How Sam Smith's songwriting changed on their new album

On this episode

About this episode

Our guest this episode, Sam Smith, is one of the most popular singers in the world. Sam's music has more than 57 billion streams. We first met in 2014 in Sam's hometown in England, when their debut album was just blowing up. Now, a dozen years later, Sam came to my home to talk about their stunning fifth album, "Hazel Eyes." 00:00 "That's where I sat with you" 00:32 Welcome to Alchemy 02:13 A queer love album — and a radical one 03:51 Leaving the pop factory 05:08 The pressure of being a billion-stream artist 07:14 Inside "Thief" 12:08 A private relationship with singing 13:31 Church, gospel, and singing alone 14:33 Vocal surgery, cancelled arenas, and stage fear 17:20 The field in the…