Speaker 1: Is it just me a podcast by a couple of midges? Mitch,
Speaker 1: you caught up with Sam Smith recently?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I did. This is the I think officially the
Speaker 2: third time we spoke. They were actually my last interview
Speaker 2: face to face pre COVID. Oh really yeah, when they
Speaker 2: were here for Marti Gras, we sat down, had like
Speaker 2: a twenty minute chat, and then I think it blew
Speaker 2: up a couple of weeks even days later.
Speaker 1: Doesn't that feel like a lifetime ago? But also it
Speaker 1: feels like yesterday that it was Marti Gras.
Speaker 2: Oh, I know literally? And did how good? That Sam's
Speaker 2: last performance was gay as possible flying around in a
Speaker 2: giant harness and wings and.
Speaker 1: Exactly, and you tell me that you didn't stuff up that?
Speaker 1: They then pronouns once during this chat.
Speaker 2: No, I am all over it. I was well conscious
Speaker 2: and I'm very careful the whole time. But I think
Speaker 2: if you tread and tiptoe around that stuff, then you're
Speaker 2: gonna screw it up. I just went in wanting to
Speaker 2: have a good chat, and that's what happened.
Speaker 1: And the posts that note helped.
Speaker 2: The posted note stuck next to the webcam, you almost
Speaker 2: could see the corner inside the webcam.
Speaker 1: But I think it's good that you even go to
Speaker 1: the effort of having a post that note, because you know,
Speaker 1: practice makes perfect totally. It's something that some people struggle with.
Speaker 1: You know what really helped me with the they then
Speaker 1: pronoun thing, because you know how you always hear people say, oh,
Speaker 1: they is referring to more than one person. It doesn't
Speaker 1: make sense to talk about one person.
Speaker 2: Using they there. They're not a group of people exactly.
Speaker 1: So do you know what actually helped me make sense
Speaker 1: of it? Someone gave an example. They were like, all right,
Speaker 1: let's just say you find a lost wallet. You would say, oh,
Speaker 1: someone's lost their wallet. Oh have they gone far? I
Speaker 1: hope that they didn't have anything important in here? Oh
Speaker 1: I hope they haven't. You know, they're not stressed to
Speaker 1: talk about one person using they in that context. So
Speaker 1: it's like, if you don't know their gender, you just
Speaker 1: say that, yeah, there's no specified gender, you just say that.
Speaker 2: Very handy. All right, well I did nail it. Think
Speaker 2: of the lost wallet if you're ever struggling. I'm sure
Speaker 2: that Sam would be a Gucci wallet too. We wouldn't
Speaker 2: be around a girl velcro wallet, would they?
Speaker 1: No? Also, I am a big fan of the new album.
Speaker 2: Actually, oh Love Goes. It's got very sad. It's quite
Speaker 2: a vibe though maybe I'm fair. Well that's what we
Speaker 2: talk about. I'm like, are you going to go back
Speaker 2: to Path? And they were like nah, like maybe in
Speaker 2: eighty years. It was actually a really really nice, fun,
Speaker 2: laid back conversation. So we'll roll it now, Sam Smith
Speaker 2: and I from this week enjoy still Midnight.
Speaker 3: Hey, how were you?
Speaker 2: I am so good. I really am so good. How
Speaker 2: are you? You're glowing looks up a pinch of cheeks
Speaker 2: like your grandma, look at you.
Speaker 3: Thank you. No, I'm doing really good. Thanks, I mean,
Speaker 3: look's as good as we can. I'm doing all right.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Well, I was just thinking, the last time you
Speaker 2: were here, and the last time we were face to
Speaker 2: face was for Mardi Gras, and thank Christ, the last
Speaker 2: time you were here it was for the gayest of
Speaker 2: end possible. What a great way to sort of before
Speaker 2: pre COVID life.
Speaker 3: Right, I know, I know, I literally yeah, we literally
Speaker 3: went out with the band. You know, last party I
Speaker 3: went to, I was flying in the air and address.
Speaker 3: Yeah we got I got I got my I definitely
Speaker 3: got my field before lockdown.
Speaker 2: That was your silly Queen of the Desert moment. How
Speaker 2: good living your best life? Will we be loved having
Speaker 2: you here? There's so much to talk about quickly. Has
Speaker 2: COVID been for you, because I know in the UK
Speaker 2: it was sort of crazy and then it was sort
Speaker 2: of got good and then now it's sort of going back.
Speaker 2: Is everything all right over there?
Speaker 3: It's okay. I think there's a new normal that's definitely
Speaker 3: set in. I think winter's going to be difficult. There's
Speaker 3: there's a constant, you know, the state of everything at
Speaker 3: the moment. You know, it is really hard. It's hard
Speaker 3: to it to struggle every day. I think, just to
Speaker 3: step up and and and be hopeful. But I'm I'm
Speaker 3: pretty certain we're all going to be okay and we're
Speaker 3: going to get through this. And yeah, it's been. Lockdown
Speaker 3: has been. I haven't lost anyone close to me, so
Speaker 3: I feel really I feel like commenting on it, I
Speaker 3: feel awkward sometimes because I've had a you know, I've
Speaker 3: been resting and I've been at home and working when
Speaker 3: I can. But a lot of people have had a
Speaker 3: really hard time.
Speaker 2: Yeah, agree, it's hard coming from a place of privilege,
Speaker 2: when we I mean, we both are very lucky to
Speaker 2: live the lives that we live. And some people, you know,
Speaker 2: I'll have to go to work and they're face to
Speaker 2: face with the pandemic. So it's hard to comment, like
Speaker 2: you said, but you know, I'm glad you're safe. I'm
Speaker 2: glad you've been creative or you has it sort of
Speaker 2: like put a dampner on your creative process.
Speaker 3: Oh no, you know what you know. And me, I
Speaker 3: love being sad, so you know, whenever I'm sad. Right,
Speaker 3: So I've been I've been making lots of great music.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Sam Smith has been in isolation for years. This
Speaker 2: is what they do. So let's talk about Let's talk
Speaker 2: about the new record, Love Goes, because it is it
Speaker 2: really is a beautiful, beautiful album, and I think it
Speaker 2: does so many things for you. But I think it
Speaker 2: just shows the world that you are a brilliant songwriter
Speaker 2: and you have such great vocal power. It's just so
Speaker 2: stripped back for you. I mean in parts, I mean
Speaker 2: there is just that pop element which we love from you,
Speaker 2: but it just really goes to show that you at
Speaker 2: your core are such a brilliant artist and you can
Speaker 2: you can just do it all which is incredible, but
Speaker 2: also it makes me want to just go, Oh my god,
Speaker 2: someone needs to hug Sam Smith, who hurt you?
Speaker 3: Thank you so much for all those compliments. That's really sweet.
Speaker 3: It's true. Oh my god, don't worry. I don't need
Speaker 3: a hug. I'm all right. I hugged myself. I've learned
Speaker 3: how to hug myself. I've got good family and friends.
Speaker 3: Do you know what I'm I just I'm I'm someone
Speaker 3: who enjoys the melancholy. I find the realness of life addictive,
Speaker 3: you know. I I'm I'm I find sad emotions or
Speaker 3: vulnerable emotions to be kind of more powerful sometimes than
Speaker 3: happiness in a weird way. And I think I like
Speaker 3: to tap into that. And you know, when I'm really
Speaker 3: happy and full of joy, I'm not normally in the studio,
Speaker 3: I'm actually out enjoying myself probably, but when I'm when
Speaker 3: I'm in the studio, I I I try and tap
Speaker 3: into something that moves me, you know, And normally that
Speaker 3: is someone else's story or mine or whatever. You know.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so I feel like, I mean, there clearly is
Speaker 2: a relationship, maybe one, maybe two, I don't know at
Speaker 2: play within this record. Was it a big breakup for
Speaker 2: you I'm imagining or was it a series? Was it
Speaker 2: little things? Or I mean because there are lyrics that
Speaker 2: just make me think this has something to do with
Speaker 2: a someone or I don't know, maybe a big relationship
Speaker 2: or is that what it's about.
Speaker 3: A big relationship? You know. I I've been in relationships
Speaker 3: about my life. They're normally the majority of them been
Speaker 3: unrequited relationships where I've been in love and the other
Speaker 3: person hasn't. This this one was my first ever relationship,
Speaker 3: you know. And I think a first ever relationship for someone,
Speaker 3: for anyone is a big one, but I think especially
Speaker 3: for queer people because we normally have our first relationships
Speaker 3: a little bit later than everyone else. Yeah, not everyone,
Speaker 3: but a lot of us do. I think our first
Speaker 3: relationships as well as like a massive mirror being putting
Speaker 3: our faces for the first time where we really see
Speaker 3: all the all the difficult things we've gone through and
Speaker 3: the things we don't like about ourselves because of the world,
Speaker 3: because of what the world's taught us. So it was
Speaker 3: definitely definitely my first proper heartbreak, you know. And this
Speaker 3: was and it was hard, but I got through it
Speaker 3: through creating a safe space in the studio and singing
Speaker 3: my ass through it. That's basically how I got got
Speaker 3: through it.
Speaker 2: Not singing through my no I was gonna say, Wow,
Speaker 2: that'd be a great single. I loved it. I can't
Speaker 2: wait for the film clip for that one. My god.
Speaker 2: I feel like you're just a big old romantic. Are
Speaker 2: you like a love a love letter or a note leaver?
Speaker 2: Like I with my boyfriend? I write little notes every morning.
Speaker 2: I'm like, have a great day, which is so cheesy,
Speaker 2: But is that? Like? What are you? What's your like
Speaker 2: romantic thing that you do that.
Speaker 3: Is so beautiful? I'm so jealous.
Speaker 2: I can write you know, I can old DM them
Speaker 2: to you won't.
Speaker 3: Be as Please join me? Yeah? Can I?
Speaker 2: I'll be the third twenty twenty we can be.
Speaker 3: I'm a massive romantic. I'm China. Also like, sometimes I'm
Speaker 3: too much of a romantic, so I expect way too
Speaker 3: much from people. So I definitely need to like hold
Speaker 3: back on that sometimes. But I'd be a no person.
Speaker 3: Love a flower? Give me a flower and I'll melt.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I agree. Chocolate works for me to in bed.
Speaker 3: That really would get me? That would really get me?
Speaker 2: Are you a foot massage. Guy, I love a good
Speaker 2: foot message.
Speaker 3: No, don't touch my feet, really no one.
Speaker 2: You'll sing for your ass, but you don't want your
Speaker 2: feet touched. What is going on? Sam Smith? Thank cute?
Speaker 2: I'm delving into into the life of how cute. There's
Speaker 2: a lyric though in one of the in one of
Speaker 2: the songs where you say, I think it's my mom
Speaker 2: says I'm a romantic and you shouldn't be something like that?
Speaker 2: Was that? Was that something growing up that I'm probably
Speaker 2: butchering the lyric, but that you were told like it's
Speaker 2: a romantic, Like, just pull it back a bit, Sammie,
Speaker 2: pull back.
Speaker 3: I think so. I think so. My dad's a romantic.
Speaker 3: My dad is a crazy romantic. Your dad, but you
Speaker 3: know to this day, you know he's just got married
Speaker 3: two years ago. But he's like, he'll meet someone and
Speaker 3: after the first days, I've met the love of my
Speaker 3: life and it's like it's like he's he's in a movie.
Speaker 3: My mom, on the other hand, is a bit more
Speaker 3: of a realist. So you know, I'll go on a
Speaker 3: few dates with someone, I'll be like, no, not my vibe,
Speaker 3: and my Mom's like stick it out, stick it out
Speaker 3: it might be something really good, and I'm like, no,
Speaker 3: but I didn't get goose bumps. So I think I've
Speaker 3: got a good mixture of both.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I know you may, but he touched my fate back.
Speaker 2: That's right, fate. I got a run out of time.
Speaker 2: We have to talk. Let's talk about kids again, because
Speaker 2: this song, it hits hard. I mean, even after all
Speaker 2: this time, I kind of miss you still. I mean
Speaker 2: everyone has been through that, everyone's felt that. Don't it
Speaker 2: make you sad that will never be kids again? I
Speaker 2: mean that's tough too. What's at the core of this song?
Speaker 2: What is it about?
Speaker 3: I mean, the chord of the song is about looking
Speaker 3: back at a relationship after you've moved on, and after
Speaker 3: you're feeling good and still looking back. And you know,
Speaker 3: there's always whenever I look back at any of my relationships,
Speaker 3: you know, even friendships and stuff, there's a pang of
Speaker 3: sadness sometimes because I won't ever be back there again,
Speaker 3: you know, and it's kind of it's a mad feeling.
Speaker 3: But also the song for me symbolizes the end of
Speaker 3: this record. You know, it's the last song on the record,
Speaker 3: and it's it's basically I think this is my kind
Speaker 3: of way of leaving pop music a little bit. You know,
Speaker 3: I love pop music and I've had such an amazing
Speaker 3: time exploring it. This album. I'm always going to make it,
Speaker 3: for sure, but I'm not going to write with the
Speaker 3: intent of making it, which I did with this album.
Speaker 3: So it's this is for me, It's it's it's the
Speaker 3: song that hands you over to album four, which I'm
Speaker 3: doing that.
Speaker 2: And also you can come back to pop. I mean,
Speaker 2: for God's sake, if you want to do pop wlightering life,
Speaker 2: you'll do pop wightering live right.
Speaker 3: Well, well, of course probably I'll get to like seventy
Speaker 3: and then be like, I'm going to bring seventeen.
Speaker 2: I reckon, you'll do it in three years You'll be
Speaker 2: like such I missaid, I'm gonna release Bob May as well. Probably, Yeah,
Speaker 2: we love it. You're coming up to thirty two. How
Speaker 2: do you feel You're anxious coming over to thirty or
Speaker 2: do you feel like ready for this moment in your life?
Speaker 3: I mean, I'm yeah, I'm twenty eight, I've got a
Speaker 3: year and yeah, year and a half, and then I'm
Speaker 3: then I'm at thirty. Do you know what I'm not
Speaker 3: gonna lie, I've been a bit like whoa, that's weird,
Speaker 3: Like whoa. It makes me like sometimes I get a
Speaker 3: bit like scared, like have I have I enjoyed my
Speaker 3: twenties enough? Have I enjoyed my twenty too much? But yeah,
Speaker 3: all the normal feelings. I'm excited. I think thirty is
Speaker 3: going to be an adventure, you know, and I'm feeling
Speaker 3: so much better in my skin twenties. Your twenties are
Speaker 3: almost like this kind of it's like it's like it's
Speaker 3: like Bambi.
Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, a giraffe learning like a baby giraffe learning
Speaker 2: how to walk like sort of like wobbly falling over.
Speaker 2: I know what you mean. And especially like you said,
Speaker 2: as quick people, right, it really is hard. I think
Speaker 2: we go through things so much later. I mean I
Speaker 2: came out at twenty three, got my first boyfriend at
Speaker 2: twenty four, and it's a whole new world. Right You've
Speaker 2: got to learn things.
Speaker 3: Speak, Yeah, and you have to. It's like a yeah,
Speaker 3: it's like a crash course in life, isn't it. Your twenties,
Speaker 3: especially as a queer person. You know, it's like headed
Speaker 3: it stick and like ah, but yeah, I'm getting stable now, which.
Speaker 2: Is good good. I'm glad to see it, and I
Speaker 2: can see it in you. I just I love watching
Speaker 2: your journey and you've done so much in the last
Speaker 2: like twelve months alone, I mean, being like a queer,
Speaker 2: non binary performer and probably one of the biggest names
Speaker 2: in the world. Did you feel any sort of hesitation
Speaker 2: making choices or putting music out or speaking openly about
Speaker 2: your sexuality or you know, being a non binary artist.
Speaker 2: Do you feel sort of like, oh, I'm going to
Speaker 2: think before I speak now, or are you in a
Speaker 2: space of comfort that you're like, you know what, I
Speaker 2: can speak freely about this stuff.
Speaker 3: Yeah. I mean, I think when I changed my pronouns
Speaker 3: and everything, it was the complete opposite to that. I
Speaker 3: think I couldn't hold it in anymore, and I was
Speaker 3: so I felt so kind of silenced by myself and
Speaker 3: about and from a few people around me, felt so
Speaker 3: much shame about things that I needed to just go
Speaker 3: well and let it out and speak about it. And
Speaker 3: I did. Now I feel so good. I feel free
Speaker 3: to say what I want. But I'm also learning now
Speaker 3: to also not give everything away and keep something myself.
Speaker 3: You know, it's about me being healthy up here, So
Speaker 3: I will share when I feel when my cup is full,
Speaker 3: you know, when more cups going down, then I need
Speaker 3: to hold back and look after myself.
Speaker 2: Well, I mean, thirty is going to be good to you.
Speaker 2: I think thirty is the year that you get into faith.
Speaker 2: And I don't want to keep pushing the feet thing, Sam,
Speaker 2: but I just think you need to dabble in and
Speaker 2: some feet fun. You know, it's a whole your world.
Speaker 2: You know, a big toe can be exciting. We love
Speaker 2: you in Australia. I could talk for another hour with you,
Speaker 2: but when when you can get back down here next,
Speaker 2: I'd love to have you. And now that we're officially
Speaker 2: in a throttle, we're going to have to see more
Speaker 2: of each other.
Speaker 3: I think let's go for a drink.
Speaker 2: Yestre. We'll go with Trent. I know Trent really well
Speaker 2: and obviously I know you do, so we'll get drinks
Speaker 2: when Oh sounds like heaven. We love you. We love
Speaker 2: the album and I'm so excited that we have this
Speaker 2: different side to you and it's it's just brilliant. I
Speaker 2: love your work. So congratulations, thank you so much.
Speaker 3: Thank you. That was a lovely chat.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was so much fun and we will We'll
Speaker 2: see you when we can. I'm getting all these messages
Speaker 2: going quick. Sam's very busy, so I'm very sorry.
Speaker 3: So good, don't worry, don't mind. That was a joy all.
Speaker 2: Right talking to me. Thank you guys, see ya much love.
Speaker 2: You can follow the show online just search a couple
Speaker 2: of miches. If you don't, you're a tighead.