Sam Smith is performing in Auckland tonight but who is the star and how successful are they really? Photo / Frontier Touring
Sam Smith is performing in Auckland tonight but who is the star and how successful are they really? Photo / Frontier Touring
When you think of Sam Smith, you may think of their incredible voice. Perhaps you think of their show-stopping hit, Unholy, which turned the pop world on its head last year, or maybe you think of the softly-spoken star who in recent years has talked widely of their inspiring identity journey.
Whatever you associate the four-time Grammy winner with, chances are you’re a fan of their music, and rightly so. From Latch, the 2012 collaboration with Disclosure that launched the singer, 31, into fame, to their latest album Gloria, Smith has captivated the masses with their once-in-a-generation voice.
Now, mere hours from performing at Auckland’s Spark Arena, the Herald takes a look at Smith’s career and the jaw-dropping net worth they have acquired from it.
Here’s everything you need to know about Sam Smith:
British artist Sam Smith performing in Auckland, 2015. Photo / Nick Reed
While the star first hit the charts by releasing Latch — a collaboration with electronic duo Disclosure — in October 2012, they remained relatively quiet in the industry until the following February. Releasing their debut single Lay Me Down, ahead of their debut album, In the Lonely Hour, the following year, no one could have prepared Smith for the level of fame they were about to reach.
Becoming an almost overnight success, the 2014 album became the biggest-selling debut album of the decade and the sixth most successful album of the decade in the UK, with Lay Me Down emerging as the lead single.
Within the same period, the singer also appeared on Naughty Boy’s single, La La La, which peaked at No 1 in the UK, and in 2014, the then 20-year-old would go on to have two No 1 singles within months of each other. Their February 16 single, Money on My Mind, reached No 1 as did their April 14 single, Stay With Me. In August that year Smith would once again dominate the charts with the single I’m Not the Only One, which quickly got to No 3 on the charts.
Speaking to the Weekend Herald in January, the star touched on the beginning of their life in the spotlight confessing, “Fame actually requires you to be very adult”.
“I think that fame is a — we all know this from all the docos we have out now about people and about situations — that it’s an odd thing. I always wanted to be a successful musician and an artist. And I wanted that so badly that I don’t think I ever really looked into the side effects, the negatives of what fame would be like.”
Personal life
Sam Smith performed in Adelaide earlier this year. Photo / Daniel Boud
While navigating their overnight fame, Smith was also battling their own personal challenges. As a young, queer person who was yet to experience their first relationship, the critically acclaimed singer was launched into a world where every move they made, romantic or not, was watched and admired or criticised. And while Smith enjoyed the fierce attention initially, by the time they reached 26, things started to get “really tough”.
In 2019, after a “lifetime of being at war with their gender”, the singer-songwriter revealed to fans in an emotional post on their Instagram they are non-binary — a gender fluid term meaning they don’t identify as simply male or female and therefore use the pronouns they/them.
It was a revelation that provoked positive and negative reactions from fans with the Golden Globe winner admitting “it was tough” at the time. But instead of letting it defeat them, they instead used those difficult emotions as a muse for their heartwrenching third album, Love Goes.
The album was originally scheduled for a May 2020 release, however, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was pushed back twice and ultimately became available to fans on October 30 that year. Like Smith’s past creative endeavours, Love Goes found a home at the top of the charts, debuting at No 5 on the US Billboard 200. It became their third US top 10 album and helped pave the way for their next creation, Gloria.
Sam Smith has achieved musical success many can only dream of. Photo / Daniel Boud
Mirroring the intense personal transformation Smith experienced between 2020 and the end of 2022, and finding peace with themselves and how the world sees them, the star admitted Gloria is an album they expected their fans to be surprised by when listening to, as instead of Smith’s soulful breakup ballads, the album focuses on “emotional, sexual and spiritual liberation”.
Smith’s net worth
Unlike many celebrities in the industry, Smith is rarely seen posting or signing brand deals meaning most, if not all, of their net worth comes from their music. Through tours, albums, merchandise and, of course, the real estate they have purchased with earnings — including a £12 million ($24.8m) north London mansion — the star has accumulated a fairly impressive net worth.
In a clear testament to their sheer talent and musical empire, Celebrity Net Worth — a celebrity wealth website, places the star at having an estimated worth of US$45m ($76.3m).
Lillie Rohan is an Auckland-based reporter covering lifestyle and entertainment stories who joined the Herald in 2020. She specialises in all things relationships and dating, great Taylor Swift ticket wars and TV shows you simply cannot miss out on.
