Don’t count Sam Smith among the artists who become upset when a song of theirs flops. In fact, the “Stay with Me” singer is grateful for the experience.
“I think having a few absolute stinkers in there is wonderful… Because you’ve got to dare greatly right?” Sam tells Spotify.
Noting their 2014 song “Money On My Mind,” the British singer revealed, “I’m really happy that I shot for the sky with some songs.”
Sam believes more artists should adopt this mindset, explaining, “There’s so much music snobbery out there.” They add, “Every single person has made a bad song. That is a fact,” which means artists should turn that disappointment into a learning opportunity to become even better.
The “Latch” singer also hinted against taking oneself seriously in the music industry because, according to them, “Absolutely no one knows what they’re doing.”
“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,” they attested.
Sam reflected on their bigger hits and said the best advice they have about finding success is, “Keep your ears open at all times.”
“With writing music in the room with people, you just need to lean into the thing you’re good at,” they continued. “Some people are led by lyrics, but I’m definitely always led by a melody. When I’m in the room… I just sing and sing and sing until someone says, ‘That makes me feel good.'”
Another piece of advice is: “Never lower your standards.”
Said Sam, “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.”
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