Sam Smith opened up about his gender identity and how his feelings have changed on being a “gay singer” in an interview with The Times.
The 25-year-old singer explained that at first he didn’t want his private life attached to his professional life but with age his opinion changed.
“Looking back on it, it was the fear of saying the wrong thing and offending,” Smith says. “And I was 19 when I started writing the first album. I’d just moved to London from a village — I was literally the only gay in the village. I didn’t know what I wanted to say. … I remember, at the beginning of my career, being called a ‘gay singer,’ and I didn’t want that. I wanted to be seen as a singer first, before people spoke about my private life.
“And now it’s changed — I’ve changed. I realize that maybe I don’t mind that title,” he adds.
Smith also shared his love for dressing feminine which he started doing as a teenager.
“I love a heel. I’ve got loads of heels at home,” Smith reveals. “People don’t know this, but when I was 17, I remember becoming obsessed with Boy George and Marilyn [Monroe], and all that. There was one moment in my life where I didn’t own a piece of male clothing, really. I would wear full make-up every day in school, eyelashes, leggings with Dr. Martens and huge fur coats, for 2.5 years.”
When asked if he identified as cis-gender Smith replied, “I don’t know what the title would be but I feel just as much woman as I am man.”
Smith’s sophomore album “The Thrill of It All” will be released on Nov. 3. He says the album will reflect more on his gay identity including the track “Him,” which is about a son coming out to his father.
“I think they [the songs] show my growth, my confidence. I feel like they show me. They show the gay guy I’ve become,” Smith says.
