Sam Smith Talks Heartbreak & His Oscars Controversy With Elton John In ‘Attitude’
Sam Smith is currently burning up the UK charts with his new single, “Too Good At Goodbyes,” but in an interview with Attitude, the 25-year-old revealed that his forthcoming album almost didn’t come together. Sitting down with music legend Elton John, the “Stay With Me” crooner opened up about a breakup that almost brought his career to a screeching halt.
“There was a period, when making this record, that I was in a really bad place. I got dumped, which wasn’t very nice,” he told Elton. Although in the past he has pulled inspiration from heartbreak and channelled the feelings into moving balladry, this time around he found it harder to get back in motion. After two months off, Sam explained that his team got him back into the studio to work on material, adding that it was tough at first but helped him adjust. “I feel like the year I spent writing new stuff was a recovery period, to get used to this new job that I have. This new world that I’m living in,” he explained.
The conversation also turned towards Sam’s flub at last year’s Oscars. While accepting the award for Best Original Song for his James Bond anthem “Writing’s On the Wall,” he mistakenly announced that he was the first openly gay man to take home an Oscar. “Basically, I just fucked up. I was so nervous,” he said, adding “I’d read Sir Ian McKellen’s interview the day before saying that no openly gay man had ever won the Oscar for best actor, and in that moment my brain and my mouth didn’t work together. That’s nerves for you.” He was quick to apologize for the error, but the damage had been done. After a couple weeks of agonizing about it, he said that he (and Ian) had moved on.
Within the pages of the feature Sam also discussed his competitive streak with Ed Sheeran, shared more about writing for his sophomore album and teased a crush on a Hollywood star. See the full cover below.
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