Sam Smith

Samuel Frederick Smith was born on 19 May 1992 in London, England, to Frederick Smith and Kate Cassidy. Smith grew up in Great Chishill, Cambridgeshire, attending Thomas More Primary School and later St Mary's Catholic School in Bishop's Stortford. During youth, Smith studied singing and songwriting under jazz pianist Joanna Eden, performed in jazz bands, and participated in music groups such as Youth Music Theatre UK, the Cantate Youth Choir, and Bishop's Stortford Junior Operatics.

Smith rose to prominence in 2012 after featuring on the electronic music duo Disclosure's single "Latch," which reached number 11 on the UK singles chart. The following year, Smith released the debut solo single "Lay Me Down" and featured on Naughty Boy's single "La La La," which achieved number one status in the United Kingdom. After releasing the extended play Nirvana in 2013, Smith won both the Brit Critics' Choice Award 2014 and the BBC Sound of 2014 poll.

In May 2014, Capitol Records UK released Smith's debut studio album, In the Lonely Hour. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and reached number two on the US Billboard 200. The album featured successful singles including "Money on My Mind," "Stay with Me," "I'm Not the Only One," and "Like I Can." At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, Smith won four awards, including Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year. In 2015, Smith co-wrote and recorded "Writing's on the Wall" for the James Bond film Spectre, earning both a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Smith's second studio album, The Thrill of It All, was released in 2017 and debuted atop both the UK and US album charts. Its lead single, "Too Good at Goodbyes," reached number one in the United Kingdom and Australia, as well as number four in the United States. Following the release, Smith embarked on the Thrill of It All Tour from 2018 to 2019. During this period, Smith collaborated with Calvin Harris on the UK number-one single "Promises" and with Normani on the 2019 hit single "Dancing with a Stranger."

Smith released a third studio album, Love Goes, in October 2020. The project was preceded by several singles, including "How Do You Sleep?", "I'm Ready" featuring Demi Lovato, and "Diamonds." To support the release, Smith performed a livestreamed concert at Abbey Road Studios in London, which was subsequently released as the live album Love Goes: Live at Abbey Road Studios in March 2021. Later that year, Smith contributed a cover of "You Will Be Found" with Summer Walker to the soundtrack of the film Dear Evan Hansen.

In 2022, Smith collaborated with German singer Kim Petras on the single "Unholy," which became Smith's first number-one single in the United States and won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. The single preceded Smith's fourth studio album, Gloria, released in 2023. Throughout their career, Smith has accumulated five Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, an American Music Award, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award. Smith holds the distinction of being the first openly non-binary musician to have a song reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and to win a Grammy Award.