Sam Smith

Sam Smith emerged from the London periphery in 2012, their voice a cathedral of sorrow wrapped in gospel warmth and blue-eyed soul tradition. The breakthrough arrived via Disclosure's "Latch" and Naughty Boy's "La La La", both showcasing a timbre that could shatter glass and mend hearts simultaneously. Their debut In the Lonely Hour (2014) became a global phenomenon, shifting millions whilst harvesting four Grammys including Best New Artist and Record of the Year for "Stay With Me", a track later revealed to share DNA with Tom Petty's catalogue.

Smith's music operates within the grand lineage of British soul singers attempting to channel Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding through Home Counties melancholy. Their vocal approach favours operatic swells and whispered vulnerability, often cycling between major and minor modes to amplify romantic devastation. The Bond theme "Writing's on the Wall" made them the first openly non-binary artist to win an Oscar, though they wouldn't publicly claim that identity until 2019.

Gloria (2023) marked a conscious pivot toward queer liberation narratives, positioning Smith as both confessional balladeer and provocateur within mainstream pop's increasingly visible LGBTQ+ constellation.