Sam Smith, His Meteoric Rise, And His Fear Of Losing It All

Sam Smith is not the first British pop star to cross the pond to number one, but he may be the fastest.

The Guardian is reporting that Smith, 22, has gone from scrubbing bathrooms in Limehouse 7 days a week to being on the precipice of multimillions. Before his solo efforts, he sang on two dance club songs, Disclosure’s Latch and Naughty Boy’s La La La. Smith’s first solo album, In The Lonely Hour, had reached no. 2 in the U.S. charts, the highest ever debut for a British singer. He is being touted as the male Adele, which makes some sense.

Adele’s guitarist Ben Thomas plays in Smith’s band; Adele collaborators Fraser T. Smith and Eg White have written and produced on Smith’s album; both defy the size-zero cut-and-paste pop star stereotype. Most importantly, for both artists the voice is paramount.

Smith says there is no created pressure here. “No. No way. The thing I take from the Adele stuff is the honesty, the fact that she just sings from her heart, because my music is completely different.”

In The Lonely Hour shares another Adele trait; Smith exposes his soul in it rawest form. It’s a semi-autobiographical account of unrequited love. Sometimes it feels like heartbreak by numbers; at others it is a powerfully felt personal statement. What is refreshing about the album is that Smith doesn’t make a drama about the fact that it’s dedicated to a man. There is also a touching innocence to it – he wrote it for young people yet to experience reciprocal love.

For Smith, the album was cathartic. “When I fell in love with this guy last year, it was the third person in my life I had had really strong feelings for and they’d never loved me back. And this album was almost a way for me to break the cycle. I will never let myself fall in love with someone again in that way.”

With all this going on, the touring and such, you would think Smith is focused on the tour solely. Digital Spy is reporting Smith has already begun writing his second album. Smith doesn’t want to rest on his laurels.

“I’m a complete control freak so I’ve already decided on the artwork and title to the album, which will change obviously,” Smith told Digital Spy.

“I think I will always be so scared on not doing this as a career, so the thought of just sitting back and enjoying the ride, and then late next year someone going, ‘Right, now we need to do [a] second album,’ and me not knowing what the f**k to do… I couldn’t do that.”

Sounds like an artist that wants to get to the top and stay there. In the meantime, he’s still looking for a place to rent. “I got burgled a few weeks ago, so now I’m actually homeless. I’m trying to find a place to live.”