H
SAM SMITH FEATURE
The first time I heard Sam Smith’s soft
rich vocals was back in 2012 through the
uppity and catchy beats of Disclosure’s
breakthrough single, “Latch.” Co-written
by Smith, the track topped U.K. charts
within months of its release, but it wasn’t
until 2014 that it made an impression in
the U.S. -- peaking at #7 on the Billboard
Charts and nominated in the recent
[2015] Billboard Music Awards for “Top
Dance/Electronic Song.”
Born in Cambridgeshire, England,
Smith grew up idolizing artists like
Chaka Khan and Whitney Houston,
who is inadvertently responsible for his
career after his parents heard him sing
along to “My Love Is Your Love” one
morning when he was 8 years old. From
that moment forward he spent his time
in vocal training, theater rehearsals,
and performing at dinner parties. Not
only were multiple managers fighting
for his chance at fame, but he himself
was envisioning his stardom. In an
interview with GQ, Smith explained,
“There's always been a hunger in me not
necessarily to be successful, but to be
an icon. I just want to leave a mark—to be
kind of everlasting.”
His training was focused on jazzy,
traditional, and old style, standard
sounds similar to Frank Sinatra, with
"Come Fly with Me" as the song he
sang at his first signing when he was 10
years old. However, “Latch” showcased
Smith’s voice capabilities to mix his
that pain that led to his fame in only two
short years. At only 23, Smith’s musical
accomplishments are outstanding -winning the 2014 BRIT Critics Choice
Award and the BBC’s Sound of 2014 poll,
and four of his six