Sam Smith has given his first come-back interview to Elton John whom he met to discuss his career for Attitude magazine's October issue.
Smith traveled to Elton’s luxurious South Of France abode to talk to the man who has seen it all about music, sex, coming out, with reference too to Elton’s lively adventures at the height of his mid-1970s fame.
In the course of the interview, the 25-year-old singer admits he contemplated not coming back to the music business at all.
"There was a period, when making the record, that I was in a really bad place," he said, referring to the new album, Too Good At Goodbyes. "I got dumped, which wasn’t very nice. Writing music about that kind of thing is normally like therapy for me, but when I got dumped this time round I just couldn’t write for about two months.
"My team had to force me to get into the studio, because I almost felt as if I didn’t want to do it any more. So, there were moments on there where it got a bit intense and I started to lose myself."
Elton John remarks in the conversation that Sam’s friendship with Ed Sheeran reminded him of his own past friendship with Rod Stewart. "Rod and I were competitive with each other, and that’s healthy because it drives you, but we loved and supported each other, too, " declares the veteran performer to his younger peer. "I think perhaps you and Ed Sheeran are the same way. You’re the new Rod and me."
Sam sees the parallel as valid, agreeing that such a friendship "makes you push yourself. Watching him (Sheeran) this past year has just been incredible, but yeah, of course it makes me hungry.’
Smith's Too Good At Goodbyes record arrives three years since his last release which was the James bond theme Writing’s On the Wall. Elton John revealed that he had never been asked to write a Bond theme.
"I’m too old now," he remarks. "There was one song on the Ice On Fire album, Shoot Down The Moon, which I thought would be a beautiful Bond theme at the time.
"They have diversified over the years, but it’s for young people now to write one, that’s the direction they’ve gone."
