Sam Smith: Dreams Come True (2015) Movie Script

( music playing )
I do believe that you
would relieve my tension...
Narrator:
You cannot escape
the sound of Sam Smith.
The British singer/songwriter
with the unforgettable voice
has taken
the music world by storm.
Happy 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.
'Cause 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 it.
- ( crowd cheering )
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 U.K.
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 misdemeanors.
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 U.K.
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.
'Cause 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 theater
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,
'cause 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.
Dr. Voice:
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,
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 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 theater.
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.
Narrator:
The aspiring singer
took part in talent
competitions at school.
Chadwick:
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
and drank in one go
two liters 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 liters 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.
Narrator:
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,
'cause 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
you're 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.
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...
( vocalizing
from low to high )
So when your voice
can do that,
you got to join...
Up...
You can go down,
and...
Ahh...
up the top as well
and there's a freedom in that.
You're not trying
or pushing,
and so 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?
I'm a woman, basically.
( laughs )
- 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--
'cause 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.
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 realized that,
yeah, I would do this.
So I did it as a favor
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 theater.
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
practicing, working,
and spending time
from a very young age
in theater 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.
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 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 U.K.
In the U.S.,
it's a bit bigger,
but in the U.K.,
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
all 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.
Dr. Voice:
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.
Smith:
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.
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.
Narrator:
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."
Dr. Voice:
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 realized that,
you know,
there was something special
about this kid.
Dr. Voice: Unique voice,
unique personality,
disciplined to his art
and his writing,
knew what he wanted.
He had all the ingredients.
Clowes:
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 liters
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,
go, "I have to do six times?
Can I do it three times?
Can I drink as well, or not?"
I said to him, "No."
( laughs )
I said to him,
"No," about drinking, and--
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're singing.
Narrator:
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.
Smith:
I worked in the bar
for about three years
previous to
everything happening.
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 a--
like a children's nursery,
which was incredible,
and looking after,
like, babies
and stuff in, like, day care,
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.
Narrator:
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--
and when I'm speaking about
my insecurities at the time,
that's when my music
is the best.
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.
Longmore:
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,
and 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...
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 careless
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 som--
certain songs,
I just knew immediately
were amazing
and I knew immediately
would be great.
Narrator:
Sam learned techniques
to control his voice
and push his vocal range
to the limit.
The favorite song
that I did with him,
I wanted his voice to be
like a violin at the end,
and he did it perfectly,
( vocalizes )
With his lovely warble.
And I kept saying,
"I want it to sound
like a violin,"
'cause a lot of singers
emulate instruments.
Ella Fitzgerald
would emulate saxophone.
( scatting )
Sinatra emulates trombone.
so you hear...
( vocalizes )
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.
Narrator:
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.
Chadwick:
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.
Chadwick:
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 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."
Dr. Voice:
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.
Smith: 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.
Chadwick:
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.
( laughs )
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
telling everything?
So far, he's still very new
to the superstar--
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?"
Amudeli:
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.
Chadwick:
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.
Smith:
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?
Narrator:
Sam honed in
on his songwriting skills
and continued private
vocal coaching sessions
under the instruction
of Dr. Voice.
'Cause 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...
Dr. Voice:
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...
( growls )
And I made this sound...
( growls )
And I would keep doing it.
( growls )
And he knew
it was getting worse,
and I'd go...
( growls, barks )
and then I'd bite him.
( chuckles )
Pretend to bite him,
and he'd jump, you know.
I think--
He couldn't stop
laughing at it,
but I think
I frightened him.
( laughs )
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 practicing,
always using the techniques.
Smith:
Where--
A bit too quiet.
Where...
Perfect.
Dr. Voice:
Where
Smith:
Where
Dr. Voice:
Over the rainbow
Smith:
Over the rainbow
Dr. Voice:
Where I go again
Smith:
Where I go again.
Oh, crap.
We need to go back.
The bubble technique,
which is the...
( blows lips ) 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...
( vocalizes )
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.
Clowes:
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.
Dr. Voice:
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
maths 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.
Narrator:
Sam Smith is neither
a product of the BRIT School
nor "The X Factor,"
but a creation
of his own drive.
Interviewer 1:
"X Factor," what do you
think of these talent shows?
Because I think
they're getting a bit old.
I-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.
Dr. Voice:
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,
'cause 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.
Longmore:
This is someone
who's grafted,
who has a beautiful voice.
Butcher:
To have someone develop
naturally and organically,
I think, maybe
as well, that's--
a lot to do
with his appeal.
You know, people have
just appreciated the talent,
rather than being told
to appreciate the talent.
Interviewer 1:
What if Simon Cowell
called you up
and was like,
"Hey, do you want to perform
your new single
on the show? "
100%.
"I don't like the show,
but I'll come on."
Narrator:
As a teenager,
Sam gravitated
towards the music of Beyonc
and singing legends
Whitney Houston
and Mariah Carey.
Don't you walk away...
Smith:
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--
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.
Chadwick:
He clearly honed his skills
when he was,
like, 12 to 16
singing in his bedroom
to people like Beyonc,
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...
Longmore:
Got Beyonc in there.
You've got all the divas,
Whitney Houston.
He was massively,
massively inspired
by those women.
- Always find the answer
- Ooh, ooh...
Smith:
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?
( sighs )
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.
( laughs )
Narrator:
The influence of emotive soul
and pop balladry
remain an integral part
of Smith's style.
Smith:
As I got older,
I got swallowed
into this whole MTV generation
of everything,
and then Beyonc 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 all these
brutally honest songwriters
I used to listen to,
even Adele,
I used to listen to
and be inspired by them.
Narrator:
Sam's four Grammy awards
represent the biggest triumph
for a British pop star
since Adele scooped six
back in 2012.
( laughs )
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.
( laughs ) No.
No, don't use that one.
Ha ha! Don't use that one.
( laughs )
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 and 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 realized the--
the sort of--
how much it would connect
with 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 U.K. 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.
Smith:
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.
Narrator:
"Latch" peaked at number 11
in the U.K. 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 is 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...
( vocalizing )
not..."
( vocalizing )
Naughty Boy's
"La La La"
became the fastest-selling
U.K. 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.
Interviewer 2:
"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 U.K. market,
so journalists,
bloggers, deejays,
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...
Butcher:
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.
Narrator:
Pairing up with Disclosure
and Naughty Boy
added a contemporary edge
to Sam Smith.
Suddenly he was relevant.
Interviewer 1:
I was absolutely delighted
that you were nominated...
- Yeah.
- for the BRIT's 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,
'cause 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, 'cause 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.
Narrator:
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.
Dr. Voice:
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 Beyonc,
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.
It was crazy. It was crazy.
I thought I was
going to be more prepared
when I met--
for when I met Beyonc,
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,
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 Beyonc.
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 Beyonc
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 color
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...
Gug gug gug gug gug gug.
and you're using your voi--
( blows lips )
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.
Smith:
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 Beyonc'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,
'cause he's doing what he loves.
Narrator:
2014 kicked off
with the release
of "Money on my Mind"
from the debut album
"In the Lonely Hour."
Interviewer 1:
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.
( coughs )
I ate some nuts earlier,
and it's getting trapped.
- Um...
- What nut was it?
It was cashew.
- They're the terrors.
- ( coughs )
They get stuck
in windpipes.
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.
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?
'Cause 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%,
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.
that's what the album's
called, isn't it?
No.
Narrator:
"Money on my Mind"
smashed the U.K. 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.
( audience cheering )
Thank you all.
Thank you again.
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.
- ( cheering )
- Thank you.
I love you all so, so much.
Thank you, guys.
Have a good night.
( cheering )
Dr. Voice:
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."
( laughs )
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,
'cause 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...
Narrator:
"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,
'cause it's a bit too literal.
It's a bit too--"
I guess a bit too honest,
'cause 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...
Smith:
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% incredible,
but it's okay."
When we were recording
the track,
I think...
no one realized
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.
Amudeli:
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."
Narrator:
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.
( laughs )
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.
I don't know
how to react right now.
This is absolutely
incredible.
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-- ( stammers )
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.
Interviewer 3:
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,
'cause that shows outside
of the U.K., 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, traveling.
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,
'cause, see, you know,
it's tough out there.
I went to America,
then Australia and Chicago
and the U.K.
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.
Narrator:
Disaster struck in May, 2015,
as the singer was forced
to cancel his Australian tour
after doctors discovered
a hemorrhage 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 practicing
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,
'cause 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,
'cause 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.
Narrator:
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.
Smith:
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.
Smith: 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.
Butcher:
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.
Sam:
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.
Longmore:
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 my--
with the way I look. I just do.
I think it makes it easier
for the listener to digest.
He's definitely modeled 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. ( laughs )
Yeah, I mean, he's always
pretty sharply dressed.
Longmore:
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 makeup,
and he's talked openly
about it and said,
"What man doesn't
wear makeup now?"
And he's a gay guy.
I don't think he has
any problem with makeup.
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 makeup on today,"
so I'd sometimes
have to challenge Sam
as he came in to school,
talking about his makeup,
but it wasn't
a big problem.
Longmore:
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.
Dr. Voice:
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.
Clowes:
His music will be around
for a long time,
and I think that
it's timeless, really.
Longmore:
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.
Chadwick:
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.
Smith:
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.