Sam Smith

Sam Smith, born on May 19, 1992, grew up in a rural village on the Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire border, near the town of Bishops Stortford. As the oldest of three siblings, they are reportedly close to their younger sisters. Their mother is a thriving City of London trader, while their father is a stay-at-home dad who raised the children.

Recognizing Sam's early talent for singing, their parents arranged for singing lessons at the age of eight with jazz singer and songwriter Joanna Eden. At seventeen, Sam left school to chase their dream of becoming a professional singer, living in a one-bedroom flat in Earl’s Court and working in a London pub, ultimately feeling isolated and lonely.

Sam has known they were gay for as long as they can remember. They experienced bullying at school and were surprised to encounter homophobic attacks even in London, near gay communities. These negative experiences, along with an inherently emotional nature, influence their songwriting and performance. The soulful, rich tone of their voice and poignant lyrics resonate with many and have contributed to their success.

Collaborations with Disclosure on “Latch” and Naughty Boy on “La La La” catapulted Sam into the spotlight in late 2012 and early 2013. They came out as gay shortly before releasing their debut album, In the Lonely Hour, on May 26, 2014, inspired by a personal love story.

In 2015, Sam received Grammys for Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Song of the Year for “Stay With Me”.

Sam came out as non-binary in 2017, expressing that they feel as much a woman as a man, and in 2019 announced their pronoun change to they/them on Instagram. In interviews, Sam admitted that “gender, for me, has been nothing but traumatising” and were unprepared for the ridicule they faced.

Professionally, Sam's career has been highly successful. In September 2017, Sam released “Too Good at Goodbyes,” which topped UK charts and made the US top five. The album, The Thrill Of It All, released in early November, topped the charts in eleven countries.

On March 20, 2018, they began their The Thrill of It All World Tour in Sheffield, England, covering Europe, North America, Asia, New Zealand, and Australia. The South Africa tour leg was cut short due to reported voice strain, later revealed to be due to stress from their breakup with ex-boyfriend Brandon Flynn.

On March 27, 2018, they released “Pray” featuring Logic, and on August 17, 2018, they were the main vocalist on Calvin Harris’s “Promises,” marking Sam's seventh UK number one hit.

In January 2019, they released the R&B-influenced “Dancing with a Stranger” with Normani from Fifth Harmony.

In July 2019, “How Do You Sleep” was released with a video that reached a hundred million views on YouTube in under two months.

In 2019, Sam received the Person of the Year award from Attitude Magazine for their advocacy work for the non-binary community.

Sam released a cover of “I Feel Love” on November 1, 2019, to positive reviews.

In 2020, their single “To Die For” was released in February, with their third album, Love Goes, launched on October 30, after a delay due to the pandemic.

At the end of September 2022, Sam released “Unholy” with Kim Petras, leading to a Grammy win in 2023 for Best Pop Duo.

On January 27, 2023, Sam released their fourth album, Gloria, marking a significant musical shift.

2024 is a special year marking the tenth anniversary of their first album, celebrated with a re-release and a concert at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the British Prom season. This decision by the BBC highlights Sam's impact on modern music.