Sam Smith joins Zane Lowe on Apple Music for an extensive conversation about their forthcoming third album ‘Love Goes’, due out this Friday.
The singer and songwriter shares that heartbreak had a large influence on this record, along with finding self-love, while tapping into nightclub and dance scenes for inspiration. Sam also expresses the challenges queer artists face and the gap of representation within the entertainment industry.
Video highlight and key quotes below, credited to Zane Lowe on Apple Music. Full transcript available by request.
Tune in to the interview in full today (10/26) at 10:00a PST on Apple Music 1 at apple.co/lovegoes-interview.
VIDEO | Sam Smith: Vulnerability on ‘Love Goes’ and Self-Expression
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Sam Smith Tells Apple Music How They Feel Heading Into The Release of New Album ‘Love Goes’…
Oh, gosh, I feel relieved. There was always a relief, and I feel a bit emotional, even now just saying it, talking about this record, I feel super emotional about it because it’s… The last two years have been a really, really mad time of experimentation, of finding myself with my gender expression, with so much that has happened the last two years. It’s captured in this music. And I basically, I really set myself free with this record, and I just went in the studio and I tried to home in on my abilities as a top liner, and learn from the best. For me, it was a risk. For me, making pop the way I did and the sessions I did, was risk-taking for me because I was literally in a suit with my shirt up being crooner for five years.
Sam Smith Tells Apple Music Why ‘Love Goes’ Is A “Proper Heartbreak Album”…
I was so heartbroken when writing this record more … I’d say the first proper time I’ve been actually heartbroken. That feeling of they’re gone, you can’t sleep, the really, really bad feeling. The feeling that my mother dreaded us, me and my sisters to feel. And I really, really felt it. And yeah, this is kind of the first proper heartbreak album I’ve ever written, I’d say, because the others were. The others were the idea of it and it was pure unrequited love. This, I would like to say that we loved each other. So, I definitely, definitely loved him. So yeah, it was proper.
Sam Smith Tells Apple Music About How Fame and Success Influenced Their Music…
In The Lonely Hour and everything began so naturally for me. Then as soon as you’ve added fame and success and a fan base and all these things into the mix, the music started to change and it still was honest, but it was what I thought I wanted people to hear instead of me actually creatively jumping, and being scared and being out of my comfort zone. And when I listen to this album, that’s what I can hear, when I listen back. I’m like, I’m all over the shop. One track, I’m doing this, one track I’m doing that. And that’s kind of where I was at during that year. I was all over the place, trying to put together the pieces a little bit.
Sam Smith Tells Apple Music About Initially Changing Their Pronouns, Being Patient, and Feeling Free…
I think when I first announced my pronouns … I mean, look, I’ve always been non binary. I’ve always felt the way I felt. When I changed my pronouns, things got complicated for sure. I felt a need to be presenting —– all the time. It took time. It took real time. My closest around me, my family, my sisters and stuff, they all got it like that and it wasn’t a problem. What I’ve learned this year is people don’t like to be wrong, and when people mess up a pronoun or something, they really don’t like it. It’s this… It kind of ruins conversations. It ruins moments. It’s really difficult. So, I’ve had to just go into myself and try and deal with it in a real kind way and patience, and just know that everyone’s working on this. It’s going to take time. We’re changing a language here. So, I’m trying to be patient with it, but I have to say right now in my life, I feel … It sounds cliche to say it, but I feel so free. I feel so unafraid of failure, unafraid of my imperfections. And I just feel … I don’t feel a lot of fear at the moment, because I just feel like I could do everything wrong and it would still be okay because I’ve got my own back. I really have my own back, and that’s a lovely feeling to feel.
Sam Smith Tells Apple Music About Coming Out At a Young Age…
I think a huge part of it was being queer, being young, and I was brought up in a… My family were amazing with it. I came out, but I came out when I was 10 years old. And so, I was out as a gay person at 10. At 14, I was wearing makeup and female clothing all throughout school. So, I was so out of the closet for such a long time, that all of that time was loneliness time as well, because I had no one around me that thought like me, who was openly gay around me at all in my life, until I was 19, 20 when I became well-known. So, I think that was the hole, for sure, was this not being enough. Just that feeling, I think, that all —– kids have when they’re younger. You’re brought up in a world where you’re told that it’s not okay to be what you are. And that’s really, really hard.
Sam Smith Tells Apple Music About The Past Relationship That Influenced The Album…
Horrible thing to admit, this album is about a certain relationship and it’s my first ever relationship that I had. All my relationships have been four to five months, but this was the first biggie, I’d say. And it awakened me sexually, it awakened so many parts of me. It was a trial for sure and I was dealing with so much in my head whilst going through it. There’s a song called “Forgive Myself” on the album and that was actually … It’s towards the end of the album, but I actually wrote it at the beginning. And that was the big thing is like, I don’t have you here anymore to talk through this or to take the blame or anything. I’ve got to figure this all out by myself now, and to do that, I’ve got to accept that maybe I wasn’t great as well.
Sam Smith Tells Apple Music About Turning To Divas To Get Through Heartbreak, Including Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, and Robyn…
Honestly, I was on tour when I was feeling heartbroken, so I was trying to get through shows every other night or a couple of nights in a row, whilst it was happening. So, I turned to divas. I was like the only way I’m going to get off my a– and get out of bed is if I channel my Beyonce, if I channel my Christina, and my … All these divas and I turned to them and I … Robyn for me, was huge on this record. Just listened to her nonstop because I could dance and be sad at the same time and feel empowered. But yeah, like always I have this little box I can go to whenever I’m down and it’s all full of strong women who remind me of my mom, and they remind me of my sisters and all the women in my life. And when I’m in those dark places, it’s the women that get me through it, to be honest.
Sam Smith Tells Apple Music About Learning To Love Themself Instead of The Fame…
Of course. I was sold this dream when I was a kid. I was like… Okay, so I was feeling lonely. I was feeling isolated as a kid. I was feeling sad. Then I realized I could sing. Then everyone telling me that I was good at singing felt really, really good. Then that carried on. And then I thought, “Oh, my gosh, if I take this further and further and further, I’m going to fill this little hole inside of me that I have, and it’s going to be all wonderful and everything’s going to be great.” But everyone’s applauding is like… It’s like a drug and you’re loving it and you’re loving it. And then, I hit 24 and I was like, “I’m never going to be happy in unless I am happy in my own skin, unless I actually like who I am.” I felt like when I made In The Lonely Hour, I wanted to perform at Wembley Stadium. I had this… I manifested it in my head. I was like, “I want to be at Wembley Stadium. I want to be the biggest singer ever.” That I was so driven that I was willing to put everything aside, including my happiness, to get to that place. And I couldn’t do it. Just absolutely couldn’t do it.
Sam Smith Tells Apple Music About The Eclectic Nature of the Album…
I love all types of music. I have a very deep understanding of music and I love very complex music, but I also love what a lot of people would say is trashy music. And I love the simplicity of trashy music, and being queer as well and going to queer spaces from the age of 18, they play this type of music sometimes. They play music that is very… It’s just in your face, and it’s all wrong, but it’s so right
Sam Smith Tells Apple Music About Wanting Kids By Age 35…
Zane, I want kids. I want all of it. I want to have kids. I want to be with the kids and I want to watch them grow and be with them every day. I want to be mummy. I’m definitely going to do that some point, but I’ve still got more in me. I’ve still got ambition. I try and settle it down all the time and play it down, but I’m ambitious and I would still want to sing to people and do this job. It’s an amazing feeling. It’s an amazing job to have. 35 is the latest I’m going to have a kid. That’s what I’ve decided. So I’m going to work my a– off until then, hopefully find a boyfriend but they’re absolutely nowhere to be found anywhere in London. I’ve been searching all over the place. Honestly, I’ve been on the front line now for a good three years and it’s exhausting.
Sam Smith Tells Apple Music “Another One” Is Their Favorite Song They’ve Done…
This is honestly my favorite song I’ve ever done. It’s my favorite song I’ve ever done, this song. I just adore it. I’ve listened to it more than I’ve ever listened to any song I’ve ever done. I wrote this with Linus and Noonie in LA, and I’d found out something on the morning before, and I got in the studio and this song just completely just came out and we ended up sitting on their balcony, having some champagne and we were just dancing in the sunlight to this song. And I love how honest this song is. I love to sing it. It feels beautiful to sing. What I love about it is I’m trying to sound … I think I’m trying to sound nice in these lyrics as in like, I’m cool, I’m cool with it. It’s fine. I was convincing myself that I was so over it.
Sam Smith Tells Apple Music How Recording in LA Informed The Album…
Yeah, it did with this album, for sure. It was like the pop dream. I tapped into that. When I did that “I’m Ready” video with Demi, being in a dress in an American school, it was just the most amazing feeling because it’s… If you come from the UK, you just grow up watching these movies like Bring it On and stuff like that. You want to live that life. And I really enjoyed my time in LA writing this record. The music making out there, the top lining, the pop writers, it’s incredible and it’s so exciting. It was so exciting to be part of it and yeah, I loved it for that record. I’m definitely enjoying being home, though, now. I’m enjoying being in England and being in the studio here. I think it will come in waves
Sam Smith Tells Apple Music How They Plan To Spend The Next Few Months…
I’m going to sing. I’m going to write. I’m writing all the time and I’m loving it. After the album’s out, I’ll probably take a month or so to go and get out of London and breathe and relax a bit. But then when I come back, I’m back into album mode. I want to continue writing. I feel so excited at the moment and like I’ve got so much to say. Musically and as a singer, I feel like I’m growing so much that I just want to document it all and tell these stories. What I’m writing right now, though…. And the next record is feeling so exciting. Honestly, it feels like a deep breath again like it’s… I’m feeling older and I’m feeling less pressure than ever before. It’s just purely for me and it just feels really good, the… I’m think I’m tapping into the stillness of this whole period, this time, this is space. There’s a lot of space that I’m feeling.
