Sam Smith

0:00Who aren't you? Stay You I found what I could online though for just being out there Well that's maybe we'll start there Yeah, it's just out there for everyone to judge isn't it? Well are you ready for it? Are you ready for it? No you're not I don't think you can be ready for it and I'm just gonna not read reviews at all That's probably a good thing to do Probably harder than it sounds to do Have you stayed away from reviews so far? I've read a few for my first show in Shepherd's Bush

0:47There's a guy in the UK I won't name names Careful not sure It's alright, it's alright It's alright, cable It's alright There's a guy in the UK I won't name names who works for a newspaper who he's out He's out for the kill He doesn't I think when because I got a Brit award now I've got a number one single with Naughty Boy and a number one single by myself and I think for an up-and-coming artist that's a It's great, it's amazing but it does mean that There's more people willing for you to do bad So I found that I did that show and you know I'm not trying to flower up anything here I'm 21 year old boy I haven't been performing that long and I'm doing a show to 1,500 people when I've been doing shows for 400 people

1:34and that jump is crazy so I was hoping that some of the this one journalist would watch it and just think he's learning but he didn't he compared me to someone who's been doing it for 10 years We won't name names, it's fine but I'm wondering as a performer what have you noticed? I mean this is the last date of this US North American run right? What have you noticed? That Shepherd's Resheapra show was the first date of my this talk that I've been doing this new show that we put on and my god it has come miles it is you know we did two shows in LA and it's just been the most amazing shows ever and I'm not big in myself I'm blowing my own head

2:20but I'm also talking about my band you know we have perfected we've changed songs we've changed the set we've rehearsed where I speak we've rehearsed timings there's parts in the set where the band stopped with me and it's a real show we're putting on now and I feel like it's gone from you know a beginner's show to feels like it's a proper soul performance old school performance yeah right now do you ever play instruments live? I don't but you write on stuff right? You write on my music on what though where did my song pick with the start? I write with musicians so I've grown in the studio with somebody who plays piano but I use my voice as an instrument so that's how all my melodies that I write are I'm me and lyrically and everything like that what was a song when you heard

3:06you were like this has to be on my record when you're sitting with Jimmy or someone and you're like this needs to I need this one God when you heard him play a lick or something the first song that I was like immediately this has to go on the album which the song could leave your lover and for like immediately it was it was like the album track that I needed on there there's this every song I love you know I laugh about this with my A&R the UK he's an amazing man and he he gets stressed out because after every single session I would send my songs to my managers and my A&R and go I love this song so much and he would reply like you can't love every single song and it's like I can because I wouldn't present my work if I didn't love it and some of the songs that I've got which they thought were the worst ones

3:53I still love well name names again what's what's working the best live what are you really digging plan right now um of course you mentioned good thing before I know and you've been digging it yeah I haven't been did that's my favorite song on the album but I haven't done that live yet I'm saving that for so that's an interesting question how yeah why not and that song is my most personal song I've ever written and and I want to do it in the right way also I've got an amazing art mashing it up with something so I'm saving that for after album I don't want to give everything away too soon I think at the moment the song which people don't know which is working the best is leave your lover because the lyric in leave your lover leave him for me is is about you know it's it's very obvious what it's about and I think that kind of honesty is small venues

4:40is I hope it's quite like wow you know I feel like I'm telling my diary to everybody do you write all the time do you do you actually write lyrics in a diary like yeah where does it start from you I write lyrics I write melodies I I but I also try and work quite spontaneously so most of the songs on this album I would have experienced been experiencing that thing that day and woken up and and and been in that situation and I just try to tell them about it well there's a as a Linda Perry story about one of those things yes the Linda Perry stories is is a great one because and hopefully I'm going to release this song at some point but is it on the record it's not on the record but I'm saving it for something save a lot of things yeah it's on the record I'm going to give it a right for it it's a 10 track album you know it's not there's not too much on there I want to be minimalist in what I give out

5:27but the Linda Perry story is what kind of spimbled my whole my whole idea for this album I I was in LA and first time over there and I was by myself and I had I I knew some friends and I was basically planned to go out that night the night before the session and in my head as a sensible person you shouldn't be going out before I Linda Perry session you should stay in and go the next day but I went out and got really really drunk and some stuff happened and I wrote a song about it the next day and and that honesty that story I had was something that I wanted to do with every single song I have and I have on this album you've been doing that recently too? yeah still writing going out

6:12and just writing what your experience is just just living and writing about it you know even the most basic things like being a bit homesick when I'm away stuff like that just capturing it like you would the diary that's good at homesick because we can wrap it up with it being on the road and ending this tour so what what first time in North America touring and settling out shows what have been some highlights? last night was my big with Jiman J Bonny Hunt yeah that was amazing but also the Chicago crowd was insane it's um I thought I was playing a 300, 400 capacity venue and it was 1,500 people and um just like the cheer at the end of the show just completely overwhelmed me and um it was just it's just a lovely moment because when you are away from home you miss your people you miss your friends

6:58and stuff like that and just to feel all that love and warmth is really lovely cool well I hope you get the bug to go back on the road soon we want to see you again yeah I love it so I'm planning to be on the road for a long time yeah I'm sure the company is too your probably touring for the rest of your life five quick questions before I let you go one word answers cool road or studio? studio Landon or McCartney? Landon when you hear a song what usually hits you first lyrics melody or rhythm melody if someone's never heard Sam Smith before what song did they start with? um lay me down cool and in one word Sam Smith soul

7:45I like it man thank you so much pleasure talking to you thank you