Soulful singer Sam Smith is nominated for five Brit Awards, leading all other nominees. Smith is nominated for British Male Solo Artist, British Breakthrough Act, Best British Single for “Stay with Me,” Video of the Year for “Stay with Me,” and British Album of the Year for In the Lonely Hour. Singer-songwriters George Ezra and Ed Sheeran received four nominations, and duo Royal Duo have been nominated for three awards. Recording artists Beyoncé, Lana Del Rey, Sia, Taylor Swift, and St. Vincent are nominated for the Best International Female award. This year’s Brit Awards ceremony will take place at London’s O2 Arena on February 25th. The show will be hosted by Ant & Dec. They are known for starring on the UK reality show, I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here.
In The Lonely Hour is Smith’s debut studio album. It was released last year in May. The album features the singles “Money On My Mind,” “Stay with Me,” and “I’m Not the Only One.” To date, “Stay with Me” is Smith’s most successful single. It peaked at Number 1 on the UK Singles Chart, and reached the Number 2 spot on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It has reached top ten status in over twelve countries worldwide. Producer Darkchild reproduced the single, and that version has been nominated for a Grammy Award for Record of the Year. The original version has been nominated for two Grammys including The Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance.
“Stay with Me” has sold six million copies worldwide. The song has been covered by a lot of Smith’s peers. Mainstream artists Ed Sheeran, Florence and the Machine, Charli XCX, Luke James, and Kelly Clarkson have all covered the song. During an interview with CBS, Smith discussed his first major performance in the US on Saturday Night Live, “It was possibly the scariest night of my entire life. Also, my manager cleverly on the morning said to me, ‘this is the most important night of your entire life,’ which is ridiculous. But it was.”
Smith also revealed his album, In The Lonely Hour, was inspired by his “unrequited” love for a married man, “I told all my secrets on that album.” Sam Smith is currently on a North American tour which will make stops in the US and Canada. Smith’s tour began on January 9th in Atlanta, and it will conclude on February 4th in Vancouver.