Sam Smith

Emerging abruptly into widespread recognition through their vocal contribution to Disclosure's "Latch" during 2012, a worldwide phenomenon that foregrounded the performer's uniquely emotive high tenor, Sam Smith has developed into one of pop music's foremost interpreters of introspective ballads. Drawing from powerhouse vocal traditions exemplified by Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan, later interpreters such as Amy Winehouse and Adele, plus an early immersion in church music, Smith stepped forward as a principal act with the 2014 release In the Lonely Hour. Achieving multi-platinum status both in the artist's home country of the U.K. and across the U.S., the record secured Best New Artist plus three further Grammy wins amid extensive industry honors. The follow-up arrived in 2017 as The Thrill of It All, an emotionally charged set leaning into Southern soul and gospel textures, and by the close of the decade the performer had secured six U.K. number-one singles under their own name: "Money on My Mind," "Stay with Me," and "Lay Me Down," succeeded by the Academy Award-winning James Bond theme "Writing's on the Wall," "Too Good at Goodbyes," and the Calvin Harris joint effort "Promises." Additional U.K. Top 20 entries carried the artist into the new decade and paved the way for 2020's Love Goes, after which the Grammy-winning "Unholy" and its accompanying album Gloria appeared in 2023.

Prior to achieving mainstream success at age 21, the London-born vocalist and songwriter maintained a balance between academic studies and musical pursuits, participating in choirs, fronting bands, and appearing in theatrical productions. A fervent vocal style rooted in Catholic traditions and an array of classic soul figures took shape during this period, leading to a pair of modestly received independent singles in the late 2000s, "Bad Day All Week" and "When It's Alright." Still in their late teens, Smith reached a far broader listenership in late 2012 by supplying the lead vocal on Disclosure's "Latch." The track's potent, rolling fusion of U.K. garage and modern dance-pop climbed to number 11 in the U.K. and attained platinum certification there. Stateside progress proved slower, yet the single eventually attained number seven and earned triple-platinum status.

Smith's debut major-label solo release, issued in February 2013, shifted toward adult contemporary territory. Crafted by Jimmy Napes and Steve Fitzmaurice, "Lay Me Down" evoked the minimalist ballad approach that had served Adele well, another artist the singer has cited. Just three months afterward, producer and songwriter Shahid "Naughty Boy" Khan followed his Emeli Sandé-fronted U.K. Top Ten success "Wonder" with "La La La," spotlighting Smith's vocal after the latter had wrapped support dates for Sandé. The collaboration immediately claimed the top spot in the U.K. and reached number 19 in the U.S. That October saw the release of the Nirvana EP, which featured both "Lay Me Down" and an acoustic rendering of "Latch."

By late February 2014 Smith returned to number one in the U.K. with "Money on My Mind," a cut pairing their measured delivery with Two Inch Punch's high-energy production. The debut album In the Lonely Hour arrived that May in the U.K. and immediately led the chart, then surfaced the next month in the U.S., where it reached number two. The tracks "Stay with Me," "I'm Not the Only One," and "Lay Me Down" each entered the Top Ten on both sides of the Atlantic. Named the second-biggest seller of 2014 in the U.K. and U.S., trailing only projects by Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift respectively, the album earned trophies from the BRITs, Billboard, BET, and the Recording Academy. Smith nearly captured the four major Grammy categories, taking Best New Artist along with Song of the Year and Record of the Year for the Darkchild remix of "Stay with Me," produced by Rodney Jerkins. Although In the Lonely Hour missed Album of the Year, it did claim Best Pop Vocal Album.

During 2015 Smith reunited with Disclosure for "Omen," later included on the duo's album Caracal. The singer also received the distinction of performing the theme for a James Bond installment; "Writing's on the Wall," created for Spectre, became the first such theme to top the U.K. chart. An expanded "Drowning Shadows Edition" of In the Lonely Hour appeared that November, incorporating fresh material and earlier stray tracks. After Golden Globe and Academy Award victories for "Writing's on the Wall," Smith spent the bulk of 2016 and early 2017 in the studio with longtime associates Jimmy Napes and Steve Fitzmaurice. The lead single "Too Good at Goodbyes" from the second album surfaced in September 2017, reaching number one in the U.K. and the Top Five in the U.S. shortly before The Thrill of It All debuted at number one in both territories.

Promotion for that project concluded the following year, after which further singles emerged throughout 2018 and into 2019. Among them were three additional U.K. Top Ten entries: the chart-topping Calvin Harris collaboration "Promises," the Normani duet "Dancing with a Stranger" (also Top Ten in the U.S.), and "How Do You Sleep?" Work on a third album advanced in 2020 via "To Die For," which peaked at number 18 in the U.K. Preceded by a pair of further Top 20 showings with "I'm Ready" featuring Demi Lovato and "Diamonds," the album Love Goes arrived that October, landing at number two in the U.K. and number five on the Billboard 200.

Intending to move beyond collections centered on romantic melancholy, Smith shaped Gloria, the fourth studio album, into a broader exploration in both lyrical scope and sonic palette. The lead single "Love Me More" appeared in April 2022 and was followed five months later by "Unholy," a sinuous team-up with Kim Petras that Smith produced alongside Jimmy Napes, Cirkut, Ilya, Blake Slatkin, and Omer Fedi. Shortly after the track's arrival, Smith took the stage at London's Royal Albert Hall, incorporating the new song into a performance later excerpted on the Live from the Royal Albert Hall EP. "Unholy" topped the U.K. and U.S. pop charts and, weeks after Gloria's January 2023 release, earned Smith and Petras the Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.