Sam Smith is continuing to share their journey to living truthfully nearly four years after going public about their nonbinary identity.
A four-time Grammy winner, Smith spoke at length with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe this week ahead of the Friday release of their fourth studio album, “Gloria.” In the interview, the singer-songwriter said changing their pronouns to they/them in 2019 “felt like a coming home.” But Smith acknowledged they felt the sting of anti-LGBTQ sentiment directed at them immediately afterward, even by some former fans.
“In my personal life, there’s not one negative,” Smith said. “My family, they can communicate with me. … My love life has become better from it. I feel lovable. I feel comfortable in my skin [and] I wear what I want to wear.”
“The only negatives in the struggle have been in my public life and my job,” they continued. “I’m being abused in the street verbally more than I ever have. Someone spat at me in the street. If that’s happening to me and I’m famous, I’m a pop star ― can you imagine what other kids, like queer kids, are feeling? It’s just so sad that we’re in 2023 and it’s still happening.”
Smith was able to channel much of their pain and frustration into “Gloria.” The 13-track set includes the No. 1 single “Unholy” with Kim Petras and features Smith exploring a more danceable sound. “Who We Love,” Smith’s new collaboration with Ed Sheeran, is another highlight.
