Sam Smith needs to dance. Nearly every night during the pandemic, Smith has twirled around in the garden, blasting Robyn via headphones. The Grammy-winning singer and songwriter — who came out as nonbinary last year, and uses they/them pronouns — may be best known for slow, simmering ballads about heartbreak and despair. But their new album, “Love Goes,” due Oct. 30, delves into sleek, thoroughly danceable pop. “I just wanted to make something that felt lighter to me,” the musician said.
In 2018, Smith released “Promises,” a sparkling Calvin Harris collaboration that provided “permission to just really lean into the pop lover in me.” Smith wrote the new record mostly on the go, during the 94-show tour for their 2017 album, “The Thrill of It All.” “I didn’t have any time or space to really listen to the body of work,” Smith said. Then lockdown hit.
The album was originally scheduled for the spring, with the title “To Die For,” but the name quickly felt inappropriate and Smith came to realize the LP wasn’t finished. They considered not releasing it at all. Instead, Smith tweaked the album, and acknowledges there are new pressures to contend with: “Love Goes” might be a bubblier listen than their audience is used to, and the record stems from a period of personal and musical exploration.
“I’m always fearful that since talking about my gender expression, people won’t listen to this record because of that,” they said. “That makes me sad. But I feel really confident in the music I’ve made — it’s my story, and it’s my life.”
Smith took a break from promoting the album — and indulging in “too many” tuna melts — to chat about their 10 cultural must-haves over Zoom. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
1. Andrew Haigh Movies
He directed “Weekend,” this incredible queer film [shot] in Nottingham. Just this beautiful, slow, simple story about two guys meeting one night and spending a weekend with each other. I find it real and raw and honest and awkward. I remember when I did my first tour with my first album, I went to San Francisco for the first time and basically pretended I was in [his film] “Looking.”
2. “Table Manners With Jessie Ware” Podcast
It’s just been a joy to listen and watch what she’s done with it and the conversations she’s had. I love wholesome things, and her and her mum just cooking and eating and talking about life with people, I just always find it so heartwarming and British and wonderful.
I met Jessie the first time I ever performed “Latch” with Disclosure. I was onstage and I’d never used in-ears [monitors] before. I panicked because I couldn’t really hear my voice, and I remember frantically turning to my right and Jessie was there watching me. She ran around the back of the stage and stood with the sound engineer and got me through the performance. She was like a mum to me, to be honest, like a big sister. I’m just happy that people get to hear that side of her on this podcast.
3. Horse Meat Disco
It’s this queer night in London in this pub called the Eagle — it’s basically a night of the best disco music you can imagine. When I moved to London as a young queer kid, I didn’t know anyone, and there was this guy who lived on my street and told me to come out one night. When I was younger, I found a lot of queer spaces quite scary and intimidating, and when I walked into this pub, it was almost like this queer church. I just felt so safe. I’ve always gone back throughout my life, it has been there whenever I feel sad.
4. J.W. Anderson
I’ve recently started wearing his clothes for the first time. Fashion for me has always been something that I’ve been afraid of — I’m a larger lady, so I’ve always felt like it wasn’t for me. He’s made me feel seen a little bit within that world through his clothes, everything he does, the way he presents himself. I find his clothes to be brave and bold and unforgivingly queer.
5. David Attenborough
Last night I was sitting at home, and I watch everything he does, so I watched his new film “A Life on Our Planet” and I was just so moved. Music, everything I do in my life, what does it mean if the world around us is slowly dying? I know it sounds really depressing, but I also found a lot of hope in this film because it just made me so passionate about what I can do to stop this from happening. At the end you see Chernobyl after the disaster and nature has taken over. It’s this huge luscious place with all these animals and trees grown over it.
For me there’s this constant, daily actually, ritual of understanding that nature is all around us and we are part of it and we need to harmonize with it. I always find that when I’m feeling anxious or in my head, I find it very comforting to know we are part of something much bigger than ourselves.
6. Scotland
Scotland is the most beautiful place. It feels pure, the weather is so dramatic all year around, the food is amazing. There’s just a spirit up there that I love and I’m obsessed with. The thing about Scotland is you don’t really have to dress up. You can just walk around in pajamas basically all day, like sweatpants and jumpers, and nobody’s really bothered about how they look. They’re just enjoying their life.
7. Rihanna
We’ve met a handful of times, and I just adore her. After spending time with her I’ve always left feeling so happy. I watched the second Fenty show the other day and my love for her grew even more — the way she’s celebrating human beings and different bodies and all these things, it’s so exciting to me. Seeing Lizzo in the Fenty show was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. It’s such an example of someone using their power in the right way.
The first time I met Ri, she came to my show at the Greek [Theater] and she makes you feel like she’s known you forever. I just feel very lucky to have her as an icon. And she smells incredible.
8. Robert Mapplethorpe
I love black-and-white photography, and his is some of the most incredible queer photography there is in the world. Some of it’s quite violent and shocking and incredibly strong and powerful.
I’ve always adored reading about that New York scene. I read “Just Kids,” Patti Smith’s book, a few years ago and it really dissected him as an artist. It was such an exciting time to read about — Andy Warhol, the Chelsea Hotel, those amazing stories about Janis Joplin and the artists who came through and the freedom and expression and sex and love, all these things that have shaped the community and made it possible for me to be out and free in the way that I’ve been.
9. Real Bodies
I’ve always really struggled with body stuff. As a kid I would never take off my top. I’ve missed so many years of enjoying the sun on my skin because I was so self-conscious about my body. Part of my therapy and the last two years have really been trying to tackle it, because I’ve just gotten so fed up with feeling so insecure and ashamed. I’m now just obsessed with seeing photography, films, paintings, anything that celebrates the human body in its real form.
We’ve all chucked around the words self-love, body love, but for me it’s now become about acceptance. I love seeing stretch marks and wrinkles and spots and all these things that we need to reprogram our minds to think of as beautiful attributes of the human body. The biggest moment for me was when Beth Ditto was on the cover of Love Magazine. It was the first time I saw a larger body being celebrated like that.
10. Pubs
They’re just these wonderful places. They feel like houses. So many of my greatest memories and happiest moments have been in pubs, sharing stories, doing quizzes, going on dates, having birthdays. My best friend Emily from school worked at a pub down the road. When I used to come back from tour I’d go and sit by the bar and we’d just chat. It was such a lovely routine that just felt so homey and wholesome and like it was never going to change. I think I’m going to end up just being this old, fabulous drunken gay who sits by the bar and drinks whiskey and chats to strangers and talks to myself.
Source: Music - nytimes.com
