(Photo courtesy of Deluxe Edition)Sunday night at the Grammys, Sam Smith took home four awards, including record of the year, best vocal pop album, song of the year and best new artist. Sound reminiscent? Well, critics are comparing the sweep to similar Grammy night solo sweeps like Adele and Amy Winehouse.
He didn't just appear out of thin air, though it could be said that his career picked up steam significantly in the past year. Smith's debut album, "The Lonely Hour," blew up in the U.S. when track list gems like "Stay With Me" and later, "I'm Not The Only One" hit the radio toward the end of 2014.
But who is this man behind the original voice and where did he come from?
Sam Smith was born in Cambridgeshire, England, on May 19, 1992, and began singing at a very young age. His parents invested in his voice after hearing him sing along to Whitney Houston's "My Love Is Your Love" and paired him with a local jazz singer for more formal training.
Smith is no stranger to managers, balancing input from around six advisers beginning around the age of just 12 years old. They all promised him his big break.
After controversy at his mother's job concerning her dedication to Smith, his work all finally paid off. His appearance in Disclosure's hit "Latch" topped charts in 2012, putting Smith's name on the map in the U.K. and later in the U.S.
Smith shortly followed with his original single, "Lay Me Down," which would star as the feature track from his album, later released in May in the U.K. and June in the U.S. After a short period of time, he was charming our car radios daily.
For those who have listened to Smith's full album, it's hard not to notice the subtle choice of gender specific pronouns. We live in a music culture where girl meets boy and so on and so forth lives as the typical norm.
But in songs like "Leave Your Lover" and "Like I Can," Smith makes it clear that his confessed, unrequited love is specifically targeted at a man. The singer/songwriter has expressed in numerous interviews his desire to write lyrics that apply to everyone and graciously points his success to the man who broke his heart, allowing him to pour his artistic desire into this album.
Whether you listen to his music or not, it's obvious that this genuine artist is coming from a place of emotional honesty and breaking ground for other LGBT performers alike. All music aside, there's a lot of respect in that.
Check out Smith's album on iTunes or Spotify, as tracks that have caught on in the U.K. still remain quiet here in the U.S.
Reach the reporter at Faith.Decker@asu.edu or follow @TheFaithDecker on Twitter.
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