binary musician to win a Grammy Award.
Contents
Early Life
Samuel Frederick Smith was born in London on 19 May 1992. Their parents are Frederick Smith and Kate Cassidy. They grew up in Great Chishill. Smith attended Thomas More Primary School.
As a child, Smith was part of Youth Music Theatre UK. They appeared in a 2007 show called Oh! Carol. This musical featured the music of Neil Sedaka. Before musical theatre, they were in jazz bands. Smith studied singing and songwriting with jazz pianist Joanna Eden. They also attended St Mary's Catholic School, Bishop's Stortford. Smith was a member of the Bishop's Stortford Junior Operatics and the Cantate Youth Choir.
Career Highlights
Early Success (2012–2016)
Smith was featured on the Disclosure song "Latch". This song was released on 8 October 2012. It reached No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart. In February 2013, Smith released "Lay Me Down". Later that year, they were featured on Naughty Boy's song "La La La". This song was released on 19 May 2013. It reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart.
Smith's first EP (a shorter album) called Nirvana was released the next year. The first song on the EP was "Safe with Me". The second song was "Nirvana". The EP also included an acoustic version of "Latch". In December 2013, Smith was nominated for the 2014 Brit Critics' Choice Award. They also won the BBC's Sound of 2014 poll.
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The second song from Smith's first album, "Money on My Mind", was released on 16 February 2014. Smith's first album, In the Lonely Hour, was released on 26 May 2014. Smith said the album was about "unrequited love," meaning loving someone who doesn't love you back. The album reached number one in the UK Albums Chart. It also reached number two on the Billboard 200 in the US. By November 2014, it was the second best-selling album of the year in the US. In January 2015, In the Lonely Hour was the second best-selling album of 2014 in the UK.
Smith went on their first American tour in 2014. On 20 January 2014, Smith performed "Latch" with Disclosure on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Smith also performed on Saturday Night Live on 29 March 2014. They sang "Stay with Me" and an acoustic version of "Lay Me Down". "Stay with Me" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart. It also reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100. The fourth song from the album, "I'm Not the Only One", reached number three in the UK and number five in the US.
On 15 November 2014, Smith joined the charity group Band Aid 30. They recorded "Do They Know It's Christmas?" to raise money for the 2014 Ebola crisis in Western Africa.
At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards on 8 February 2015, Smith performed "Stay with Me". They also won four Grammy Awards: Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year (for "Stay with Me"), and Best Pop Vocal Album (for In the Lonely Hour). At the 2015 Brit Awards on 25 February, they performed "Lay Me Down". They won the Brit Awards for British Breakthrough Act and Global Success. In March 2015, "Lay Me Down" was re-released. It reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The same month, Smith recorded another version of the song with John Legend. This version was for the charity event Comic Relief and reached number one in the UK.
On 8 September 2015, Smith and Jimmy Napes confirmed they wrote "Writing's on the Wall". This was the main song for Spectre, the 24th James Bond movie. The song was released on 25 September 2015. It became the first James Bond theme song to reach number one in the UK. On 19 October, Smith received two Guinness World Records. One was for the first James Bond theme song to go to number one in the UK. The other was for their first album, In the Lonely Hour, staying in the UK top 10 for the most weeks in a row.
At the 73rd Golden Globe Awards on 10 January 2016, they won the Award for Best Original Song for "Writing's on the Wall". On 14 January, the song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Smith performed "Writing's on the Wall" at the Academy Awards on 28 February. They won the prize for Best Original Song with Jimmy Napes.
New Albums and Collaborations (2017–Present)
On 8 September 2017, Smith released a new song called "Too Good at Goodbyes". It reached number one in the United Kingdom and number five on the US Billboard Hot 100. Their second album, The Thrill of It All, reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200. This was their first number one album in the US. On 20 March 2018, Smith started The Thrill of It All Tour. This tour visited many places around the world until 2019. On 27 March 2018, they released "Pray" with American rapper Logic. On 17 August 2018, Smith worked with Calvin Harris on a new song called "Promises". This song became Smith's seventh number one hit on the UK Singles Chart. They also released the song "Fire on Fire" for the Watership Down soundtrack.
In January 2019, Smith released "Dancing with a Stranger" with Normani. This song reached the top ten in the UK, the US, and other countries. In February, Smith performed with Calvin Harris, Rag'n'Bone Man, and Dua Lipa at the 2019 Brit Awards. "How Do You Sleep?" was released on 19 July 2019.
In December 2019, In the Lonely Hour was named the best-selling first album of the 2010s in the UK. It was also the sixth best-selling album of the decade. Smith's albums spent the fourth-most weeks at number one in the UK in the 2010s.
On 13 February 2020, Smith said their third album, then called To Die For, would be released on 1 May. On 30 March, Smith announced that they would delay the album's release due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They also said they would change some songs and the title. "I'm Ready", a song with American singer Demi Lovato, was released on 16 April. On 17 September, they released a new song, "Diamonds". Then they announced the new title for their third album, Love Goes, which was released on 30 October. The concert was recorded and released as a live album, Love Goes: Live at Abbey Road Studios, on 19 March 2021. The same year, Smith recorded a cover of "You Will Be Found" with Summer Walker. This was for the soundtrack of the 2021 movie Dear Evan Hansen.
Gloria and Recent Work (2022–Present)
On 25 August 2022, Smith announced they worked with German singer Kim Petras on a song called "Unholy". This was the first song from Smith's fourth album, Gloria. It reached number one in the UK, the US (Smith's first US number one), Australia, and other places. The song made Smith the first openly non-binary musician to have a song reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Petras became the first openly transgender musician to do so. On 18 November, Smith released "Night Before Christmas". Gloria was released on 27 January 2023.
In February 2023, Smith and Petras won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Unholy". This made Smith the first openly non-binary artist to win a Grammy. Petras became the first openly transgender artist to win a major Grammy. In April of that year, Smith started the Gloria World Tour to promote the album. In July 2023, Smith and Scottish DJ Calvin Harris worked together again. They released a song called "Desire" on 28 July 2023. The song reached number 5 on the US Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs.
In August 2024, Smith performed at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.
Artistry
Musical Influences
Smith has said that Adele and Amy Winehouse are their main influences. They admire Adele's "honesty in her music" and how she handles fame. Smith wants to have a similar public image. Winehouse's first album Frank was the first album Smith ever bought. Early in their career, Smith received advice from Mary J. Blige and Chaka Khan. Smith listened to both of them when they were young. Smith said this inspired them to help new artists too. They called Taylor Swift a "role model" and praised her "soulfulness" and "honesty".
Smith stated that Lady Gaga's career story encouraged them to move to London to start their own career. Smith described Robyn as a big influence on their album Love Goes. They said they listened to her "nonstop" while making the album. Smith also mentioned Beyoncé and Christina Aguilera as sources of inspiration. In an interview in January 2016, Smith named Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey as the greatest R&B voices. Smith's other influences include Britney Spears and Brandy.
In an October 2017 interview, Smith spoke about how their close friend Ed Sheeran's success affects them. They said, "It makes you push yourself. Watching him this past year has just been incredible." They also mentioned that they "envy the competition that people like [Frank] Sinatra would have."
Vocal Style
Smith's vocal range can go from a deep baritone to a higher tenor for dramatic effect. Smith focuses a lot on their voice. They tried to make it the main part of their first album In the Lonely Hour. After the album was released, their singing was often compared to Adele's. Some people think Smith represents "a return of the virtuosic vocalist in popular music." This means a singer with great skill, like Whitney Houston and Luther Vandross. Mary J. Blige thought Smith was a black woman when she first heard them sing on Disclosure's "Latch."
Personal Life
Smith has been open about their struggles with body image issues since they were young. They identify as a feminist.
Smith is the godparent of close friend and collaborator Jimmy Napes' son.
Discography
- In the Lonely Hour (2014)
- The Thrill of It All (2017)
- Love Goes (2020)
- Gloria (2023)
Tours
- In the Lonely Hour Tour (2015)
- The Thrill of It All Tour (2018–2019)
- Gloria the Tour (2023)
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
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| 2017 | On the Record: Sam Smith | Themself | Documentary | |
| 2018 | Elton John: I'm Still Standing - A Grammy Salute | CBS special | ||
| 2023 | And Just Like That... | Episode: "The Last Supper Part One: Appetizer" | ||
| 2024 | The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy | Dr. Azazel | Main role |
Awards and Nominations
Images for kids
See also
- List of highest-certified music artists in the United States
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
- List of best-selling singles in the United States
