With a whopping SIX GRAMMY nominations now under his belt (including Record and Song of the Year nods!)…I think it’s safe to say that Sam Smith has had a whirlwind year. While the nominations themselves are enough to make a sensitive soul like Sam Smith weep into his tea, I can’t imagine what he must have thought when he learned that he’s the first male artist in 34 YEARS…scratch that…the FIRST MALE ARTIST EVER to earn nods in the “Big Four” General Field Grammy categories following the release of a debut album. While Instagram evidence suggests that the 22 year-old British phenom is already at work on album no. 2 (or at least some new material for an album re-pack?) Sam’s label (Capitol) is still milking his debut of it’s best material, most recently with the release of his fifth UK single (one of my favorites)—”Like I Can,” produced by Steve Fitzmaurice, Jimmy Napes, Mojam and co-written by Smith and Matt Prime. The single, out now, is backed by remixes by Artful, Jonas Rathsman and iLL BLU and has so far peaked at no. 9 on the UK Singles Chart. Just before the weekend, Sam premiered the Sophie Muller-directed visual for “Like I Can” and it’s as perfect as you’d expect.
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With Sam Smith‘s self-proclaimed home away from home—NYC—serving as the backdrop, the young singer is joined by a group of good looking guys, engaged in what appears to be some sort of bachelor party shenanigans, wandering all over the city dressed in tuxedos. Shot beautifully in black and white, the video sees Sam and crew traipsing all over New York City, crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, even wandering around in Astoria (unconfirmed). As much as I loved “I’m Not The Only One,” the video was a bit heavy handed if I’m honest. The “Like I Can” clip is one of those less is more videos that works without trying to hard; relying only on the beautiful simplicity of a black and white New York City skyline. Perfect.
Sam has been divvying up his time recently, jetting back and forth between the UK and US, playing a number of shows and squeezing in some promotional appearances as well, most recently playing on the UK X-Factor finale. In the U.S., Smith recently performed at the American Music Awards (alongside A$ap Rocky), where he won ‘Favorite Male Artist.’ It’s crazy to think that in just over six months, In The Lonely Hour has managed to go Platinum (certified by the RIAA). Not only that but Sam’s debut single, “Stay With Me” has been certified Multi-Platinum (4x) and CURRENT U.S. single (“I’m Not The Only One“) has already gone Platinum. WHOOSH. As impressive as his album going Platinum just in terms of CD sales and digital downloads—when you factor in newer metrics of track-and-stream-equivalent albums (as computed by Nielsen SoundScan)—that’s another million sold. Wow. Next up, a 17 date North American headlining tour, including sold out shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City and The Forum in Los Angeles. Check out a list of tour dates below. You can also check out the videos for “Like I Can” and Sam’s HEARTBREAKING take on the Christmas classic, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” BELOW.
Tour Dates:
Jan. 9 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
Jan. 10 – Nashville, TN – Grand Ole Opry House
Jan. 12 – Washington, D.C. – Patriot Center
Jan. 13 – Philadelphia, PA – The Liacouras Center
Jan. 15 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Jan. 17 – Boston, MA – Agganis Arena
Jan. 19 – Montreal, Canada – Bell Centre
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Jan. 20 – Toronto, Canada – Air Canada Centre
Jan. 22 – Detroit, MI – Masonic Temple
Jan. 23 – Chicago, IL – UIC Pavillion
Jan. 24 – St. Paul, MN – Roy Wilkins Auditorium
Jan. 26 – Denver, CO – 1st Bank Center
Jan. 29 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum
Jan. 30 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum
Jan. 31 – San Francisco, CA – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Feb. 2 – Seattle, WA – KeyArena
Feb. 4 – Vancouver, Canada – Rogers Arena
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