But being knocked down a peg meant that, like so many of the gay men and women to come before him, he had to find his own voice all over again. Smith is a colossal force in contemporary pop music, and he's one of few to claim the throne without having to keep his sexuality a secret - if not quite the first. Well, hopefully it's not always going to be the case, but for the time being it is.' 'It's scary being as open as I'm being, because you've just got to always accept that there's probably going to be someone in the room or someone close who really, really, disagrees with who you are,' Smith says. It may be a testament to global attitudes around sexuality that a man who has remained largely apolitical throughout his career, who will probably sell more copies of this record than most other artists releasing albums this year, can sing explicitly about loving another man. But on the new song 'HIM,' there's no mistaking who Smith is singing about: 'Say I shouldn't be here but I can't give up his touch / It is him I love, it is him.' He explained he wanted his songs to be more universal and not alienate people who might be uncomfortable with gay relationships. During his fall from grace, Smith took heat for saying he did not use gender-specific pronouns in his lyrics. This album’s 10 tracks are effective for long drives in the rain lamenting the broken shards of one’s life, sure, but in growth terms, it’s. One can hear how far he's come on the lead single 'Too Good at Goodbyes,' where he's not only fallen in love but grown jaded by it too: 'Every time you hurt me, the less that I cry / And every time you leave me, the quicker these tears dry.' On his sophomore release The Thrill of it All, Sam Smith continues ruthlessly down the path of his debut with variations on the same themes of heartbreak and sadness.

This time around Smith isn't writing about unrequited love.

Sam smith the thrill of it all quotes