Sam Smith gets candid about their new era of queer liberation: ‘I’m a sexual being’
Sam Smith at the Grammy Awards. (Frazer Harrison/Getty)
The arrival of Sam Smith’s fourth album Gloria has seen them enter their raunchiest era yet. Now, the pop icon has revealed why.
Speaking to Amazon Music about the origins of the album, Smith opened up about feeling “desexualised” over the course of their long career in the music industry.
“A lot of this album is me expressing sex, and I think a lot of queer people will identify with this, especially those who work in industries or have success from a young age,” they explained. “You do tend to feel like you’ve been a bit desexualised.”
Smith, who started out in music in their early twenties, has since used this new era to reclaim their narrative and unapologetically celebrate their body and their identity.
Whether it’s through donning a denim miniskirt and matching codpiece in their Perfect Magazine shoot, or feigning a golden shower in their “I’m Not Here to Make Friends” music video, Smith has made sure to put their queerness front and centre.
Their artistic expression isn’t just about grabbing the spotlight, though; it’s about feeling liberated in their sexuality.
“I think that I felt like I couldn’t talk about sex and express my sexuality in certain ways, whether it’s through dance or song,” Smith continued.
“This album is the first time that I’m sharing the fact that I’m a sexual being. I think that is the artist’s job. Every time I make something I feel like I’m closer to figuring out who I am.”
While their videos and photoshoot aren’t dissimilar to provocative displays of sexuality we’ve seen for years in popular culture, from Madonna’s SEX book to Xtina’s “Dirrty” video, Smith has been the target of relentless vitriol over the last few months.
Bigots have raged about their unholy performances with Kim Petras at the Brit Awards and the Grammys, and bitterly complained after Smith joked about wanting to become a “fisherthem”.
For their queer fans though, Smith is doing everything right.
“I have started to put on a bit of weight the last few months and I’ve been super hard on myself, but Sam Smith’s looks have been super inspiring showing body positivity,” viral drag sensation Bailey J Mills shared after their Brit Awards performance.
“Sam Smith look good to me,” another summarised. “Folk’s fatphobia and femmephobia is what’s ugly.”
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