Sam Smith: biggest winner Sunday night
With his smash-hit debut In the Lonely Hour, nearly nine months in his rear view, the natural question to ask is When will you begin working on a second album? The 22-year-old gave some hints to Billboard Sunday before the ceremony.
"I'm currently living through what I'm going to write about, but I found a title and a concept and the basis of the record," he said.
The actual songwriting process has not begun yet, though.
"I just have to kiss a few more boys, then I can write some songs," he said.
In order to capitalize on his success, Smith will need to avoid the Best New Artist curse that has befallen several winners in recent years. Here is a quick breakdown:
2014: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
After getting swept up in a wave of hype, the Seattle duo came back down to Earth quickly after nabbing the award -- along with Best Rap Album -- last year. The Heist was a strong pop record, but its win upset much of the hip-hop community and dealt a blow to Mack's credibility. We are still waiting on news of a follow-up.
2013: fun.
While their major label debut was an instant success, the boys have already gone their separate ways, with Nate Ruess pursuing a solo career and Jack Antonoff continuing on with Bleachers.
2012: Bon Iver
In terms of mainstream success, the Wisconsin-based indie star has not broken back into the household sphere since his critically acclaimed album Bon Iver, Bon Iver. It has been four years since he released a record, though he has been busy with collaborations and growing his beard.
What can we make of all this? Well, if you put stock in recent history, Sam Smith is due for a letdown. But if you want to reach a little further back into the memory banks, he can take solace in the three previous winners's success: Esperanza Spalding, Zac Brown Band and Adele.
If he cannot find inspiration from kissing boys, he can always break out a couple Tom Petty records -- we kid, we kid.
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
