Is It Just Me? - BONUS: Churi chats with Sam Smith

Episode Date: November 8, 2020

Sam Smith's interview with Mitch Churi on KIIS NightsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it just me? A podcast by a couple of Mitches. Mitch, you caught up with Sam Smith recently. Yeah, I did. This is, I think, officially the third time we spoke. They were actually my last interview face-to-face pre-COVID. Oh, really? Yeah, when they were here for Mardi Gras, we sat down, had like a 20-minute chat,

and then I think it blew up a couple of weeks, even days later. Doesn't that feel like a lifetime ago, but also it feels like yesterday that it was Mardi Gras. Oh, I know, literally. Weird. And how good that Sam's last performance was gay as possible, flying around in a giant harness and wings. Exactly. And you tell me that you didn't stuff up the they, them pronouns

once during this chat. No, I am all over it. Well done. I was conscious and very careful the whole time. But I think if you tread and tiptoe around that stuff, then you're to screw it up i just went in wanting to have a good chat and that's what happened and the post-it note helped oh the post-it note stuck next to the webcam you almost could see the corner on the inside the webcam yeah but uh no i think it's good that you even go to the effort of having a post-it note because you know practice makes perfect totally it's

something that some people struggle with you know what really helped me with the they, them pronoun thing? Because you know how you always hear people say, oh, they is referring to more than one person. It doesn't make sense to talk about one person using they, them. Yeah, they're not a group of people. Exactly. So do you know what actually helped me make sense of it? Someone gave an example.

They were like, all right, let's just say you find a lost wallet. You would say, oh, someone's lost their wallet. Oh, have they gone far? Oh, I hope that they didn't have anything important in here. Oh, I hope they haven't, you know, they're not stressed. Oh, true. You talk about one person using they in that context. So it's like if you don't know their gender, you just say they.

You know what I'm saying? I like that. There's no specified gender. You just say they. Very handy. All right. Well, I did nail it with Sam. So think of the lost wallet if you were say they. You know what I'm saying? I like that. There's no specified gender. You just say they. Very handy. All right. Well, I did nail it with Sam. So think of the lost wallet if you were ever struggling.

I'm sure Sam would be a Gucci wallet too. He wouldn't be a Rip Girl Velcro wallet, would they? No. Also, I am a big fan of the new album, actually. Oh, Love Goes is good. Very sad. Very sad. Yeah, it's quite a vibe though.

Maybe I'm sad. Well, that's what we talk about. I'm like, are you going to go back to pop? And they were like, nah, maybe in 80 years. It was actually a really, really nice, fun, laid-back conversation. So we'll roll it now. Sam Smith and I from this week. Enjoy.

Mitch Till. Midnight. Kiss Night. Hey, how are you? Oh, I am so good. I really am so good. How are you? You're glowing.

You look so good. I'm going to pinch your cheeks like your grandma. Look at you. Thank you. No, I'm doing really good, thanks really good thanks i mean look as good as we can i'm doing all right yeah well i was just thinking the last time you were here and the last time we were face to face was for mardi gras and thank christ that the last time you were here it was for the gayest event possible what a great way to sort of before pre-covid life right i know i know i literally yeah we literally went out with a bang.

You know, last party I went to, I was flying in the air in a dress. So I definitely got my fill before lockdown. That was your Priscilla Queen of the Desert moment. How good. Living your best life. Well, we loved having you here. There's so much to talk about. Quickly, how's COVID been for you?

Because I know in the UK it was sort of crazy and then it sort of got good and then now it's sort of going back. Is everything all right over there? It's okay. I think there's a new normal that's definitely set in. I think winter's going to be difficult. There's a constant, you know, the state of everything at the moment, you know, is really hard.

It's hard to struggle every every day I think just to step up and and and be hopeful uh but I'm I'm I'm pretty certain we're all going to be okay and we're going to get through this and um yeah it's been lockdown has been I I haven't lost anyone close to me so I feel really like I feel like commenting on it i feel awkward sometimes because i've had a you know i've been resting and i've been at home and and working when i can but i a lot of people have had a really hard time yeah i agree it's hard coming from a place of privilege when we i mean we both are very lucky to live the lives that we live and some people you know have to go to work and they're face to face with the pandemic so it's hard to comment like you like you said, but, you know, I'm glad you're safe.

I'm glad you're, are you being creative or have it, has it sort of like put a dampener on your creative process? Oh no, you know, you know me, I love being sad. So I, you know, whenever I'm sad, I write. So I've been, I've been making lots of great music. Yeah, Sam Smith has been in isolation for years. This is what they do. Let's talk about, let's talk about the new record love goes because it is it really is a beautiful beautiful

album and i think it does so many things for you but i think it just shows the world that you are a brilliant songwriter and you have such great vocal power it's just so stripped back for you i mean in parts i mean there is just that pop element which we love from you but it just really goes to show that you at your core are such a brilliant artist and you can you can just do it all which is incredible but also it makes me want to just go oh my god someone needs to hug sam smith who hurt you sam who hurt sam smith thank you so much for all those compliments. That's really sweet of you. It's true.

Thank you. Oh, my God. Don't worry. I don't need a hug. I'm all right. I hug myself. I've learned how to hug myself. Go ahead.

I've got good family and friends. Do you know what? I'm someone who enjoys the melancholy. I find the realness of life addictive. You know, I find sad emotions or vulnerable emotions to be kind of more powerful sometimes than happiness in a weird way. And I think I like to tap into that. And, you know, when I'm really happy and full of joy,

I'm not normally in the studio. I'm actually out enjoying myself, probably eating a drink. But when I'm in the studio, I just try and tap into something that moves me, you know, and normally that is someone else's story or mine or whatever, you know. Yeah. So I feel like, I mean, there clearly is a relationship, maybe one, maybe two, I don't know, at play within this record.

Was it a big breakup for you, I'm imagining? Or was it a series? Was it little flings? I mean, because there are lyrics that just make me think this has something to do with someone or, I don't know, maybe a big relationship or is that what it's about at its core? Yeah, it's my biggest relationship. You know, I've been in relationships throughout my life they're normally majority of them

being unacquited relationships where i've been in love and the other person hasn't um this this one was my first ever relationship you know and i think a first ever relationship for um for someone for anyone is a big one but i think especially for queer people because uh we normally have our first relationships a little bit later than everyone else yeah not everyone but a lot of us do i think um our first relationships as well is like a massive mirror being put in our faces for the first time where we really see all the all the the difficult things we've gone through and the things we don't like about ourself because the world because of what the world's taught us so it was definitely

definitely my first proper heartbreak you know and this was and it was hard but i got through it through creating a safe space in the studio and singing my ass through it that's basically how i how i got got through it not singing through my ass no i was gonna say wow that'd be a great single i'd love to i can't wait for the film clip for that one my god um i feel like you're just a big old romantic are you like a love a love letter or a note lever like i with my boyfriend i write little notes every morning i'm like have a great day which is so cheesy but is that like what are you what's your like romantic thing that you do that is so beautiful i'm so jealous i can write you know i could i'll just dm them to you won't be as please join me yeah can i i'll be the third we'll be a

throuple we'll be it's 2020 we can be a throuple i'm um i'm a massive romantic i'm trying to also like sometimes i'm too much of a romantic So I expect way too much from people So I definitely need to like Hold back on that sometimes But I'd be a no person, love a flower Give me a flower and I'll melt Yeah, agreed

Chocolate works for me too Cup of tea in bed, that really would get me That would really get me Are you a foot massage guy? I love a good foot massage. No, don't touch my feet. Really? No one touches my feet.

You'll sing for your ass, but you don't want your feet touched. What is going on, Sam Smith? Okay, cute. All right, I'm delving into the life of Sam Smith. How cute. Brilliant. There's a lyric, though, in one of the songs where you say, I think it's my mum says I'm a romantic and you shouldn't be something like that.

Was that something growing up that, I'm probably butchering the lyric, but that you were told, like, you're too romantic, like just pull it back a bit, Sammy, pull it back. I think so. So my dad's a romantic. My dad is a, like, crazy romantic. My dad, you know, to this day, you know know he just got married two years ago but he's like he'll meet someone and after the first day he's like I've met the love of my life and it's

like he's in a movie. my mum on the other hand is a bit more of a realist so you know I'll go on a few dates with someone I'll be like no not my vibe and my mum's like stick it out stick it out it might be something really good and I'm like like, no, but I did get goosebumps. So I think I've got a good mixture of both. Yeah, I know you may. No, but he touched my feet, mum. He touched my feet. It's not going to work.

He touched my feet. I'm going to run out of time. We have to talk. Let's talk about kids again, because this song, it hits hard. I mean, even after all this time, I kind of miss you still. I mean, everyone has been through that. Everyone's felt that. Don't it make you sad that we'll never be kids again?

I mean, that's tough too. At the core of this song, what is it about? I mean, the core of the song is about looking back at a relationship after you've moved on and after you're feeling good and still looking back at a relationship after you've moved on and um after you're feeling good and still looking back and it you know there's always whenever i look back at any of my relationships you know even friendships and stuff there's a pang of of sadness sometimes because i won't ever be back there again you know and it's kind of a it's a mad feeling uh but also the song for me symbolizes the end of this record you know it's the last song on the record.

And it's basically, I think this is my kind of way of leaving pop music a little bit. You know, I love pop music and I've had such an amazing time exploring it, this album. I'm always going to make it, for sure. But I'm not going to write with the intent of making it, which I did with this album. I'm not going to write with the intent of making it, which I did with this album. So for me, it's the song that hands you over to album four, which I'm doing now.

And also you can come back to pop. I mean, for God's sake, if you want to do pop later in life, you'll do pop later in life, right? Oh, of course, probably. I'll get to like 70 and then be like, I'm going to bring out. 70? I reckon you'll do it in three years You'll be like shit I miss it I gotta release a pop pop pop

Probably Yeah we love it You're coming up to 32 how do you feel Are you anxious coming over to 30 or do you feel like Ready for this moment in your life I mean I'm 28 I've got a year And a half and then

I'm at 30 do you know what I'm not gonna lie I've been a bit and a half and then I'm at 30. Do you know what? I'm not going to lie. I've been a bit like, whoa, that's weird. Like, whoa. It makes me like, sometimes I get a bit like scared. Like, have I enjoyed my 20s enough? Have I enjoyed my 20s too much? But yeah, all the normal feelings. I'm excited.

I think 30 is going to be an adventure, you know, and I'm feeling so much better in my skin 20s your 20s are almost like this kind of it's like it's like it's like bambi yeah like a giraffe learning like a baby giraffe learning how to walk like sort of like wobbly falling over i know what you mean and especially like you said as queer people right it really is hard i think we go through things so much later i mean i came out at 23 got my first boyfriend at 24 and it's a whole new world right you've got to learn things yeah and you have to it's like a yeah it's like a crash course in life isn't it your 20s especially as a queer person you know it's like head and it's dick and like ah but um yeah i'm getting

stable now which is good good i'm glad to see glad to see it. I can see it in you. I just, I love watching your journey and you've done so much in the last like 12 months alone. I mean, being like a queer non-binary performer and probably one of the biggest names in the world. Did you feel any sort of hesitation making choices or putting music out or speaking openly about your sexuality or, you know, being a non-binary artist? Do you feel sort of like, oh, I'm going to think before before I speak now or are you in a space of comfort that you're like you know what I can speak freely about this stuff yeah I mean I think I think when I changed

my pronouns and everything it was the complete opposite to that I think I couldn't hold it in anymore I think I was so uh felt so kind of um silenced by silenced by myself and from a few people around me. Felt so much shame about things that I needed to just go, and let it out and speak about it. And I did. Now I feel so good. I feel free to say what I want. But I'm also learning now to also not give everything away

and keep some for myself. It's about me being healthy up here. So I will share when I feel when my cup is full. When my cup's going down, then I need to hold back and look after myself. Well, I mean, 30 is going to be good to you. I think 30 is the year that you get into feet, and I don't want to keep pushing the feet thing, Sam, but I just think you need to dabble in some feet fun.

You know, it's a whole new world. You know, a big toe can be exciting. I don't. It's jacking. We love you in Australia. I could talk for another hour with you, but when you can get back down here next, I'd love to have you. And now that we're officially in a thruple,

we're going to have to see more of each other, I think. Yeah, let's go for a drink. Let's go for a little dance if we can. Yes, Oxford Street. We'll go with Trent. I know Trent really well, and obviously I know you do, so we'll get drinks when you can. We'll go to Palms.

Oh, sounds like heaven. We love you. We love the album, and I'm so excited that we have this different side to you. It's just brilliant. I love your work, so congratulations. Thank have this different side to you. It's just brilliant. I love your work. So congratulations. Thank you so much. Thank you.

That was a lovely chat. Yeah, it was so much fun. And we'll see you when we can. I'm getting all these messages going quick. Sam's very busy. So I'm very sorry. It's all good. Don't worry.

Don't worry. That was a joy. All right, Sammy. Have a lovely day. Thank you. Thank you, guys. See you. Much love.

Bye, Sam. See you. Is it just me? You can follow the show online. Just search Couple of Mitches. If you don't, you're a dickhead.