LONELY HOUR

Sam Smith Admits He Was Hesitant To Come Out Publicly

71166-show-94389Sam Smith‘s rise to global stardom is a pop star story that reflects the strides made in gay acceptance. It’s impossible to imagine Elton John, Ricky Martin, Boy George or George Michael becoming the iconic singers they are if they’d come out from the start of their careers.

Sam, who we still have to keep reminding ourselves is only 22, has made no secret of the fact that the object of his heartache on his debut album In The Lonely Hour is a man. And yet, there are still teen girls flocking his sold out arena shows screaming their faces off. The radio plays him constantly. And record sales haven’t been anything to laugh at.

But that doesn’t mean the choice to break out as a gay artist was the obvious one. Sam recently told The Telegraph that though he, “came out as a gay man at a very, very young age,” doing so in the music industry was a calculated risk. “We all had that reservation before the record,” he admits. “Past gay artists, things have happened to them that haven’t been great. All I can say is I’m so unbelievably surprised and happy at how far the world has come, because there have been no issues.”

As for how he’s doing with all that love sickness?

“Obviously I want to fall in love and stuff, but I don’t yearn for it every day like I used to. It sounds so cheesy but my fans have completely filled that hole.”

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