Sam Smith Live at the Royal Albert Hall

It’s said that everything that glitters is not gold, but Sam Smith certainly seems to have the Midas touch.

The London-born singer-songwriter’s career has been on an upward trajectory since they appeared on the Disclosure song Latch in 2012. Two years later, they’d broken through in America with their debut album, In the Lonely Hour, which was the second-biggest release of the year.

Since then, Smith has won numerous awards, including Brits, Grammys and even an Oscar, the latter coming for Writing’s On the Wall, the theme song for the 24th James Bond movie Spectre.

They’re in the running for another Brit this year, having been nominated for song of the year for Unholy, in which they collaborate with German singer-songwriter Kim Petras; the pair are set to perform it at the ceremony later this month.

Despite their joy at the recognition, Smith, who came out as non-binary in 2019, isn’t impressed that no female musicians are in the running for the artist of the year trophy. They told the Sunday Times: “It is a shame. Things are moving forward, but it’s obvious it’s not there yet.”

The nomination for Smith (and Petras) comes shortly after they became the first musical act on Saturday Night Live in 2023; they also performed on the South Lawn at the White House to celebrate President Joe Biden signing the Respect for Marriage Act, which recognises the validity of same-sex and interracial marriages in the US.

Smith wrote on Instagram: “Watching President Biden sign the Respect for Marriage Act was a landmark moment for freedom of love and hopefully just the beginning of the important work ahead to continue to expand the protections of the LGBTQ+, non-binary and transgender communities; and build towards a world where love is celebrated regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or sexuality.”

Back in October last year, Smith became the latest in a long line of performers to headline at the legendary Royal Albert Hall – and now we’re getting a chance to relive the two gigs they played there thanks to the BBC.

“I definitely wanted this to be different to my other shows,” they told Apple Music ahead of the performances. “I come from a theatre background and really missed that feeling on my last tour. It takes a village of talent to put on my shows, and it’s important for me now to showcase and celebrate the artists around me.”

Despite those words, the sets contained mostly songs from their own back catalogue, including Stay With Me, I’m Not the Only One, Dancing with a Stranger and the aforementioned Unholy, as well as other tracks from their recently released fourth studio album Gloria.

“With this show it was about adding a little Gloria to all my songs,” Smith continued while speaking to Apple. “I always want to change all the songs a little to fit the mood and the tones of whatever project I’m currently releasing. But I am also passionate about playing the songs the way people love them.”

Thankfully, the way they play them IS the way people love them, no matter what. Seems like Smith – and those watching at home – have struck gold again.