Sam Smith

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Sam Smith
British singer-songwriter
Also known as: Samuel Frederick Smith
Written by
Fact-checked by
Last Updated: Oct 1, 2024 • Article History
Sam Smith
Sam Smith British soul singer Sam Smith, 2015.
News • Film-maker to premiere superhero LGBTQ+ movie in Worcester • Sep. 27, 2024, 3:40 AM ET (BBC)
Sam Smith (born May 19, 1992, London, England) is a British soul singer with a mellifluous voice noted for lyrics that subvert the notions of romantic love that define popular soul music.

Early life
Smith was raised in a rural village in Cambridgeshire, England, born to a father who was a truck driver and greengrocer and a mother who was a banker. Both parents encouraged Smith’s singing at a young age, after the budding vocalist impressed them with a rendition of Whitney Houston’s “My Love Is Your Love.” Smith pursued vocal training and soon appeared in local theater productions and with Youth Music Theatre UK, going through six managers before ultimately moving to London at age 18 to pursue opportunities there.

Encyclopedia Britannica
Ask the ChatbotGames & QuizzesHistory & SocietyScience & TechBiographiesAnimals & NatureGeography & TravelArts & CultureMoneyVideos
Entertainment & Pop Culture
Music, Contemporary Genres
Soul/R&B Music
Sam Smith
British singer-songwriter
Also known as: Samuel Frederick Smith
Written by
Fact-checked by
Last Updated: Oct 1, 2024 • Article History
Sam Smith
Sam Smith British soul singer Sam Smith, 2015.
News • Film-maker to premiere superhero LGBTQ+ movie in Worcester • Sep. 27, 2024, 3:40 AM ET (BBC)
Sam Smith (born May 19, 1992, London, England) is a British soul singer with a mellifluous voice noted for lyrics that subvert the notions of romantic love that define popular soul music.

Early life
Smith was raised in a rural village in Cambridgeshire, England, born to a father who was a truck driver and greengrocer and a mother who was a banker. Both parents encouraged Smith’s singing at a young age, after the budding vocalist impressed them with a rendition of Whitney Houston’s “My Love Is Your Love.” Smith pursued vocal training and soon appeared in local theater productions and with Youth Music Theatre UK, going through six managers before ultimately moving to London at age 18 to pursue opportunities there.

Quick Facts
In full: Samuel Frederick Smith
Born: May 19, 1992, London, England (age 32)
Awards And Honors: Academy Award (2016) Grammy Award (2015)
Big break and In the Lonely Hour

The first big break came when Smith teamed with house duo Disclosure on the track “Latch,” which features Smith’s liquid falsetto vocals astride an effervescent electronic beat. That recording was released in 2012 and emerged as a hit. The collaboration landed Smith a record deal. By early 2013 the singer had released “Lay Me Down,” the first single from Smith’s debut album, In the Lonely Hour. Smith’s vocals were also featured on the propulsive electronica track “La La La” (2013), by producer Naughty Boy. The breakout single from In the Lonely Hour, “Stay with Me,” a keening falsetto ballad that wistfully implores a one-night stand for affection, became a radio staple following its release in 2014. Smith cited the influences of singers such as Houston and Aretha Franklin, who both propelled their powerful, soaring voices to the high end of their registers as they evoked love and loss. Those themes defined In the Lonely Hour, an album that Smith, who is queer, had composed in the wake of a romantic rejection by a heterosexual man.

The young vocalist steadily accrued accolades for dulcet stylings, earning comparisons to crooners ranging from Frank Sinatra to Adele. At the 2015 Grammy Awards, In the Lonely Hour was named best pop vocal album, and “Stay with Me” was awarded record of the year and song of the year. Smith was deemed best new artist.