Sam Smith has courted comparisons to Adele since "Stay With Me" blew up in early 2014. It didn't help that his debut album, In The Lonely Hour, featured a slew of songs about unrequited love. Smith told Patrick Doyle for Rolling Stone he's chill with the comparison (who wouldn't be, honestly?), but would rather stand out on his own.
"We're very different," Smith said, "and I feel like the constant comparisons might piss her off." Though he considers the "Someone Like You" singer to be his "Michael Jackson," he added how frustrated he is that"people can't digest two pop stars singing really personal songs who don't look like normal pop stars."
These comparisons haven't stopped the praise from pouring in though. Rolling Stone spoke with Taylor Swift about their friendship, who said: "People just want someone real to listen to, and the vulnerability Sam is willing to project comes off as bravery, because it's authentic."
Smith also discussed his past experiences with bullying with the magazine, detailing how, though he tolerated the name calling, he was more embarrassed for those around him. "I got punched in my neck [for wearing makeup], just out of nowhere," Smith recalls. "It wasn't the easiest."
Those kinds of experiences are what empower Smith's music and make his work so relatable — like Adele's. They've helped him earn him a Grammy nod, too — though don't expect him to keep the award for Album of the Year if he wins. "I'd be embarrassed if I got it over [Beyoncé]. If I got it, I'd give it to her."
Check out more of Sam Smith's Rolling Stone interview with Patrick Doyle here or read it in full when it hits stands on January 30.
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