Sam Smith covers the new issue of Rolling Stone, out today. The cover is… eh. I wouldn’t have put him in leather, but his face looks good. I always find it startling to see the difference in how female pop stars are photographed for RS versus how male pop stars are photographed. Sam’s RS interview comes just ahead of the Grammys (February 8), and he’s definitely rolling into the Grammys as a “favorite” for some of the big awards. But to hear him tell it, Grammy night is just going to be about Beyonce. You can read RS’s teaser article here. Some highlights:
Don’t call him the ‘Male Adele’: “We’re very different, and I feel like the constant comparisons might piss her off. It just annoys me that people can’t digest two pop stars singing really personal songs who don’t look like normal pop stars.”
He’s on an extreme diet for the Grammys: “I just want to lose weight for the Grammys, if I’m honest. I’m just very body-conscious. Sometimes I’m really proud that I don’t look like other pop stars. But there’s also moments where I’m like, ‘Ugh, I wish I had abs like Bieber.'”
Being up against Beyonce for Album of the Year: “She deserves it way more than I do. I’d be embarrassed if I got it over her. If I got it, I’d give it to her.”
Being called a “fa—ot” when he was a teenager: “I was just embarrassed that my dad had to see that, because I could only imagine how you feel as a parent. You just want to kill them. I was always embarrassed for the people around me. It actually never deeply affected me, you know?”
He also says that he was punched in the neck as soon as he moved to London, while he was out walking around wearing makeup. He also details a rather moving story of writing an intense love letter to a boy at his school, and receiving a thoughtful letter back from the guy, who wrote to tell him that he just saw Sam as a mate. That crush ended up looking out for him at school after that. As for the Beyonce stuff… well, I think Sam is probably going to win a few Grammys, but I think he’s specifically talking about Album of the Year. Which probably will got to Beyonce, not Sam.
Sam also has a nice interview in the music issue of GQ – go here to read. He talks about his friends in the industry (Taylor Swift) and how he loves Frank Sinatra.
Photos courtesy of Rolling Stone, Pari Dukovic/GQ.
He seems so nice.
He does! And I love the love letter story 🙂
I know right! What a heartwarming story. I really like Sam Smith. I’m not crazy about his songs, but I do like his voice and I adore him as a person. My nephew has such a crush on him and it’s definitely easy to see why.
They are really going for a George Michael look here aren’t they?
Me too. Almost the same thing happened to me in high school… after months of intense friendship and longing, I wrote a letter like that and received the same reaction. She kept in touch for years, making sure I was okay and sharing stories about her life and childhood.
Looking back, I always feel such deep gratitude and respect for her… it was 10-15 years ago, and most teenagers weren’t so accepting and loving toward same-sex admirers. If she’d cut me out of her life or told everyone, I would’ve been hurt and humiliated instead of just sad.
Yes that story is pretty darn sweet amidst the tales of bullying and general a-hole behavior of high school kids. Gives me a bit of hope.
He does, he needs not to bring so much attention to his looks,I would have never said he was fat or unattractive, he has this rugged Russell Crowe look, but I guess he is a bit insecure about it,especially belonging to a vanity ridden industry. Times are changing i mean look at Megan Trainer,Gaga they are not the conventional beauties.
I agree. I think he’s cute.
Yeah, I really don’t get that. It’s not like he’s by any means unattractive, really. He might not be pretty boy pop guy (it’s early, my descriptors are lacking) but it’s not like he looks like he suffered some face trauma, ya know?
Yeah, until the Howard Stern thing (and now this), I’d never heard him referenced as “unconventional” looking or overweight. To me, he looks like he stepped straight out of an 80’s band; he has a very “pretty” face and his layers of clothes always led me to assume he’s got a perfectly “normal” body.
Which he does. I guess if his image depends on breaking the mold and defying convention, that explains why it keeps coming up. But let’s be real… a guy who looks like HIM, versus a girl who looks like Adele? She’s obviously more gorgeous and talented, but women with extra weight have a much harder time getting anyone to take them seriously… especially in this industry. He looks like Alan Cummings or Boy George to me, and both have done just fine based on sheer talent and charisma alone.
It’s funny, his musings on his looks/weight reminds me of John Lennon, who was convinced he looked fat during their early years. Crazy, he was so adorable — as is Sam. Lennon ended up so painfully thin, I hope Sam doesn’t go that route and can accept his natural shape.
I hope voters don’t go crazy and vote for Sam just to see him give it to Beyonce for some good television.
‘Giving’ it doesn’t mean anything right? He would still be credited for it, i remember when Ving Rhymes gave his award to Jack Lemon, that was sweet.
Yes… that was so sweet. I just watched again, and it’s moving to see Jack enjoy it so much. He called it his favorite awards ceremony moment… and he died less than two years later. I’m so glad Ving gave him that moment at the end of his career.
That said, I doubt they’d make a replica for Sam to keep if it happened at the Grammys (like the Hollywood Foreign Press did for Ving).
Sweet feature but I’m tried of people kissing Beyonce’s ass like she’s some sort of goddess.
You don’t know? She absolutely is a Goddess 😛
I think she’s terribly overrated honestly.
I think shw’s overrated too. And her new album is awful.
Exactly, he deserves it, not Beyonce. Her album sucked.
Thank you. I have never liked her or her music. I just don’t get the worship.
Seriously. That album was TERRIBLE too. If it wasn’t Beyonce’s it wouldn’t have sold at all. Elevator music with not one decent song. I can’t believe she’s even going to be nominated. She needs better songs next time around.
He deserves album of the year.
And he better not give his Grammy to Beyonce if he wins. He deserves it for the work HE put into this album. Plus, she’s got waaaay more than she deserves already.
Yes. I’m tired of Beyoncé winning everything.
And you know, I think it’s kind of an insult to the people that have gotten him to that point if he DOES give it away. “sorry fans, and producers – I don’t think I deserve this.”
I don’t know. I’m still bumping Beyonce’s album a year later. I think the production, sound, musicality is awesomeness. My major issue with Sam Smith is that they heralded him as the next big R&B star but we have same level R&B singers not getting the recognition, like Luke James. I feel like Beyonce deserves the reward, because each song is truly amazing. I’m not a stan. I’ll call Bey out when she sucks and when I felt disappointed in an album.
He seems like a nice kid. Great voice.
He is talented and a good kid, hope he gets his album recognized.
The guy he crushed on in high school, who wrote back, is an absolute class act. What a lovely thing to do, rather than humiliating or alienating Sam.
+1
It’s good to see someone doing the right thing instead of being to worried about his own image and stupid homophobia.
If you don’t love somebody back, you don’t love him/her back, but there is no excuse to being rude/mean about it.
Yes. This is the message I continually try to impart to my own teen boys — treat all with kindness, no matter what outside forces might be pressuring you to do.
That interview had some poignant moments. The heartbreaking story about being embarrassed for his dad. The kind and decent kid who handled Sam’s love letter so well.
Doesn’t he want the Grammy? Beyonce doesn’t need another award to weigh down the shelf, especially if she doesn’t earn it. Bey isn’t a queen, and doesn’t have to be treated like one
He should win a couple of Grammys but I think he is overrated.There are many male R&B artists with better voices but they will never have crossover success.I am not a fan of his voice but I am happy he has been accepted and has been successful as a LGBT artist.
As for his looks he is not ugly but I don’t find him attractive.Maybe with age he will grow into his looks.George Michael was not attractive to me until he did Faith.
Also Sam was heavier until about a year ago so he still thinks of himself that way.He is still young .
If he gets it…keep it
I’m soooo over Bey- keep your Grammy
I hears him on Seacrest yesterday morning, and they asked him about this Grammy comment and he said if he wins, he’s absolutely keeping it for himself. He made it seem like it was just a throwaway comment/joke, and he seemed surprised it got picked up in the media the way it did.
#QueenBey
Bow Down
If he wins the Grammy, he has to share it with Tom Petty because of the whole plagiarism thing anyways.
Yes.
If he does win the award, he needs to keep it. But if he is deadset on giving it to Beyonce, I think he should hand it to Kanye so that justice can finally be done.
Anonymous internet confession: when I was in high school I was on the receiving end of one of those letters. I handled it all wrong. I was young and stupid. I was raised in the hills on a conservative part of the country by conservative parents and I was uneducated at the time. I showed it to the whole basketball team. I hate that I did it. I regret it immensely.