Sam Smith Says No Songwriters “Know the Magic” Behind Writing the Perfect Song

Sam Smith claims there is no formula for writing the perfect song.

In a recently released episode of Spotify’s Song Start series, Smith discussed the bolstering of certain songwriters and the fallacy of being able to write an immediate hit. They asserted that there is no clear path to success as a musician.

“Absolutely no one knows what they’re doing,” Smith said. “Even the biggest writers in the world, who have written so many hits, they can pretend like they do, but they don’t know. They don’t know the magic.”

When referencing their own success, Smith credited their own determination. They stressed that up-and-coming artists should never “lower [their] standards.”

“You know what you need. And if you don’t know what you need, you need to ask yourself what you need. And then do not stop until you get that,” Smith said.

Listen to Smith’s full Song Start below.

In other Smith news, the hit-maker is gearing up to release their fourth album, Gloria, in January 2023. Two singles from the record have already been shared: “Love Me More” and “Unholy (Feat. Kim Petras).” The latter track earned Smith the milestone of becoming the first openly non-binary artist to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Elsewhere on the record are collaborations with Ed Sheeran, Jessie Reyes, and Koffee.

After releasing Gloria, Smith will head out on a UK and European tour. They also have appearances slated at Madrid’s Mad Cool festival alongside the likes of Liam Gallagher, The Prodigy, The Black Keys, Queens Of The Stone Age and Lil Nas X. Find the full run of 2023 dates, HERE.

Smith recently shared a live EP that captured their set at The Royal Albert Hall. The six songs selected for the project were “Stay With Me,” “I’m Not The Only One,” “How Do You Sleep?,” “Too Good at Goodbyes,” “Dancing With a Stranger” and “Unholy.”

“I definitely wanted this to be different to my other shows,” Smith shared with Apple Music at the time. “I come from a theatre background and really missed that feeling on my last tour. It takes a village of talent to put on my shows, and it’s important for me now to showcase and celebrate the artists around me.”

Photo credit: Michael Bailey Gates / Capitol Records