Sam Smith

Sam Smith was born Samuel Frederick Smith in the rural country of Cambridgeshire, England on May 19, 1992. He is the third cousin of singer cLily and actor Alfie Allen. Smith was placed in formal vocal training with a local jazz singer at the age of 8 after his parents heard him sing along to Whitney Houston's "My Love Is Your love" one morning on the drive to his Catholic primary school. He spent his childhood and teenage life in theater rehearsals. His mother, then a prominent banker in London, often asked him to perform for friends and associates at dinner parties. At the age of 12, Smith's career was handled by six different managers, with guarantees of fame that never came to pass. When he was 16, his mother was fired from her job for "gross misconduct" after supposedly spending too much company time on his budding pop career.

Smith rose to fame after he was featured on Disclosure's 2012 hit single "Latch". The song peaked at No. 11 on the U.K. Singles Chart. He then released his debut single "Lay Me Down" in early 2013. The track was also confirmed as the lead single off his debut album. Later that year, Smith joined forces with Naughty Boy for "La La La" that eventually landed at No. 1 on the U.K. Singles chart. In October, he released "Nirvana" EP, which included an acoustic reading of "Latch". By the end of February 2014, he was at the top of the U.K. Singles chart once again with "Money on My Mind", an infectious track that inventively combined his relaxed vocal and a frenetic beat. Smith's debut album, "In the Lonely Hour", was released in May 2014 in his home country, while fans in the U.S. had to wait until June 17.