Sam Smith

Sam Smith is an English singer and songwriter whose 2015 James Bond theme “Writing’s on the Wall,” recorded for Spectre, won both the Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Their work moves between pop, soul, contemporary R&B and electronic music, with a vocal-led style heard in early dance collaborations as well as their own ballads and later club-oriented singles.

Born Samuel Frederick Smith on 19 May 1992 and based in London, Smith first reached a wide audience in 2012 as the featured vocalist on Disclosure’s breakthrough single “Latch,” which peaked at number 11 on the UK singles chart. In 2013, their appearance on Naughty Boy’s “La La La” brought their first UK number one. Smith’s own early releases led to In the Lonely Hour, issued by Capitol Records UK in 2014. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and produced the UK chart-toppers “Money on My Mind” and “Stay with Me.” “Stay with Me” also reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, while “I’m Not the Only One” and “Like I Can” both entered the UK top ten.

In the Lonely Hour won four awards at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards: Best Pop Vocal Album, Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It was the UK’s best-selling debut album of the 2010s and the decade’s sixth best-selling album overall. Smith followed it with The Thrill of It All in 2017, another chart leader in both the UK and US. Its lead single, “Too Good at Goodbyes,” reached number one in the UK and Australia and number four in the US.

Smith continued to pair solo material with prominent collaborations. “Promises,” their 2018 single with Calvin Harris, became a UK number one, while 2019’s “Dancing with a Stranger,” recorded with Normani, reached the top ten in both the UK and US and received a Brit Awards nomination for Song of the Year. “Dancing with a Stranger” and “How Do You Sleep?” preceded Smith’s third studio album, Love Goes, released in 2020.

In 2022, Smith and Kim Petras released “Unholy,” Smith’s first US number one single. The track won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and preceded their fourth studio album, Gloria, released in 2023. Smith’s awards include five Grammys, three Brit Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, an American Music Award, a Golden Globe and an Academy Award. They are the first openly non-binary musician to release a Billboard Hot 100 number one and to win a Grammy Award.