Out Music: Sam Smith Busts A Move With "How Do You Sleep?"

Well, look at Sam Smith get down with his bad self.

After a tremendously successful year that saw Dancing With a Stranger garner an amazing one billion streams, hitting #1 in both the US and UK, and going platinum in 15 countries, it seems Mr. Smith is in the mood to dance about.

Smith begins his new single, "How Do You Sleep," singing ‘I’m done hating myself for feeling / I'm done crying myself awake,' to an ambient, light-as-air accompaniment before the track kicks into a mid-tempo dance groove complete with hooky chorus.

And that's when Smith surprises by busting a move (a lot of them!) with a company of half-naked male dancers choreographed by Parris Goebel.

It's a nice change of pace for the 4-time Grammy Award winner.

The singer tweeted to his fans, "My heart is beating so fast. I'm so proud of this one. Thank you to all the beautiful humans who've helped me really come out my shell over the past year. I hope you all enjoy this & please learn the moves so we can dance together soon."

HOW DO YOU SLEEP? My heart is beating so fast. I'm so proud of this one. Thank you to all the beautiful humans who've helped me really come out my shell over the past year. I hope you all enjoy this & please learn the moves so we can dance together soon x https://t.co/HpvK3IPeYQ

— Sam Smith (@samsmith) July 19, 2019

Pride Music: Sam Smith Covers Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know"

Back in 2014, out recording artist Sam Smith debuted his new cover of the Whitney Houston hit "How Will I Know" while visiting the SiriusXM Studios yesterday.

I love when folks slow a song down and we discover a whole new side to the writer's work.

Gorgeous idea here.

(h/t JMG)

Podcast: Ben Platt, Jussie Smollett, Sam Smith, HIV+ Soldiers

In this week's podcast:

• Chicago police reportedly believe Empire star Jussie Smollett may have staged his alleged homophobic attack

• A federal judge ordered the Pentagon to stop discharging US military service members who are HIV+

• Tony Award-winner Ben Platt (Dear Evan Hansen) released his new music video and came out at the same time

• Sam Smith stands up against body shaming

• The 2019 NAACP Image Awards snubbed the ground-ground-breaking TV series from FX Pose

All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report.

Sam Smith Posts Shirtless Pic To Overcome Body Shame

Sam Smith (photo: Ryan Pfluger)

Here's something most of us mere mortals can relate to.

Grammy Award winner Sam Smith posted a shirtless photo of himself on a beach to his Instagram as he works towards overcoming his own sense of body shame.

In the caption, the singer admits he used to starve himself before photoshoots because of what he saw in the mirror.

"Yesterday I decided to fight the fuck back," wrote Smith. "Reclaim my body and stop trying to change this chest and these hips and these curves that my mum and dad made and love so unconditionally."

The shirtless pic was shot by photographer Ryan Pfluger on an undisclosed beach.

View this post on Instagram

In the past if I have ever done a photo shoot with so much as a t-shirt on, I have starved myself for weeks in advance and then picked and prodded at every picture and then normally taken the picture down. Yesterday I decided to fight the fuck back. Reclaim my body and stop trying to change this chest and these hips and these curves that my mum and dad made and love so unconditionally. Some may take this as narcissistic and showing off but if you knew how much courage it took to do this and the body trauma I have experienced as a kid you wouldn’t think those things. Thank you for helping me celebrate my body AS IT IS @ryanpfluger I have never felt safer than I did with you. I’ll always be at war with this bloody mirror but this shoot and this day was a step in the right fucking direction 👅🤘🏼🍑

A post shared by Sam Smith (@samsmith) on Feb 12, 2019 at 10:15am PST

The post has garnered over 1 million likes since it was posted yesterday.

Here's Smith's full caption from the post:

In the past if I have ever done a photo shoot with so much as a t-shirt on, I have starved myself for weeks in advance and then picked and prodded at every picture and then normally taken the picture down.

Yesterday I decided to fight the fuck back. Reclaim my body and stop trying to change this chest and these hips and these curves that my mum and dad made and love so unconditionally.

Some may take this as narcissistic and showing off but if you knew how much courage it took to do this and the body trauma I have experienced as a kid you wouldn’t think those things.

Thank you for helping me celebrate my body AS IT IS @ryanpfluger I have never felt safer than I did with you.

I’ll always be at war with this bloody mirror but this shoot and this day was a step in the right fucking direction.

Tons of fans applauded the post, including America's Next Top Model champ Nyle DiMarco, who wrote, "You look beautiful and I love that you’re embracing yourself. The benefits of embracing yourself outweigh the fallbacks of hiding. ALWAYS BE YOU!"

Out singer/songwriter (and newly-crowned 3-time Grammy Award winner) Brandi Carlile chimed in, "Sam. You look absolutely beautiful and healthy and you always have to me. You are a fucking dream. No one like you - I will get in a bar fight with anyone who says anything less."

Sarah Jessica Parker added, "Simply divine my friend. Never more beautiful. I miss you."

Pfluger posted the photo on his own Instagram, writing,

"My MFA thesis was on how photography is therapy. I did a TEDx talk on how photography is therapy. I feel so lucky to have met the people I have in my career & even luckier to create meaningful connections after working with people. @samsmith thank you for trusting me to facilitate photographs that empower your ownership of your body and mind. I honestly wish everyone relinquished themselves to the experience like you did. An experience that has brought us closer together & I look forward to creating with you through the years. All the love. Xoxo"

News Round-Up: January 29, 2019

InstaHunk Dan Tai

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk Dan Tai asks, "Do you count your macros?" I don't even know what that means (I'm sure it's important) because calves, biceps, deltoids, face...

• Desperate Housewives/Ugly Betty star Vanessa Williams has been tapped for a lead role in Happy Accident, ABC’s family comedy pilot from the writers of Modern Family. #Yay!

• Congressional Republicans aren't fond of Donald Trump's idea to declare a 'national emergency' in order to get his beloved wall, but they've signaled they won't put up a stink if he does.

• Reuters reports that The Trump administration’s $1.5 trillion cut tax package appeared to have no major impact on businesses’ capital investment or hiring plans.

• A new Washington Post/ABC News poll shows 56% of registered voters will "definitely" not vote for Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

• And speaking of the 2020 election, Sen. Kamala Harris of California broke records Monday night when her televised town hall became the most viewed event of its kind in cable news history with 1.957 million views. The event drew the most viewers of any cable-news, single-candidate town hall.

• Out singer/songwriter Sam Smith and former Fifth Harmony member Normani release their sensual, moody music video for their hit duet, "Dancing with a Stranger."

Alone in a lavish mansion, both artists are attempting to get over former lovers. I like the song; not sure about Normani's dancing in the middle there, but I guess it's in the title so someone had to dance...?

Sam Smith Is 'Dancing With A Stranger' After Breakup

(image via Facebook/SamSmith)

Out singer/songwriter Sam Smith drops his latest, “Dancing With a Stranger,” an R&B mid tempo  pop duet with former Fifth Harmony member, Normani.

Speaking to Billboard, Smith says the new song, “Bottles everything I was feeling whilst juggling my personal life and touring.”

”It is also such a beautiful moment for me as I’m a huge, huge fan of Normani and everything she is,” said the 4-time Grammy Award winner. “I’m so excited to watch her light shine.”

Normani returned the mutual love telling Billboard, “I never thought in a trillion years that I would be able to state that I have a record with this extremely gifted being.”

View this post on Instagram

SAM SMITH X NORMANI X DANCING WITH A STRANGER 11th January 2019 @normani

A post shared by Sam Smith (@samsmith) on Jan 4, 2019 at 12:00am PST

You have to imagine there are echoes from his breakup last summer with 13 Reasons Why star Brandon Flynn mixed into the recording as he sings: “I don’t want to be alone tonight, It’s pretty clear that I’m not over you, I’m still thinking ‘bout the things you do, So I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

In September, Smith shared with The Times, "I'm still trying to figure out what I took from that relationship and what it meant to me.”

He added, "It's still quite raw."

Listen to Sam Smith & Normani’s “Dancing With a Stranger” below.

New Music: Calvin Harris "Promises" Feat. Sam Smith

 As we come off our post-Pose withdrawal, Calvin Harris comes to the rescue with his latest dance track, “Promises,” featuring Sam Smith, which celebrates the world of LGBTQ ball culture.

The new Vogue-themed video opens with dancers describing the allure of the ball scene and the freedom that comes with it.

“It’s fantasy,” says one dancer. “One hundred percent fantasy.”

“Growing up in the Bronx you have to carry this tough skin,” says another. “Finding 'Vogue,' it allowed me to express myself in a way that I couldn’t express myself anywhere else.”

“Find that ‘inner person’ and you just kinda let it out.”

“You really can do anything, in that world, and be accepted,” extols another dancer before adding, “Be celebrated - not just accepted - be celebrated.”

The music video continues with Smith singing as several dancers spin, live, vogue and pose for their lives on the ball scene runway.

Along the way you may recognize Kevin Stea, who twirled for Madonna on her Blond Ambition tour.

If you miss Pose, (I know I do) or just want to escape into your own vogue, check out the new video below.

Out Music: Sam Smith "Too Good At Goodbyes"

Sam Smith (image via Instagram)

“Too Good At Goodbyes” is out singer/songwriter Sam Smith's newest release since his Academy Award winning James Bond theme, “Writing’s On The Wall.”

“The song is about a relationship I was in and it’s basically about getting good at getting dumped,” Smith said in a press release. “It’s been a long while since I’ve put any music out and I feel that this first single sets the tone of what is to come.”

Variety reviews the track:

For the first minute of the song, Smith’s voice is joined only by the sparsest and most basic piano chords, along with some finger-snapping. Eventually a light beat kicks in, then a gospel choir, as if to almost mock Smith’s romantic lamentation by raising it to the level of spiritual battle. Those extra production elements drop out as easily as they drop in, though, until it’s finally just piano and fingers again, then a sobby, a cappella closing line.

Maybe you’d also like a majestic bridge that never arrives; that may be the missing element that leaves “Goodbyes” shy of being a pop classic. But Smith’s magical, tragical voice is its own kind of classicism, melting you with its vulnerability even as he tries some swagger on for size as part of his exit strategy.

4.5 million views in one day.

Listen below. Let me know in the comments what you think :)

News Round-Up: September 1, 2017

(via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Roberto Caccamo gets a jump start on the weekend. #ThisBeMeIn321

• Four-time Grammy Award winner/out singer-songwriter Sam Smith announces new music due out next week.

• L’Oréal fires transgender model Munroe Bergdorf for speaking out against racism.

• Hollywood is singing the blues as summer comes to an end and the LA Times reports the lowest number of movie tickets sold in the U.S. since 1992.

• Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers says society is getting better about accepting gays in the locker room, but players still have "a fear of job security" if they might come out.

• September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to connect with those affected by suicide and to share resources to better support individuals to prevent suicide. According to a 2016 study by the Center for Disease Control, 43% of lesbian, gay and bisexual high school students seriously considered suicide in the previous 12 months, compared to 15 percent of their heterosexual peers. Find more info at the Human Rights Campaign.

• Dance into the weekend with these new remixes of "Carefully Taught" by Tony/Grammy Award winner Billy Porter and India.Arie. The first is by Quentin Harris, the second by John J-C Carr.

News Round-Up: March 3, 2016

Some news stories you might have missed:

• It looks like Katy Perry is a really big Hillary Clinton fan.

• Speaker of the House Paul Ryan "laughed out loud" when he heard Donald Trump's comment that the Wisconsin Republican would “pay a big price” if he couldn’t work with him.

• Oscar winner Sam Smith actually hated his own performance at this year's Academy Awards.

• When this NFL star went to look at a gym he wanted to buy, the employees called the cops. Nope, nothing racist going on there.

• A Kentucky lawmaker tries to run around same-sex marriage by replacing the word "marriage" with "matrimony" throughout all state laws. #NotGonnaHappen

• Failed gay Republican organizers of GOProud now regret getting Donald Trump into politics.

• Victory! South Dakota lawmakers fail to override Governor Daugaard's veto of HB1008, which would have banned transgender students from using the restroom which corresponded with their gender identity.

BREAKING & VICTORY: The House has sustained Gov. Daugaard's HB 1008 veto on a vote of 36-29! THE BILL IS DEAD!

— ACLU South Dakota (@ACLUSD) March 3, 2016

Sam Smith's Gay Oscar Flub

Out singer/songwriter Sam Smith had something of a surprise last night at the Oscars when his song "Writing's On The Wall" snagged the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

But he kind of fumbled in his otherwise gracious acceptance speech saying he thought he was the first openly gay man to win an Oscar.

Smith referenced an interview Sir Ian McKellen gave to the Guardian recently where he said that, while straight men play gay and win the Oscar, openly gay men don't have the same results. “No openly gay man has ever won the Oscar; I wonder if that is prejudice or chance,” McKellen said, later adding, “My speech has been in two jackets: ‘I’m proud to be the first openly gay man to win the Oscar.’ I’ve had to put it back in my pocket twice.” He was speaking about gay men in acting roles.

Smith, in his speech, said, “I read an article a few months ago by Sir Ian McKellen, and he said that no openly gay man had ever won an Oscar. If this is the case—even if it isn’t the case—I want to dedicate this to the LGBT community all around the world.”

Oscars: Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith Win Best Original Song for "...
Watch SAM SMITH dedicate his Best Original Song win to the LGBT community. #Oscars
Posted by The Hollywood Reporter on Sunday, February 28, 2016

Of course, there have been many openly gay people who have won Oscars in the past: Sir Elton John, Melissa Etheridge, Stephen Sondheim, screenwriters Alan Ball and Bill Condon, and many more.

Among those who took to Twitter to correct Smith was another past winner, Dustin Lance Black, who had a mic drop moment of his own:

Hey @SamSmithWorld, if you have no idea who I am, it may be time to stop texting my fiancé. Here's a start: https://t.co/8hGTRtIaMK

— Dustin Lance Black (@DLanceBlack) February 29, 2016

THE POINT: knowing our LGBTQ history is important. We stand on the shoulders of countless brave men and women who paved the way for us.

— Dustin Lance Black (@DLanceBlack) February 29, 2016

Smith was eventually told of his inaccuracy backstage, where he still seemed confused thinking he's only the SECOND gay man to win.

“S–t. F–k that. Two’s my lucky number, so it’s all good. Who was the other person?”

“When I read the Ian McKellen piece I was just bowled over by it. I wanted to take this opportunity to show how much I care about my community,” he said. “In the past in my career people had said that I didn’t.”

Smith also copped to being slightly not his usual self, adding he was “completely overwhelmed. I can’t even speak. I’m a little bit drunk as well.”

Sam Smith's James Bond Theme "Writing's On The Wall" Hits #1 In UK

The songs attached to James Bond films always seem to have some kind of musical magic.

I think of those songs as huge hits. And, in truth, many were.

So I'm a bit surprised to hear that Sam Smith’s new track - "Writing's On The Wall" - for the upcoming James Bond flick Spectre is the first-ever Bond theme to reach #1 the British pop singles chart.

Surprisingly, Adele’s "Skyfall" and Duran Duran’s "A View To A Kill" both topped out at #2 in the UK.

According to JoeMyGod, seven James Bond theme songs have charted in the US top ten:

Duran Duran’s "A View To A Kill" is the only #1. (The only #1???)

Paul McCartney & Wings and Carly Simon both reached #2 with "Live And Let Die" and "Nobody Does It Better," respectively.

Sheena Easton peaked at #4 with "For Your Eyes Only."

All landing at #8 were Shirley Bassey’s "Goldfinger," Madonna’s "Die Another Day, "and Adele’s "Skyfall."

Sam Smith Drops New Bond Theme Song "Writing's On The Wall"

Grammy Award winner and out singer/songwriter Sam Smith shared his upcoming theme song "Writing's On The Wall" for the next Bond film - Spectre - with fans this week.

Smith is the first openly gay male artist to record a Bond song, plus he's the first British male singer to do so in 50 years.

Two years ago Adele won an Oscar for her Bond song "Skyfall" - which I think was a home run,

Spectre, starring Daniel Craig, hits theaters November 6th.

Take a listen below - do you think it lives up to the history of Bond themes like "Goldfinger," "Live and Let Die," or "Skyfall?"

Sam Smith Will Be First Openly Gay Singer To Release James Bond Theme

Grammy Award winner Sam Smith will be the first openly gay singer to release a James Bond theme.

The song, "Writing's On The Wall," will be the theme song for the upcoming James Bond flick Spectre. The track will be released on September 25th in advance of the film's November 6 debut.

Smith shared this statement today: “This is one of the highlights of my career.”

“I am honored to finally announce that I will be singing the next Bond theme song. I am so excited to be a part of this iconic British legacy and join an incredible line up of some of my biggest musical inspirations. I hope you all enjoy the song as much as I enjoyed making it.”

Then there's this shot posted to Smith's Instagram:

Practising to be the best Bond girl I can be

A photo posted by Sam Smith (@samsmithworld) on Sep 8, 2015 at 9:34am PDT

Out Singer/Songwriter Sam Smith Cleans Up At The 2015 Grammy Awards

Out singer/songwriter Sam Smith had a great night at the 2015 Grammys winning four major awards for his song "Stay With Me" - Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album.

In accepting one of his many awards of the evening, Smith said "Before I made this record I was doing everything to try and get my music heard. I tried to lose weight and I was making awful music. It was only until I started to be myself that the music started to flow and people started to listen."

Other notable Grammy news:

• Beautiful: The Carole King Musical won for Best Musical Theater Album

• Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for their Cheek To Cheek

• Joan Rivers won posthumously for Best Spoken Word Album for her book Diary Of A Mad Diva

A full list of tonight's winners can be found here.

Music Video: Sam Smith "Lay Me Down"

Out singer/songwriter & Grammy nominee Sam Smith drops his latest video - "Lay Me Down" - from his platinum-selling CD, In The Lonely Hour.

Set during a funeral, the video features a same-sex marriage in flashback.

On his YouTube channel, Smith writes:

"This song holds a very dear place in my heart. With this video myself and Ryan Hope the director have decided to make a statement and showcase something we passionately believe in. This video shows my dreams that one day gay men and women and transgendered men and women all over the world, like all our straight families and friends, will be able to get married under any roof, in any city, in any town, in any village, in any country. I hope you enjoy it. I love you all, x."

All-Star "We Are The Champions" - Jimmy Fallon, Carrie Underwood, Ariana Grande, Sam Smith, Usher, One Direction, more

In honor of the Super Bowl, Jimmy and the Roots join Carrie Underwood, Sam Smith, Ariana Grande, Blake Shelton, Usher, Meghan Trainor, One Direction, and Christina Aguilera for an a cappella version of "We Are The Champions."

(h/t JMG)

Sam Smith Agrees To Share "Stay With Me" Songwriting Profits With Tom Petty

Out singer/songwriter Sam Smith, arguably one of 2014's biggest music success stories, has agreed to pay a portion of his royalties for the song Stay With Me to Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne after similarities were pointed out between Smith's song and the Petty/Lynne hit I Won't Back Down.

Smith has agreed to share 25% of the songwriting royalties with Petty and Lynne.

The full statement from Smith's representative:

Recently the publishers for the song I Won't Back Down, written by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, contacted the publishers for Stay With Me, written by Sam Smith, James Napier and William Phillips, about similarities heard in the melodies of the choruses of the two compositions.

Not previously familiar with the 1989 Petty/Lynne song, the writers of Stay With Me listened to I Won't Back Down and acknowledged the similarity.

Although the likeness was a complete coincidence, all involved came to an immediate and amicable agreement in which Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne are now credited as co-writers of Stay With Me along with Sam Smith, James Napier and William Phillips.

Stay With Me is nominated for Song of the Year at the Grammy Awards to be held February 8th.

In other Sam Smith news, Howard Stern recently said that Smith is "fat, ugly and looks gay to me." Smith, taking the high road, responded with the one word tweet: "Ignore."

(source)

Music: Sam Smith "Like I Can"

Sam Smith, leading the Grammy Awards pack with six nominations (including best solo performance, best new artist, song of the year, and album of the year) drops his new music video for "Like I Can" from his album In The Lonely Hour.

OUT Reveals 20th Anniversary OUT100 Covers

OUT Magazine's annual OUT100 Issue celebrates "the year's most entertaining, heroic, and compelling people, from all walks of life—including professional athletes, trans pioneers, actors, activists, designers, journalists, emerging musicians, artists, and dancers."

2014 marks the 20th anniversary of the OUT100 with this year's with the theme, "On the Shoulders of Giants."

As in other years, there are multiple covers for the issue. This year OUT features fab four Ellen Page, Zachary Quinto, Sam Smith and Samira Wiley.

You can check out the OUT100 here.