British singer-songwriter Sam Smith, who identifies as non-binary, claimed the music industry is "just not used to queer artists" in an interview with CBS Mornings.
Smith's latest album, "Gloria," was released on Friday and is a departure from the artist's quintessential ballads and heartfelt love songs. In Smith's new album, they opt for an edgier sound which the artist said they "fought so hard for."
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Aubrey Plaza, Sam Smith Episode 1836 -- Pictured: Musical guest Sam Smith performs Unholy on Saturday, January 21, 2023 -- (Photo by: Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images) ((Photo by: Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images))
"I felt this pressure, that I put on myself mostly, to do that every time and I was like ‘Okay, this is my ’brand' you know, I am ‘this’ and then the arts started to suffer because of that," Smith said on CBS.
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"Gloria" features singles like the smash hit, "Unholy," which earned him Smith their first number one single in the U.S.
Smith said there was "lots of fear" around the release of "Gloria."
"I think that you can't blame people for thinking something's not beautiful sometimes. Some people just didn't like it, but it was a case where I had to sit there and be like, ‘Wait, maybe you don’t like that because you don't understand it.'"
Sharon Stone and Musical guest Sam Smith perform Gloria on Saturday, January 21, 2023 ((Photo by: Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images))
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"The music industry is just not used to queer artists," Smith added.
Smith said the biggest risk on the album was "the element of sex."
Singer-songwriter Sam Smith during an interview with host Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, January 19, 2023 ((Photo by: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images))
"I've always been very sexual and very open and loved dancing and moving my body and singing and making songs that allow my body to move in the way that it does in front of people is just so exciting," Smith said.
Kendall Tietz is a Production Assistant with Fox News Digital.
