Sam Smith Merch
Sam Smith Merch - First Hits
Smith’s first moment in the spotlight would come when the dance/electronica duo Disclosure released its 2012 song “Latch,” to which Smith lent their vocals. The track featured the singer’s melodic falsetto over Disclosure’s electronic beat. “Latch,” featuring a stripped-down sound that made the listener take notice of Smith’s vocal work, resonated in a big way with music fans and critics alike and laid the groundwork for their future success in the UK and beyond. “Latch” reached the top of the UK singles chart when Smith was just 21, and they soon released their own single, “Lay Me Down.”
Smith’s next hit was again via a featured role on another artist’s song: Naughty Boy’s Bollywood-inspired “La La La.” With Smith’s lead vocal, the song became an instant No. 1 single in the UK in the spring of 2013. In the fall, Smith released their first EP, Nirvana, on which listeners were treated to an acoustic version of “Latch.”
A few months later, in February 2014, Smith was again at the top of the UK singles chart with “Money on My Mind,” and in May 2014, their full-length debut, In the Lonely Hour, was released in the UK.
Coming Out and Awards Success
The same month that In the Lonely Hour was released, Smith told the world they were gay. They also revealed that despite the album being full of love songs, they’ve never experienced it firsthand. “I’ve never been in a relationship before,” they said to the magazine Fader. “In the Lonely Hour is about a guy that I fell in love with last year, and he didn’t love me back. … I was in a very dark place.”
That dark place has taken Smith to some very exciting, rewarding arenas. At the 2015 Grammy Awards, Smith and their record took four awards: Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album, Record of the Year and Song of the Year (“Stay With Me”).
“Before I made this record I was doing everything to try and get my music heard,” Smith said during one of his four acceptance speeches. “It was only until I started to be myself that the music started to flow and people started to listen.”