Sam Smith joins Zane Lowe in-studio on Apple Music 1 to discuss new music ahead of their fourth studio album, ‘Gloria’. Sam tells Apple Music about the initial low feelings associated with releasing new music into the world, mixing genres and being dedicated to constantly reinventing, embracing isolation, the desire to raise children, experiencing homophobia, working with Max Martin, and the crucial advice they received from Robyn.
Sam Smith Tells Apple Music About The Downside of Releasing New Music Into The World…
I have a low every time. I get low. I almost get upset. I’m going to sound like a drama queen, but it’s like a death in a way. Because they’re mine and they belong to me and I’d sit with them and I love them and imagine how people would listen to them or if people would enjoy them, then you put it out there and it doesn’t belong to you anymore. And, people take it and people are rude.
On Why They Don’t Believe In Guilty Pleasures…
I don’t believe in guilty pleasures. I’m over that. Last album I got over that. There’s no such thing.There’s just pleasures.
On About Being Their Own Brand…
I sent ‘Unholy’ to my team, and everyone was like, “What is this?” They were confused. They were like, “What is the brand? What are you trying to do here?” This is not ‘Stay With Me’. This is not this, this is not that. Everyone’s trying to make sense of it. Well, I said, “I’m the brand.” That’s what I said. I’m the brand. And I, just like my gender really, I’m everything. I can be anything. I can sing anything I want to. And I want to lean into that with my genres.
On Mixing Genres and Constantly Reinventing…
But I also come from Mariah, Whitney, and George and all these people who would genre hop, and also Rihanna and Beyonce. If you listen to Rihanna’s first records, there was all different genres compiled together in these beautiful ways. And I love that. I love to be, this is where my Madonna jumps out. I’ve always wanted to be an artist that changes it up every single time. That’s the dream. Yeah, I want to bring out my opera album when I’m 40.
On Their Family Being Weary About Their Fame Initially…
Everyone’s very supportive. My family incredible because they were petrified the minute I became famous. It wasn’t a good thing. It was a scary thing. They were scared of losing me, me changing. And people around you who want something from you, that you hear these horror stories. I think that because of Winehouse and what happened with Amy and what happened with Whitney…
On About Embracing Isolation…
I’m in the countryside more and more. And my aim is throughout my life I want to become more isolated. I just want to live in the mountains of Scotland one day. That’s like my dream. So, for me, getting out of the city was important. Getting a dog, stuff like that really just helped ground myself.
On Wanting to Raise Children…
Sam Smith: Yeah, of course. Yeah. Once I’ve done all the traveling, I’d love to do that, yeah.
Zane Lowe: With someone you love ideally, right?
Sam Smith: Oh, it’d be beautiful. Yeah. But I can also do it alone.
On It Being Hard to Be Queer and Their Experiences of Homophobia…
Everything is moving forward in a wonderful way. But there is realities that are quite hard to swallow when it comes to the stats of the countries, where it’s still illegal and it is hard. It’s still hard to be queer. There’s still backlash. I still get things said to me on the street, even now. The weirdest thing is you can be famous, you can be a pop star and you still get it. Because I thought I’d become a pop star and I’d never get a bad word said to me ever again. I’d never have homophobia. I’d never experience it if I became a star. And then it happens and it’s still there. It’s still there. So yeah, it just takes bravery. It really does. And I think you’re made to be, you have to talk about your queerness immediately, I think, if you become one and you’re queer. You have to talk about it all. And I’ve stepped into that because I’ve now realized how powerful that is. Oh my god. And there’s kids out there that need this. They need us to talk about it.
On Working with Max Martin…
Oh, just truly a servant of music. His whole life is to serve music. If there was a God, music is his God. That’s how I feel when I chat to him.
On The Advice They Got from Robyn…
I always reference Robyn. I think Robyn’s amazing. Robyn just takes her time. And she said that to me once. I don’t know if she’d ever remember, but she met me when I was 20 years old and I was sitting in Germany in a canteen… and she came and sat down next to me and she just said to me, “Take your time.” And then she left. It was an angel coming and just giving me some really beautiful advice. But I remember at the time being like, “I’m not going to take my time. I haven’t got the time. I need to bring out music.” And I’ve only just realized what she meant. So wise, so wise.
On Their Relationship with Modern Music and Loving Shazam…
I still love music but with music, it’s weird. I never go out and find it. I let it come to me. So whether it’s you hear something in the street or someone randomly playing it in the car, Shazam’s like my best friend in that sense. I love that Shazam.
On Reconnecting with Fans and Ignoring The Noise…
For me, it’s about my music and my fans. I had to reconnect with my fans and realize that these are my people and I’m doing this for them because the charts and stuff, people get weird. I’ve had to exercise it; not read comments, not get involved in that side of stuff because it doesn’t really exist to be honest. It’s all fake. And even with all the award shows and stuff, you learn as you go on that it’s not accurate as well. It’s all a game.
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