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♪ I do believe that you would relieve My tension ♪

You cannot escape the sound of Sam Smith.

The British singer-songwriter with the unforgettable voice

has taken the music world by storm.

Can't believe people know who I am.

Last year when I was here, no one knew who I was, so it's nice.

With his armload of trophies,

he crushed all competition

and became the king of the 2015 Grammys.

This is really awkward, holding these.

Samuel Frederick Smith was predestined for success.

There was a buzz about him within the music industry

long before he was unveiled as a solo artist.

♪ Cos you might fall To the ways of love ♪

♪ With my respect for the man above ♪

And I'd just get him to do some harmonies.

I thought, "This is going to take a couple of days",

and we'd have 'em done in an hour.

What is it you love about him so much?

I don't know. I just think he's so unique,

and I just love him.

♪ Out of our heads and back again ♪

That Sam Smith record is giving me my life.

Anything Sam Smith does, I'm like, "Done".

If he just, like, farted on a microphone,

I'd be like, "It's beautiful".

♪ Moments we care ♪

The soul sensation is no stranger to controversy.

He forged a note, I think,

saying that he had to attend his grandfather's funeral,

when actually it was a Lady Gaga concert in London,

and he wanted to get on the front row.

The whole world knows my business now.

I've got nothing else to hide.

♪ Fine young people ♪

As his critically-acclaimed debut album,

In The Lonely Hour, continues to ride

a tidal wave of chart victory on both sides of the Atlantic,

Sam Smith's commercial success seems unstoppable.

Things are incredible.

The ups and downs are pretty intense,

but when they're good, I'm the happiest I've ever been.

Samuel Frederick Smith grew up in Great Chishill,

a rural village in Cambridgeshire, England.

I grew up in a little village in Cambridgeshire in the UK.

My family are musical, and so they love music.

They love soul music, and that's all they used to play.

And we used to share music all the time and speak about music all the time,

and there was always music on in the house,

but, no, none of them did music.

Sam was a student at St. Mary's Catholic School,

where he was a member

of Bishop's Stortford's Junior Operatic Society.

This is a guy that went to a Catholic convent.

He went to youth orchestra.

Sam attended St. Mary's Catholic School from 2003 to 2010,

so he finished his GCSEs in 2008,

and then he progressed into the sixth form.

Sam studied dance, drama and film studies.

I wouldn't say he excelled, but he did really well.

I mean, he got good grades for his three A-levels.

He was a very enthusiastic student.

He was very interesting to have in the sixth form.

He was a real character. Everybody loved Sam.

I wouldn't necessarily describe him as a model pupil, but he worked hard,

met most of his deadlines, and did most of his homework.

I mean, he did skip a couple of classes once.

We found out that Sam had been to a concert, and he'd lied.

So, unfortunately, I had to reprimand him, and I didn't give him a detention.

We put him in what was called the inclusion unit,

which is an isolation where we have a member of staff in there,

and the students have to work in there for a couple of days,

and they have to reflect on their misdemeanours.

Sam had to fill out, like, a reflection about, you know, was he right to do this,

and he said, no, he made a mistake in doing it.

You know, and what did he need to think about

while he was in the inclusion unit?

And, you know, he said, "I'm a good kid".

"I don't really need to reflect on anything".

So reflecting on his mistake, but I think looking back now,

I'd have been quite happy to give him permission

to go to the Lady Gaga concert.

The young singer strengthened his vocal skills

in the Cantate Youth Choir

and later joined the Youth Music Theatre UK.

He was always interested in music.

We have a common room in the sixth form,

and Sam was always playing music in the common room from his iPod.

And you could tell he had a passion for music,

but really not studying music formally.

Sam first made headlines in 2009 when he was 15,

but not in a way he likes to remember.

His mother, a prominent banker, sued her employer after being fired

for allegedly promoting her son's pop career while at the office.

You've had a lot of support getting to this position,

haven't you, especially from your mum?

- Yes. - Cos she was working in the city.

- Yes. - Right here.

- She was, over there. - Over there, not too far away.

But, you know, because she was giving you so much support,

though, she ran into a bit of bother.

I was 15, and something came out in the newspapers

about my mum, which was strange.

It was actually more-- the more of the whole offensive thing

about that article was, actually, it was offensive towards my dad,

because my dad was the one who used to drive me...

- Yeah. - ...after school to all my--

You know, my studio things and musical theatre and stuff like that.

Sam's father, Frederick, was a house-husband

while his mother, Kate, worked as a city trader.

My mum was a very hard worker and didn't--

She came home at, like, half 9.00 every night,

went to work at, like, half 5.00, cos we lived in Cambridge.

Sam has had a privileged background. His parents aren't poor.

Sam's family were really, really supportive of his career.

His mum was hell-bent on it.

She was so excited, and she's a very focused person.

And his dad is a lovely man. I really liked Fred.

He was a very special guy, a very humble man.

And that's where I think he gets his humility from,

Sam, from his dad.

Sam's got two sisters, yeah,

and they both attended St. Mary's in the sixth form,

and his whole family are geared up towards supporting Sam.

They put heart and soul into,

you know, making sure, you know, his career is developed over time.

They're very caring. They're just a lovely, lovely family.

Smith knew from an early age

that he wanted to pursue a career in music.

When I turned probably about 10 years old,

I knew exactly that that's what I wanted to do.

As soon as my first singing teacher told me--

Her name was Joanna Eden, and she told me that I was good at this.

I thought, "Wow, I'm good at something", so I just ran with it.

His parents asked if they could bring their little boy to see me,

and I said, "I'm not really a teacher, but I'll give it a go".

"You know, I'm an artist, not a teacher",

and so he came and sang "Fly Me To The Moon",

and I was like, "Okay, that's a good voice".

And his dad went, "What do you think, Jo? We think he's got quite a good voice".

And I went, "I think he's extraordinary".

"I've never taught a kid before,

so I don't really have anything to compare it to,

but I think he's extraordinary".

They did a program on his piano teacher

as being his major vocal coach,

which got up my nose a little bit, um, because that's not exactly true.

Often, my daughter was running around, sort of screaming, and making a noise,

so it was often chaotic, but, uh, it was fun.

We were more like singing friends than teacher-pupil.

He was very prolific.

He wanted to sing lots and lots of different songs,

different styles, jazz, blues, musical theatre.

My job was to witness and say,

"Do you notice that? Did you see how that was?"

"Yeah", and we'd sort of share and appreciate together, so--

And I still feel like I'm kind of doing that in a way,

witnessing this extraordinary, you know, rise.

The aspiring singer took part in talent competitions at school.

There was a talent show every year for the students,

and Sam, he got up to sing,

and it was probably a Whitney Houston number

or something like that, and a student went on after him, um,

and drank, in one go, two litres of Coke.

And they went to the audience for who was the winner of the contest,

and the boy who drank the Coke won the contest.

So quite amazing that Sam was beaten in a talent show

by someone who downed two litres of Coke in one go.

By the age of 12, the former choirboy had his first manager

and was mapping his route to world domination.

Sam didn't study music formally at school.

He was in the school choir, but he didn't take a prominent role,

but he was obviously putting a lot of time and effort

into his vocal coaching outside of school.

From the age of 15,

Smith was placed in formal vocal training with London-based vocal coach, Dr Voice.

Well, I was introduced to Sam by a record label, and they said,

"Look, we got this young lad, got a great voice".

"He's got some issues with his voice. They would like it to do more".

"We believe you could help. Would you be able to work with him?"

When they brought him in, we met each other.

When I heard him sing, I thought, "Whoa".

"Oh, I wouldn't mind working with this guy, cos he's got an unusual sound".

Sam is one of those rarities. He has an amazing voice.

The first time I heard Sam's voice... I was a little bit awestruck.

♪ Moments I make ♪

♪ Momentarily mine ♪

♪ And moments I take ♪

♪ I step back in time ♪

His vocals are flawless.

Sam has an amazing range. His range is--

I can't really compare it to anybody else's,

but he uses it so well.

In one song, he goes from the bottom of it straight up to the top.

He plays with it so well.

He still does the techniques I shared with him. Uh...

The deepening of the chest voice

and the control of the voice to the top end is all in one.

It's all what we call this...

So when your voice can do that, you got to join...

♪ Up ♪

You can go down, and...

♪ Ah ♪

Up the top as well and there's a freedom in that.

You're not trying or pushing,

and so, um, I can hear he's sort of mastered that,

and he's, like... he's doing a good job.

At first, I thought it was a woman, and then I was like,

okay, I need to find out what this guy looks like.

You're very different from kind of anyone else.

- Do you reckon? - I don't know. Thank you.

No one's-- Come on.

No one's got a voice of an angel quite like you, Sam Smith.

- Thanks. - I mean, how do you get that high?

Um... I'm a woman, basically.

- And I sound like a man. - No, I'm not.

I just trained. I just trained from a very young age.

So when your voice breaks, kind of train through that.

Oh, really? So you were still trying to get those notes even when, you know--

I just wanted to sound like Whitney, basically.

Sam has a soulful sound, and yet it's a delicate, feminine sound,

as part of his persona, which gave it the unusual feel.

And I think that's what captured the imagination of ev--

Because you couldn't tell whether he was a Black man,

whether he's white or what.

It was hard to put him in any category.

He uses his vocals in a different way to most, most men at the moment.

And he's got such a strong voice

and a strong voice throughout his whole range,

which I think is uncommon, at the moment, for male vocalists.

Um, a lot of them kind of use a really soft high, high register,

but he has such a strong high register to his voice

that it's really different.

It's all about his voice.

He doesn't express himself with acting or with dancing or with his clothes.

For me, as a voice coach, it was like a,

"Wow, I'm going into different territory with a different voice",

and Sam was certainly different.

So I felt excited about working with him and realised that, yeah, I would do this.

So I did it as a favour to the record company to just help him,

but then it turned into something much more.

Sam's formative years were spent pursuing fame,

but it eluded him.

From the age of 11 years old, I've been-- I was doing musical theatre.

I had my first manager when I was 12.

I've had nine managers now in total. I have rec--

At the age of 21...

I've recorded an album when I was 15,

every day after school, when I was doing my GCSEs.

When you've been practising, working, and spending time from a very young age

in theatre singing, moving around,

wanting to perform, having managers around you,

having all that going on around you,

and the belief of parents saying, "Oh, you're going to be something",

it's gonna be programmed into him

that, "Yeah, I can do this. This is what I'm destined for".

The toughest part of me getting into the industry

was finding the right management.

Um, I went through a lot of managers and a lot of upset and a lot of letdowns

and a lot of false promises as well.

He did have a few interruptions

in his, uh, relationship with management and things.

Occasionally, he would share a few things with me, and we would talk through stuff.

But-- but he seemed to be very...

very much in control of himself, you know, at such a young age.

He is very much in charge of the artist that he wants to be.

He felt his songs, what he wanted to do,

was what's gonna make him expand as an artist.

The problem was, I wasn't writing music,

and I got involved with, with people

that weren't actually proper, proper managers.

The music industry is a very, very small place,

especially in the UK.

In the US, it's a bit bigger,

but in the UK, the music industry is tiny,

and everyone knows everyone.

And I was-- I was getting involved with managers,

managers that were on the outskirts of the music industry.

They weren't actually in it.

I don't think it is typical of the amount of managers

and the messing around that he had with so many managers.

I think this would have caused quite a lot of frustration,

especially from his family's point of view as well.

I just think that Sam needed the right backing

and then the right break in his career.

It was tough. I don't think it was all easy for Sam.

I don't think it was a big breeze.

Okay, privileged background, privileged family,

the money was there, but I do feel that,

you know, the disappointments one after the other,

and just going back over it now, thinking the seven tracks he did with me,

all the hours we spent together,

you know, and just to see that come to nothing.

I was 15 years old, and every day after school,

I'd be going to studios and recording stuff

and working on projects.

And every day after school,

they would be promising me unbelievable things,

like, "You're gonna be working with this person next week".

And then next week would come, and that wouldn't happen.

They'd say, "You're gonna be signed next week".

Next week would come, and it wouldn't happen.

And I'd be, as a 15-year-old boy,

I'd be going back to school, telling my friends this,

and I just looked like, like a complete idiot

in front of all my friends at the time.

And that crushed me a lot, actually, as a kid. That made me--

It just felt like a hustle from a very young age.

It felt like a proper hustle

to just find the right people and the right team.

This would have all culminated in this being a big,

disappointing experience, being in this music industry.

This is the coal, if you like,

that is crushed and crushed and has made the diamond.

You know, no one gets anywhere without being crushed.

No one becomes a diamond without there having been some adversity

or some difficult thing that you go through.

A clever girl once told me--

Well, she's a bit stupid, because we're not friends anymore.

She was awful to me,

but she did say one thing that was very clever. Um...

She said, "Once you get the right management,

you will... you will get a record deal".

"You will get a publishing deal".

"You will get all-- If you're truly good at what you do,

all of these things will fall into place once you find the right manager".

And I found the right manager, which is great, so thank you for that.

Sam's determination and discipline to his craft

would lead to sales of over five million copies

of the debut album, In the Lonely Hour.

I did hear from Sam after he parted company with the last management,

he came back to me and said,

"Look, I know I haven't spoke to you for a while, Doc".

"You know, can we get together and have some lessons?"

I always sensed there was something unique and different about him,

and therefore, I wanted to back that.

Lots of staff felt as though Sam was destined for stardom,

and when I heard him sing for the first time,

I realised that, you know, there was something special about this kid.

Unique voice, unique personality,

disciplined to his art and his writing, knew what he wanted.

He had all the ingredients.

Sam Smith's songs, they're quite challenging to sing.

He has to really look after his voice, he probably doesn't drink alcohol.

He probably drinks litres of water every day,

and he does a huge warm-up before every gig,

because you can't really afford not to with those kind of songs.

He'd ask all these, you know, questions,

which he was very careful about what he was doing with his voice.

We would send texts to each other, "Do I have to do six times?"

"Can I do it three times? Can I drink, as well, or not?"

I said to him, "No".

I said to him, "No", about drinking and, uh,

because I know alcohol can affect the vocal chords

in not a very positive way, and it can affect your breathing, where, therefore,

you can be out of breath when you sing.

By the age of 18,

Smith moved to London to seek fame and fortune.

Within a year, he was cleaning toilets in a bar,

having split from his sixth manager.

He was beginning to despair.

I worked in the bar for about three years

previous to everything happening.

Um, I've worked in a card shop, which was awful.

I worked in a newsagent. I've worked loads of little jobs.

I worked in, like, a children's nursery,

which was incredible, and looking after, like, babies

and stuff in, like, daycare, which was great.

Sam rang me for a lesson, and he was strapped for cash,

and, obviously, he was working in a bar at the time,

and he was having a difficult time getting the money out of his job.

They wouldn't pay him, and so, you know, I would never force it, that issue.

So I said, "Look don't worry about the money".

"If you want to come for a lesson, you know how I love your voice. Come along".

"You know, if you can't afford a lesson, come down".

And he did do that, and I was glad he did.

He was always appreciative, and that, you know, in many cases,

in many ways, was enough.

Things would begin to click for Sam

when he began writing his own music.

I really hit my stride as a songwriter and as a singer and as an artist

when I-- when I'm speaking about something truly honest and truly, um--

And when I'm speaking about my insecurities at the time,

that's when my music is the best.

Um, and that doesn't happen every day.

We wrote these songs together.

And, you know, quite a few of them,

I just think were extraordinary for that age.

He first became comfortable with himself

when he started to be himself.

And that's when he was accepted into the industry.

I saw him shine when he played me a track on the piano,

this sailor song, and I saw that.

I thought, "Wow, hang on. He wants to do this in a different way,

and he's got his own thing here".

To be a good lyricist, you have to just be able to tell a story,

and people can connect with that story.

And I think most of his songs are that,

and they're a situation that everybody's been through

and everybody can relate to.

If I'm honest, I find a little kind of goes a long way.

It really affects me, I really feel it.

I really feel the emotion behind his singing,

and I don't feel upbeat when I listen to Sam's music.

People could take this really wrongly when I speak about it,

and I don't want them to, but, you know, when I wrote my record,

I truly wrote it as a-- it was a selfish record.

It was me saying, "I am lonely, I am going through this,

and I need to talk about it to make me okay".

When I was writing my album, I was only thinking about myself.

I was, because I was in so much agony and pain.

And so, I'm still trying to come to terms right now

with the fact that it's not about me anymore

and about how these songs--

I've overcome all this stuff, and the song-- these songs

are starting to affect people in really massive, deep ways.

- ♪ All the good times we shared ♪ - ♪ Together ♪

He's written songs that people can relate to.

And what's brilliant is that he's written songs

about being a gay man falling in love with another man,

yet millions of people relating to him, which, which is great.

♪ Together ♪

♪ I thought you'd always be ♪

His songs are simple, but really effective.

The songs that he has written are about personal experiences,

because I don't think it's possible to exude that amount of emotion

without it actually having happened to you.

♪ Fine young people Can still be calloused ♪

♪ And time keeps drawing ♪

♪ While you're still jealous ♪

♪ But life means nothing ♪

♪ While you're this headless ♪

♪ No, time won't wait For no man to come down ♪

When you listen to Sam's music, you feel it, whoever you are.

Even if you don't really particularly like it,

you feel that sense of abandonment, desertion, absolute loneliness.

This writing process was quite dramatic,

because, you know, I was trying to get these songs

that were honest and brutal and real.

But I'm not a naturally sad person, so I was writing for a year,

and I wasn't sad every single day for a year.

You know? So that was tough, because, you know, when I wasn't sad,

I had to try and have-- think of some sort of emotion

to write a song about that day.

But luckily I was sad in-- at certain points,

and, you know, those songs were captured on the record.

He has quite a say in what happens with his songs,

because he's written them himself.

So, obviously, he has this idea in his head of how they're meant to sound.

The writing process that you have with record labels

is, I find, actually, really amazing,

because you'll write a song, and if they say they like it

and it's at the beginning of the writing process,

if that song survives through the rest of that year,

then you know that it's a good song.

You know, if it still sounds fresh in their ears

a year later when they're listening to it,

and when I'm listening to it, then we know it's a good song.

But then some certain songs,

I just knew immediately were amazing and I knew immediately would be great.

Sam learned techniques to control his voice

and push his vocal range to the limit.

The favourite song that I did with him,

I wanted his voice to be like a violin at the end,

and he did it perfectly...

...with his lovely warble.

And I kept saying, "I want it to sound like a violin",

cos a lot of singers emulate instruments.

Ella Fitzgerald would emulate saxophone.

Sinatra emulates trombone.

So you hear...

So you hear Sinatra go...

♪ And I know you ♪

That lazy feel, it's just like a trombone.

So, Sam, I always tried to impart on him, "Sound like a violin in this track".

All this matters towards the end. "Be like a violin".

And he did it, and he just sounded-- oh, and it fills the room,

and it feels like a violin's playing. I love that.

While many of today's performers

find themselves laser-targeted towards a specific audience,

Sam Smith's appeal shows no bounds.

I'm trying to be honest, and as much as I'm trying to be personal,

I'm also trying to make--

I want the builder down the road to be able to sing it,

but then, I also want the schoolgirl to be able to sing it.

Music is what should be bringing people together.

He's not been pigeonholed,

because he appeals to lots of different age groups.

A granny might think, "Oh, my God, his voice is amazing".

"He sings like an angel", so he appeals to everyone,

to every audience and every age.

He just transcends lots of different types of people.

I'd love to think that the thing that's connected the most

is the fact that I am genuinely just being myself.

You know, this is-- I'm putting myself on the line,

and I'm saying--

even calling my record In The Lonely Hour.

I don't see that as a sad thing. I see that as a really brave thing to do.

I think the main thing that stood out for me was his...

just calm belief and, uh, conviction in everything he did

and to have that at the same time as being very, very calmly confident,

also take direction incredibly well, without kind of like, "Hmm".

You know, no kind of handbag moments.

It was all like, "Oh, okay, yeah, I'll try it like that".

Sam is a gregarious person, but he's very sensitive.

He never, ever had a diva attitude.

He never had a rudeness, or "I'm better than this".

"I can do it--" None of that.

What you would expect from a young lad who's--

you know, and I've seen it in some pupils, you know.

Never had that. He was very humble. That's what I liked about Sam.

He never boasted what he's capable of.

And he was always grateful when you say, "Oh, you-- That was fantastic, Sam".

You know, "Oh, really? Thank you".

You know, and there was no, "Yeah, I know".

You know, and he was very, very humble.

Being yourself every day is tough, you know,

because I always say this isn't a job.

What I'm doing isn't a job. It's a lifestyle.

So I'm being emotional and honest

and a bit-- I'm an open wound every single day.

I knew that he had what I lacked at his age,

which was that calm conviction of strength in his own ability.

And it's funny now to hear him talk about that he lacked confidence,

because for me, I always felt like he knew what he wanted.

We'd be writing songs together, and he'd say, "I want some strings there",

and I'd play a string thing on the keyboard,

and he'd go, "No, pizzicato". You know, he'd know.

♪ I do believe That you would relieve my tension ♪

He comes across quite shy with people he doesn't know very well.

He very often wanted to just blend in with people.

♪ Will you ♪

He's just a lovely human being,

and I think his fans will be moved by that,

touched by that fact that he is actually a nice person.

That's why so many people love him,

because he is just a nice, young guy.

I never wanted to play a character, I never wanted to change my name,

and I never wanted to create music that's not--

that doesn't make me feel like I'm confessing something,

because it does feel so good.

It's really two-- it's two ways.

You know, one time-- The upside is these songs make me feel

like I'm telling my diary to a room, to a room full of a thousand people,

and they're all singing the music back to me,

making me feel like whatever I'm saying in the song, making me--

It's like them giving me a massive hug,

saying, "Everything's okay". That's an upside.

The downside is, when do I stop?

We're greedy. I'm greedy.

We all want more and more and more, and that's the dangerous thing, you know.

When do I stop, um, telling everything?

So far, he's still very new to the "superstar", um...

the "superstar" title, so...

I think he's doing really well

to kind of stay out of, like, tabloid fodder, and just--

He's just being a young guy who just wants to sing.

We have had the press hanging around and asking for various scoops on Sam

and, you know, "Have you got any gossip?"

You don't see any, like, anything of him

falling out of a cab drunk, so it's good to see,

because it's really easy for that to happen when you're young,

but he seems to have a really good head on his shoulders.

To be honest with you, there is no gossip with Sam.

What you see is what you get with him. We're really proud of him.

We haven't got anything to say other than he's just fantastic.

I'm still trying to come to terms with the whole kind of role-model thing

and about how it's a responsibility I didn't necessarily ask for.

But that comes with it, and I'm willing, I'm willing to do it.

And I'm willing to help these people,

but I'm taking my time, because it's all new to me.

When people-- Like even last night after a show,

someone said something really intense to me.

I was just like, "Whoa". I just-- you know, it was incredible, but I need--

I need to take time to learn how to comfort you.

You know what I mean?

Sam honed in on his song-writing skills

and continued private vocal coaching sessions

under the instruction of Dr Voice.

♪ Cos you might fall To the ways of love ♪

♪ With my respect for the man above ♪

♪ Well, sympathy's my concern In your state ♪

♪ Out of our heads and back again ♪

♪ I'm losing all time ♪

We had lots of fun times.

Just to hear him laugh used to make me feel good.

I used to imitate a dog.

I used to do this dog, and I used to go up to him

and go, "Don't upset me, Sam, " and he'd go, "What?" and I'd go...

And I made this sound... And I would keep doing it.

And he knew it was getting worse, and I'd go...

and then I'd bite him.

Pretend to bite him, and he'd jump, you know. Uh...

I think, he couldn't stop laughing at it, but I think I frightened him.

I'm sure there was so much work put in before anyone had even heard of him.

He worked very hard on-- for the four years that I spent with him,

he was always practising, always using the techniques.

♪ Where ♪

A bit too quiet.

♪ Where ♪

Perfect.

♪ Where ♪

♪ Where ♪

♪ Over the rainbow ♪

♪ Over the rainbow ♪

♪ Where I go again ♪

♪ Where I go again ♪

Oh, crap. We need to go back.

The bubble technique, which is the... technique,

which puts air on the lips and not on the chords,

and that enables you to go very high in your voice.

If you want to go... right at the top end of your voice...

♪ Yeah, I wanna be the one ♪

You know, it's very easy to do and very, very, you know--

Well, you know, that... ♪ Money on my mind ♪

You know, with his songs, he was able to hit these notes with ease.

But if you don't do those techniques, you won't be able to get those notes.

He does a huge warm-up before every gig,

because you can't really afford not to with those kind of songs.

He had his own private dressing room,

so I didn't really see any of his preparations or anything.

It would have been nice to, though.

The good technique's very powerful,

and that brings out chest voice and power, which is what I did with Sam.

I'm not standing up, saying,

"Oh, you should be taking note of what I've done".

That's wrong. You don't see people

like Stephen Hawking's Math teacher standing up,

saying, "I taught him everything he knows".

Hello? You know, no, it's not like that.

But when you back a horse,

it's nice to know that you are part of a team that did it.

Sam Smith is neither a product of the BRIT School

nor The X Factor,

but a creation of his own drive.

X Factor, what do you think of these talent shows?

Because I think they're getting a bit old.

I, um... I just don't watch them.

If I'm honest, I do disagree

with some of the things that happen with them, but I have no--

Look, there's some amazing talent that comes out of it.

I think one of the loveliest things

about Sam's success is that he's not a typical,

through The Voice or The It Factor or the-- or some BRIT School

or some other institution that he's worked through.

He's worked through his own institution.

It's kind of extraordinary for this generation

that he wasn't found through a TV medium.

He's built his career from nothing, and he's not had that extra push

that the BRIT School or The X Factor would give.

I write my own stuff, so I wouldn't go on there,

cos I song-write, but, you know, if I was just singing,

I think I probably would go through it, because it's tough out there.

It is very refreshing to finally have someone

that is making a huge name for themselves without being manufactured, basically.

This is someone who's grafted, who has a beautiful voice.

To have someone develop naturally and organically,

I think, maybe as well, that has a lot to do with his appeal.

You know, people have just appreciated the talent,

rather than being told to appreciate the talent.

What if Simon Cowell called you up and was like,

"Hey, do you want to perform your new single on the show?"

A hundred percent.

"I don't like the show, but I'll come on".

As a teenager,

Sam gravitated towards the music of Beyoncé

and singing legends Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey.

♪ Don't you walk away ♪

I'm listening to mainly females. I don't know why.

It's something in the voice or what they sing that I completely identify with.

I have Britney Spears on my iPod, but I also have Joni Mitchell.

I have Stevie Wonder, but then I have Robin.

I have, um-- I have Jason Derulo,

but then I also have Grimes, and I have--

There's all different types. I love all different types of music.

He loves all the divas.

He was influenced by a lot of soul singers,

which is why he's got that really nice soul to his voice.

He clearly honed his skills when he was, like, 12 to 16

singing in his bedroom to people like Beyoncé,

and he loves Whitney Houston, you know, Christina Aguilera,

some of the soul singers as well.

♪ Tears are cold, but I keep saying We need to get ♪

Got Beyoncé in there. You've got all the divas, Whitney Houston.

He was massively, massively inspired by those women.

- ♪ Always find the answer ♪ - ♪ Ooh, ooh ♪

Musically it was female singers from the get-go.

I went through a weird stage.

It started off with just singers, like Whitney Houston.

These days, I'm very careful about "diva".

I have met divas, and some-- I'm not--

I don't want to be a diva. You know what I mean?

It's a very, very funny word. It can mean prima donna or goddess.

You know, any given day, you can be either-or.

I don't know. I'm just-- I'm Whitney.

If "diva" is the word...

and if that's what I am, and if I'm at the top of my class,

if I'm the number one diva, I'm fine.

If I gotta be number two, I ain't cool with it.

The influence of emotive soul and pop balladry

remain an integral part of Smith's style.

As I got older, I got swallowed

into this whole MTV generation of everything,

and then Beyoncé was everything and Destiny's Child,

and I remember people like TLC

and Pink and all that kind of stuff, and then--

So that was the video side taken care of, that I was watching videos all the time,

and the imagery was getting-- I was getting inspired by.

Then as I got older, I started to fall in love with songwriters,

so, Amy Winehouse, Joni Mitchell,

and then all these brutally honest songwriters I used to listen to,

even Adele, I used to listen to and be inspired by them.

Sam's four Grammy awards

represent the biggest triumph for a British pop star

since Adele scooped six back in 2012.

I can't wear high heels. I got grannies under the hood.

Comparisons between the two are never far away,

partly due to stratospheric record sales,

brooding lyrics, and a shared vocal talent.

No. No, don't use that one. Don't use that one.

People tend to pigeonhole artists into artists that they are like,

and it's been very interesting, actually, to watch,

because I've been compared to Adele a lot recently,

and, which is crazy to me, because the music's so different.

You know, listen to Nirvana, "Safe With Me".

All that stuff, it's so different, but I think what they take from the--

The thing that they compare is the honesty,

which I find such a huge compliment.

Both artists defy the size-zero,

cut-and-paste pop-star stereotype,

but most importantly, the voice is paramount.

There are no gimmicks, but plenty of soul.

We had Adele, and Adele did her thing. Like, she broke so many barriers.

They've had a sort of a similar career, and maybe that's why people compare them.

People see this British singer who's soulful, who's passionate,

who can make grown men,

you know, drop to their knees in tears kind of thing,

and, you know, Adele did the same thing.

Being compared to the biggest singer in the world is the most amazing thing.

I think we're very, very different but-- Well, first of all, I'm a guy,

but the thing that I'd like to take from it

is that our-- the similarities are our honesty in music,

and it's a shame that there's only, you know--

There's only a few people doing that in the industry,

but it's amazing to be compared to her.

Once Sam resigned from his job as a bartender,

the recognition began.

He met songwriter, Jimmy Napes.

Together they wrote "Lay Me Down",

a ballad that Napes sent to the management of house duo, Disclosure.

By the end of 2012, Sam caught the world's attention

when he provided vocals for Disclosure's breakthrough single, "Latch".

I don't think we realised the, um...

the sort of, how much it would connect to such a wide variety of people.

It really shows in our shows as well now.

Like, you get all the kids and stuff who are just into it,

and then you get, like, these kind of 35 to 40-year-olds

who are there because they get this kind of nostalgia

about the music from, you know, house and garage.

And they're like, "Oh, yeah, this is like when I used to go out".

And that's great. So, yeah, I don't think we knew that would happen at all,

Even though we take influence from all that older stuff,

we had no idea it was gonna connect with such a wide variety of people.

I want things to happen organically, you know, because the proof's in the way

that my career started with Disclosure and Naughty Boy and people like that,

and I feel like those types of relationships create better music.

"Latch" subsequently spent 15 weeks in the UK Top 40,

but as a pop star, Sam was still invisible.

Disclosure's album, when it came out, that was like my go-to gym album.

Because there was his vocal added to the track,

obviously I connected with that a lot more than I would without that.

It was Sam's falsetto on Disclosure's album.

I was like, "Okay, I can keep listening to this album. Let's keep going".

The focus was more on Disclosure at the time than Sam Smith,

and then it just kind of carried on with Naughty Boy.

I would never count myself as cool, because you should see what's on my iPod,

on my iPhone, or the music I love or the artists I admire,

and sometimes they're not cool.

But I feel like-- I don't know. I just fell into that world.

I didn't know who Disclosure were when I started working with them.

I asked Sam whether he'd mind coming down to see the young offenders,

because I was working there, teaching them music,

and they were so hot to trot for his song "Latch".

♪ Latching on to you ♪

And they were into that and listening to it on the radio all the time.

And, of course, Sam had been ringing me,

saying, "Oh, I think it's being played on the radio",

and he was all excited, and he was due to come for a singing lesson.

So he came down to the prison.

He spent an afternoon with me there,

and he met all the guys there, the young offenders,

and he was-- he loved it.

"Latch" peaked at number 11 in the UK charts,

but by February 2013,

Sam released his debut single, "Lay Me Down".

"Lay Me Down" was the song that started everything for Sam

and proved he was on his way to being the next big star.

While it was clear that someone with a great voice

had arrived on the scene, there were no inklings

that this would instantly lead to a successful international solo career.

I feel like I'm coming for a reason in a way, but--

And I'm not just a fan watching, but it's-- I'm still gonna be a fan

watching everyone at the same time.

Smith would make another guest appearance

which would prove important to his career.

In May, 2013, he provided guest vocals

on Naughty Boy's international megahit "La La La".

"La La La", first time I heard that on the radio, was really special.

I mean, you could just tell it was Sam.

He's got his soul,

and then he can jump on a dance track like that, like it's nothing.

Then when it went to number one, it was like, wow, now this is special.

Even if you didn't know who sang it, you'd find yourself singing it.

And it's like, "I don't know where I just heard this song, but it's in my head now".

At about that time he was doing "La La La",

that he phoned me, he said, "I've been pushing my voice,

and I think I've strained it. What do you think, Doc?"

And I said, "Well, if you've pushed it, you're not doing it properly".

"You're not doing the techniques properly. There should be no push. It should be...

, not... [vocalising]"

Naughty Boy's "La La La"

became the fastest-selling UK single of 2013

and subsequently reached number one in 26 countries.

I did hear about Naughty Boy actually being able

to start himself off by going on Deal or No Deal,

and he won £70,000,

and he used that to, like, kit out a studio,

and I know he bought a car.

So maybe if it wasn't for the banker, we wouldn't have Sam Smith,

if it wasn't for Noel Edmonds.

- Deal or No Deal? - Ah, I've heard of that.

Why has no one won a quarter of a million pounds yet?

Well, two people have,

but we wanted to give the impression that they hadn't,

you know, to keep it going, so we paid them,

but never-- never showed the shows.

♪ Dare to be different ♪

"La La La" brought Sam his first number one,

but 2014 would prove to be a monster year.

A BRIT Critics Choice Award followed, as did winning the BBC Sound of 2014 poll,

which highlights the best emerging artist for the year ahead.

The idea was to do a very wide-reaching survey

of key tastemakers in the UK market.

So, journalists, bloggers, DJs,

music programmers at television and radio,

and it was trying to do, rather than take one small take,

it was to get the opinions of a huge number of tastemakers

and try and boil that down into an ultimate recommendation list.

The notable ones, from my point of view, are clearly Sam Smith,

again, strongly supported this year already,

not as a solo artist, but he's done guest vocals

on things like Disclosure, "Latch", obviously,

and he's got a unique voice, distinctive voice, which is always one of the secrets,

one of the ingredients you need for success.

I'm strongly backing Sam Smith.

♪ Dare to be happy ♪

It was the point where he got the Critics Choice BRIT,

that everyone was, like, paying a bit more attention to him,

so I was aware of him before that,

and I think a lot of people were as kind of this,

maybe like a session singer or something, but not a kind of-- as an artist.

Pairing up with Disclosure and Naughty Boy

added a contemporary edge to Sam Smith.

Suddenly, he was relevant.

I was absolutely delighted that you were nominated...

- Yeah. - ...for the BRIT Critics' Choice.

When you got the phone call, e-mail, text, what happened? How did you feel?

It's insane. Like, I got told a day earlier,

and that award is the one that kind of means a lot to me,

cos I'd watch it every single year, so, who knows?

I think I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want to win it, cos I do.

It was January 2014.

We did kind of like a "Five Reasons Why Sam Smith's

Going to Take Over the World" kind of thing.

And then we've just constantly kind of supported him

in everything that he does since then.

The voice that provided the runaway success

for "Latch" and "La La La" to crack the charts

charmed Capitol Records President Nick Raphael,

who signed Sam to the label in 2013.

I hate the idea of just relating to one type of person.

You know, I want to-- My dream from a young age

is the world to sing my music, you know, so I will forever make that, you know--

I will make that promise to myself that my music will--

Well, hopefully everyone will be able to relate to it. That's my aim.

We had a thing together where I would say to him,

"Why don't you write down or do a dream board

or write out or find a way to focus your attention

on how to become one of the greatest singers

that's ever come out of Great Britain? What about that?"

And he, "Oh, I like that". He took that on board.

His dream was to sing with Beyoncé,

and I said, "Well, whatever your dreams are,

get them out, write them down,

because it's potential you can actually make that happen

if you focus on it".

"If you don't focus on it, there's not as much chance".

"If you focus on it, you've got more of a chance of it happening".

It was unbeliev-- That VMA day is a complete blur.

I woke up the next morning, actually, and thought it was, like, a dream.

Um... It was crazy. It was crazy.

I thought I was going to be more prepared when I met-- for when I met Beyoncé,

but I wasn't.

I was genuinely just a 15-year-old boy freaking out.

It was-- it was incredible. I managed to keep my cool.

I'm good, I [bleep] myself a little bit, um, but I'm excited.

I can't wait, and I'm just like you guys.

I'm just watching all these amazing famous people

rock up in amazing outfits. It's great.

I'm the biggest fan of Beyoncé.

She's, actually, personally let me go and watch her sound check earlier.

Dared to ask her, and she said yes, and I went and watched it.

It's unbelievable. You're all gonna die.

It's unbelievable.

Do you know what? That whole day was a massive eye-opener for me, you know.

We put-- we put people on pedestals, and we, you know, we worship people,

but when you actually meet them, they're just,

they're just human beings, and they're just--

And that's why I love Beyoncé and people like that,

because they're truly talented, and that's what you should be worshipping,

their talent and what they do and their trade,

not the colour of their hair.

When you focus on things long enough, hard enough

and have a desire for 'em and you work towards it as well, you're working.

It's no good saying, "I want to be the greatest singer on the planet, ahem",

and you sit there and do nothing. Well, that's not gonna happen.

But if you say, "I want to be the greatest singer on the planet",

and you go... [vocalises], and you're using your voi--

You're doing the techniques, you do all these techniques,

you've got more of a chance of that happening.

So the idea of a dream board is to put you on your side so you are backing you.

You are saying, "This is what I want, this is where I'm going,

and I'm not coming off it for anything". That's what a dream board is.

And Sam's done that. Well done, Sam.

Oh, ho. You've done it.

It's just unbelievable.

To get that recognition from the Grammys is incredible.

I-- For me, the Grammys is, when they say something,

that your song is good or your album's good,

it means that they're saying that it's a timeless piece of work,

which is what I'm trying to do, and what I try to do with my record,

and to be in that category is amazing.

I can't beli-- Like, to see my name next to Beyoncé's is just very weird for me.

Got to be one of my little fears, like where, you know,

imagine having everything you ever dreamt of at 22.

You know, that's a big achievement, so you know, there's--

He could stop now, and he'll never have to worry about money,

but he won't stop, cos he's doing what he loves.

2014 kicked off with the release of "Money on my Mind"

from the debut album In the Lonely Hour.

Loving your new song...

- Thank you. - ...it's amazing.

Are you not feeling a bit scared now you're going solo?

Because you've kind of had those incredible hits

with some pals along the way.

I ate some nuts earlier, and it's getting trapped.

- Um... - What nut was it?

It was cashew.

They're the terrors.

- They get stuck in windpipes. - Um...

Yeah, the single, man, it's insane. The reaction's been unbelievable.

But, yeah, it's scary. It's massively scary.

But I really do have faith in the music I'm putting out,

which is the best, which is the most important thing.

Kind of happens that it's actually really bloody good as well.

- Thank you. Thank you so much. - Really good. Album next year.

- May, did you say? - May.

Um, do we have a name for it?

No. I'm gonna be telling people in a few weeks, though.

- You know what it is, right? - Yeah.

It's self-titled, isn't it?

- It's Sam Smith. - No way.

- Memoirs of...? - Definitely not.

"Memoirs of.."., close. I'm joking. No.

And anything else exciting?

Cos you've collaborated with the biggest people ever already.

You've set your-- set the bar high, haven't you?

Yeah. I mean, I'm shooting my video for "Money on my Mind" in Vegas on Monday,

which is gonna be crazy.

- What's wrong with London? - What?

- What's wrong with London? - It's a bit cold, isn't it now?

- But Vegas will be fun. - So we can expect some naked Vegas...

- Yeah. - ...video action?

Yeah, 100 percent, I'm gonna get full-on naked.

Brilliant, and any other, I think-- Can I have something--

Katy Perry today, Gaga tomorrow, have a little word?

Yeah. I might actually just sneak in her changing room, have a chat.

No, I have no duets on the album, actually. It's just me.

- How selfish. - Just me.

It's very selfish, but I think it's important.

I think I've come from features, so it's my time.

And one last thing. I mean--

- "It's My Time"... - My time now.

- Is that the album? - No.

"Money on my Mind" smashed the UK charts

by reaching number one in its first week

and was followed by the breakthrough ballad "Stay With Me",

which catapulted Sam into the global spotlight.

Thank you all. Thank you again. Um...

In my last one, I forgot to thank Jimmy Napes and Tourist,

who wrote "Stay With Me",

so thank you for writing that song with me.

I just want to dedicate this one to all my fans

who are very new into my life.

Thank you. I love you all so, so much.

Thank you, guys. Have a good night.

He told me he'd signed a deal with Universal,

and he said, "I'm so excited".

And he disclosed to me what he received from them.

I said, "Wow", and that's when I started to think,

"Well, pay me for the lessons".

I'm an emotional person.

That's why I do what I do, and it's been mental.

I've had moments where I've never been happy,

or never felt as happy as that in my life.

But then there's moments where I've never felt so alone

in what's happening, cos it's not--

This is only me.

It's only happening to me right now.

So it's really hard for--

It's hard sometimes, but I'm having the most amazing ride

I could ever ask for.

♪ We thought it'd be forever ♪

♪ Guess it wasn't ♪

"Stay With Me" sold millions of copies

around the world and helped propel Sam's debut album, In the Lonely Hour,

to become one of the best-performing titles of 2014.

"Stay With Me" is an odd--

It was an odd way of writing music, actually.

We started with the chords.

It was me, Jimmy, and a guy called Tourist,

and Tourist played the chords, and then me and Jimmy

just started writing the melodies together.

And I remember, I came up with the lyric,

"I guess it's true I'm not good at one-night stand",

and at first, Jimmy and Tourist were a bit like,

"This is-- We can't use that,

cos it's a bit too literal. It's a bit too, um..."

I guess a bit too honest, cos I'm really--

You know, you're saying a lot in that one sentence,

especially as an opening of a song.

But I fought for it, and I decided that we had to have it,

and as soon as that lyric was put down, everything flowed.

You know, me and Jimmy were just flowing with ideas and lyrics,

and we literally wrote it in about an hour.

The way the session that I did for "Stay With Me"

kind of came about was I'm part of a performance choir

called London Community Gospel Choir.

So a few of us kind of got picked out, and we got told that,

"Oh, you're going into the studio with Sam Smith".

And literally two days later, I was in the studio with Sam Smith.

♪ Now I can't believe it's over ♪

I remember we were-- I was in the booth, and I was recording it.

I remember thinking, "This song's all right. It's all right. It's--"

I was like, "It's not 100 percent incredible, but it's okay".

When we were recording the track, I think...

no one realised what we were actually doing.

It was another day in the office for us.

During the session, he seemed a bit nervous,

but he kind of just did his thing.

He did the first take, and we were all like, "Oh, my gosh".

It was amazing.

Jimmy just said to me, he was like, "Sam, why don't we try

and layer up some vocals on the chorus?"

And so I went into the studio, which was quite a big room,

and I stood around the studio probably about 10, 15 times,

just stood around, and I layered up the vocals, layered up the vocals,

and then we played it back in my ears, and I literally-- I broke down.

And suddenly, the song came alive.

It was so relatable. The lyrics were simple.

It was just-- it was easy to get into your head,

but no one anticipated what the track was gonna become.

And it was that gospel choir in the chorus,

that it just brought everything together,

the meaning of the song, the loneliness of the song.

It just sounded perfect and right.

And I text my managers and my label

immediately after we sent it and said, "This is the one".

By December 2014, "Stay With Me"

had passed the million-sales mark on both sides of the Atlantic.

♪ Don't you walk away now ♪

"Stay With Me" was what led him to conquering the world.

The song won a Grammy. Well, won, like, a number of Grammys.

No surprise that it won Song of the Year.

It's no surprise it won Record of the Year.

Thank you so much.

Well, I feel like Kate Winslet at the Oscars right now.

I've never done one of these. This is amazing.

Um... I don't know how to react right now. This is absolutely incredible.

Um, it's a dream come true.

I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life.

It was a funny feeling seeing him up there and not in my studio.

I was watching on a live stream, and then the sound cut out,

and I just saw him jump up and-- Sorry. Jump up...

Calm down. Just sort of jump up and get the award,

and I didn't hear what it was, but I found out it was for the...

best single, I think.

Why does that make you so emotional?

Well, just at that moment, I just had a little picture of his face

and the pride and, you know, people like... yeah.

People like Paul McCartney just standing there,

you know, applauding him.

♪ And all the good times we shared ♪

♪ We spent those days In each other's arms ♪

♪ I really thought that ♪

What could top this?

A boyfriend would be nice, but it wouldn't--

I don't think-- You. Yeah, you're my boyfriend.

I don't think it would top this, though, actually.

Nothing, nothing, and that's the curse for the rest of my life, I think.

A lot of people would say that you deserve to win big,

as you did at the Grammys a couple of weeks ago.

Has that all kind of sunk in now?

No, no. You're even saying it now, and I can't believe it.

It's amazing, and I haven't got them. They haven't sent them to me yet.

- Oh, really? - Yeah, so when they come,

it'll be like the Grammys over again.

I thought they give them to you on the night.

No, no. They send them in a mon-- over a month.

Have you got little places allotted in your house?

I'm going to use them as everyday things,

like as a doorstop, toothbrush holder, that kind of thing.

Sam's meteoric success continued in 2015

when he scooped two BRITs,

plus a Billboard Music Award for Top Male Artist.

To all my fans, if you are hearing this right now,

I love you so much more than you will ever know,

and I can't wait to get my second album to you.

To be honest, I thought Sam was gonna get "Album" or "Male",

so it's nice to get both, but, you know, Sam got the Global Award,

which is kind of the best one, I'd say,

cos that shows outside of the UK, you're smashing it.

At The BRIT Awards, I did hear him,

and I did text him that, "I heard you go off".

I text him, and said "Oh, what is it?" and he came back straight away.

I said, "I've heard something not quite right with you", you see?

"Oh, what is it?" he went.

And he wanted to know what it was, and I explained to him,

"Well, you've gotta come in and see me".

And what happened, he was too breathy, and he was going slightly flat.

Never heard him do that.

And I think that's because of tiredness, travelling.

He was, you know, he was on a lot of shows.

He was rushing around the planet,

and you need to rest that voice to be able to have the full command of it.

And so not every performance he turns up can be perfect,

cos, see, you know, it's tough out there.

I went to America, then Australia and Chicago

and the UK in the space of, like, six days.

You're gonna be tired.

Yeah, I'm gonna be knackered, but it's goo--

The more I'm busy, the more I enjoy it.

It's when I actually get a chance to sit down and think about things,

that's when I start to feel uncomfortable, because I don't really have a life now

when it comes to being at home.

Disaster struck in May 2015,

as the singer was forced to cancel his Australian tour

after doctors discovered a haemorrhage on his vocal cord.

People think if you can sing and you got a great voice, that's it.

No, that's the house, and it stands up quite nice,

but if you don't do the techniques,

if you don't do the exercises, that's like the brackets,

that's like the nails, the concrete that keeps the house nice and sturdy.

And these people who have not been practising

their voice properly with the techniques, they just sing the song,

it wobbles, and sometimes it falls down the house.

I'm worried about my voice today, cos I've got a few shows coming up,

and my voice is a bit dry, but other than that, I'm fine, you know.

I don't care who you are.

I don't care how clever you are or what brilliant singer you are.

You cannot hear yourself. You can't see what you're doing.

And someone who understands the voice

can say, "Hey, you're using too much air there".

"You're gonna lose your voice. You're gonna do something here,

and you're gonna lose your voice there".

People think when you lose your voice, you've got to be quiet or whisper.

Whispering is the worst thing for your voice.

And I remember sharing that with Sam, cos he talked very soft. "Hello".

And he goes soft in that whispery voice of his,

and he knows that you've got to keep using the voice.

If you don't use it, you lose it. This happened with Adele.

I sent an e-mail to Adele's company and said,

"She'll lose her voice in six months

if she continues to push it like she's doing".

So I could hear that's what she was doing. And they told me-- I think, I forget.

Someone said, "Mind your own business. Oh, they got a vocal coach".

Six months later, she lost her voice, and she hasn't sung since.

By June 2015,

Sam made a solid recovery from throat surgery.

He began writing a new album

and confirmed a string of new concert dates for later that year.

I can't stay away from writing, so I've already started writing.

I think I have a title for my record.

I think I know what I want to say a little bit, and I'm writing--

I've written a song the other day, actually,

which I'm completely obsessed with, and the--

It's feeling as honest as the record.

As Sam Smith's career continues to go from strength to strength,

his love life provides the inspiration for his music.

I was aware that I was putting this record out

and then, suddenly, everyone was gonna be waiting for me to fall in love.

It sounds so cheesy,

and I remember watching, like, famous people before

say all this and thinking, "Shut up".

But I genuinely don't feel lonely anymore because of the fans.

I don't, and it's hard to explain, and it's impossible for people to relate,

but I genuinely, it's enough right now.

I'm going on dates here and there, meeting people.

I'm always gonna be searching for that, but that hole that was missing

is genuinely being filled right now from the fan base,

from performing every night and all these people. It really is.

I'm not lonely anymore because of that.

But, obviously, I would like someone next to me when I sleep,

but I'm working on that.

Smith's celebration of same-sex love

has been fully accepted in a business

that has too often encouraged gay artists to hide behind heterosexual smoke screens.

Do you know what I am? I'm proud of the world

and the people in the world for the way that they've reacted,

because they've hardly reacted, which is exactly what we wanted.

He is full of integrity. Nothing about Sam Smith is a lie.

I was pleased that he got to do it on his own terms

and not really have it become a scandal, you know,

not have it be something that would be used against him,

because, unfortunately, you know, that is still the case.

How many times do you see

newspaper headlines about people's sexuality?

That's still a thing that we have to live with.

In this day and age, it shouldn't be a problem,

but people always like to speculate, and for him, that must have been hard.

He's spoken about gay issues. You know, he's spoken about gay dating.

I don't necessarily think that he's a spokesperson,

because he's not really-- He doesn't have to be.

I don't think we necessarily need Sam Smith to be a spokesperson.

He's a-- He's a musician,

and I think that's what people should kind of focus on, really.

That world is so important to me, and it's so--

It's so, so deeply important to me to be its spokesperson,

which someone quoted recently that I didn't want to,

which is completely false, because I want to,

and I want to be-- but not just for gay people,

for straight people, for lesbians, transsexuals, anyone, anyone in the world.

After establishing his solo career,

Sam went on to co-write with R&B legend, Mary J. Blige.

I've written on the Mary J. Blige album,

which is great, which was my first ever attempt

at doing something like that, which was amazing.

I don't know if I could tell you everything,

but I can tell you that I went overseas,

and I recorded an amazing album with Disclosure and wrote with Sam Smith.

I embraced the culture. I ate fish and chips every day.

I was in the studio at 12:00 noon every day.

We had a good time. I made some good friends.

The album is amazing. That's all I can say, and it really is.

Mary is an incredible human being, and I meet so many people at the moment,

and I meet a lot of current pop stars and a lot of famous people,

and they are not half as humble as she is, and she's--

She's got 20 more Grammys than they have and loads, and sold many more records,

and she's still so humble and so down-to-earth

and insecure and fragile and-- but that's what me and her connect with,

the fact that me and her both have this human side

that we've shown the world,

and, obviously, she's shown it a lot more than I have.

Since hitting the big time,

this singer-songwriter has undergone something of a transformation.

I've definitely seen a style transformation in Sam

since he's hit the big time.

You know, he's definitely taken his fashion thing,

and I'm sure that's a lot to do with his weight loss.

He's suddenly thinking, "I can be a gay icon".

"I can be really good-looking, and I can wear designer clothes".

He's really into fashion.

He absolutely loved being front row at Burberry.

He's a bit of a sucker for designer labels.

I think he likes his designer clothes a lot.

You know, he's on first-name terms with Anna Wintour,

the editor of American Vogue.

Designers are throwing clothes at him. Burberry are throwing clothes at him.

He got sponsored by Calvin Klein for his American tour.

That's a huge deal.

I think it's so important. I think style and fashion is--

work so hand-in-hand with the music, you know?

If you're-- If you're making music that isn't necessarily...

I don't know.

I try and make my music link with the way I look. I just do.

I think it makes it easier for the listener to digest.

He's definitely modelled himself on a young Frank Sinatra.

You can see that with his hairstyle. It's almost identical.

It's very much that Rat Pack look. It's about the sharp suits, the hair.

I mean, that little earring's pretty good, isn't it? Yes.

Yeah, I mean, he's always pretty sharply dressed.

It's really the first time we've seen a pop star

advocating that kind of smart look, which is a conservative look,

which is really super chic and not about rebelling

and not about ripped jeans and tattoos.

And it's a different way of expressing yourself,

which, let's face it, grannies and mothers would love.

He would just look like a Muppet if he was dressed in a cape

and was dancing around in kind of cowboy boots or something.

It just-- It wouldn't work.

He loves a bit of make-up, and he's talked openly about it and said,

"What man doesn't wear make-up now?" And he's a gay guy.

I don't think he has any problem with make-up.

My wife used to get on the train that Sam used to get off,

and she used to send me a text saying,

"Oh, have a look at Sam. He's got quite a lot of make-up on today",

so I'd sometimes have to challenge Sam as he came in to school,

talking about his make-up, but it wasn't a big problem.

Sam's preferred designers are your classics,

your Gucci, your Armani, a little bit of Alexander McQueen,

Calvin Klein.

He wears a lot of Burberry, because Burberry

are very, very supportive of the music industry

and especially up-and-coming talent.

So it works very well that Sam would become a Burberry muse.

We might even see Sam in their ad campaigns.

As soon as a label start telling you

they want you to be wearing this, wearing that,

sounding like this, sounding like that,

that's, for me, when the alarm bells come on, because that's you.

The way I dress, the way I talk in interviews,

the way I do all this, that's me. That's me creating that.

Sam Smith is poised to enjoy a glittering career.

He is unquestionably...

the future of British music.

♪ Don't need a reason ♪

You know, it's odd. Like, things like--

Even, like, the most simple things like Facebook likes,

I remember being ecstatic for having 200 Facebook likes,

and, you know, now I take that completely for granted now that I have--

Now I have, like, a million, but I'm now thinking I really would like two million,

and I'm taking it for granted how amazing it is

that 100 people are saying, "I like what you do".

Do you know what I mean?

So I think the fact that I'm aware of that, though, is good.

He's kind of dominating the world at the moment,

and it's really, really something to look up to.

It's amazing to see how it's going for him.

So, you know, I'm working to do all the same.

He's already global.

I mean, it's hard to know where you go from here.

He could write for other people.

Brilliant jazz voice there if he wanted to experiment

with orchestration and big band.

Sam will be around a long time.

I don't think he's a fly-by-night artist.

I don't think there's any escaping Sam Smith now.

His music will be around for a long time,

and I think that it's timeless, really.

He's got a very strong sense of style,

so we might well see him do collaborations with High Street stores.

I think he really wants his own brand. He's talked about that before.

Building his brand is very, very key to him.

Sam is the number one artist in the world, so why wouldn't--

Why wouldn't St. Mary's Catholic School be proud of him?

We're hoping that Sam will pay us a visit at some point.

His sisters did bring in his dog

as a replacement a couple of years ago, but we--

You know, we wanted to see Sam as well,

so I'm hoping Sam will come back at some point.

It's my dream to make timeless music.

It's my dream to make music that stands the test of time

and that everybody can sing.