Sam Smith opens up about how his image has changed and how he’s ‘afraid’ to express himself

Sam Smith has spoken about how his image has changed throughout his career when they posed up a storm for a spectacular cover shoot.

The singer, 30, opened up about her rise to fame at the age of 22 with her debut studio album In the Lonely Hour and how they wanted to ‘fit in’ at the time.

Sam, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, admitted that they then got ‘fed up’ with trying to conform while talking while posing for a rolling stone uk Shooting.

Unbelievable: Sam Smith has spoken about how his image has changed throughout his career when they posed up a storm for a spectacular cover shoot

They told the publication: ‘By the time people know me, from In the Lonely Hour, at the age of 22, it was a time when I didn’t want to dress up as much; it was a time where I wanted to take a break and fit in.

“And then I got tired of fitting in and wanted to go back to the way I was when I was younger.”

The Too Good At Goodbyes hitmaker admitted they were “afraid” to express their “sex” and “happiness” through their music at the start of their career.

They said they felt apprehensive about discussing such “private” topics within their songs and admitted that they felt they needed to “get away” from it.

Candid: The singer, 30, opened up about her rise to fame at the age of 22 and how they wanted to 'fit in' at the time while posing for a Rolling Stone UK cover shoot

Candid: The singer, 30, opened up about her rise to fame at the age of 22 and how they wanted to ‘fit in’ at the time while posing for a Rolling Stone UK cover shoot

They continued: ‘I came across this world and it wasn’t the world I thought it was. I was afraid to express certain things… my sex in the music, my happiness in the music.

“Those issues were sometimes incredibly private and I felt more comfortable showing other sides of myself, I didn’t feel repressed, but I definitely felt like I needed to come out, for sure, towards the end.”

Sam and Kim Petras recently topped the global charts with the Grammy-nominated song Unholy, making history as the first non-binary and transgender stars, respectively, to have a number one hit.

Sam, who is gearing up for the release of his fourth album Gloria on January 27, said its success has shown that “queer music is for everyone”, as they talked about growing up surrounded by music about straight love.

Candid: Sam, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, admitted they later got 'fed up' with trying to conform

Candid: Sam, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, admitted they later got ‘fed up’ with trying to conform

In addition to talking about her evolving music career, Sam put up a storm in an incredible cover shoot, rocking a variety of stylish outfits.

Sam rocked a variety of T-shirts featuring top-tier musicians, including Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Rihanna, and ABBA.

For a look, Sam paired a black graphic tee with a sleek blazer and a pair of chunky black boots, accessorizing with a chain necklace and drop earrings.

Another sensational shot saw Sam flexing the muscles in his arms as they posed in a black T-shirt, printed with an image of Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster album cover.

Honest: The Too Good At Goodbyes hitmaker admitted they had

Honest: The Too Good At Goodbyes hitmaker admitted they were “scared” to express their “sex” and “happiness” through their music at the start of their music career.

In Style: In addition to opening up about her evolving music career, Sam put up a storm in an incredible cover shoot, rocking a variety of stylish outfits

In Style: In addition to opening up about her evolving music career, Sam put up a storm in an incredible cover shoot, rocking a variety of stylish outfits

They paired her top with a pair of distressed jeans and showed off her intricate arm tattoos in the shot.

In another photo, Sam sported a white T-shirt with pink long sleeves and a picture of Britney Spears, which they paired with baggy blue jeans.

They kept it cozy with a pair of black lace-up boots and added a touch of sparkle with a beaded necklace and white drop earrings.

Sam was also dressed to impress in a white blouse with Rihanna’s Rated R album cover printed on it, while they slung a black jacket over their arms.

Music: Sam rocked a variety of T-shirts featuring top musicians including Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Rihanna and ABBA.

Music: Sam rocked a variety of T-shirts featuring top musicians including Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Rihanna and ABBA.

For another look, the pop star rocked a Freddie Mercury T-shirt, paired with a white shirtdress and blue distressed jeans.

They also sported a pair of chunky black boots and a faded jean jacket over their T-shirt.

Sam also wore a black ABBA T-shirt with jean shorts and a long black jacket with white stitching for the photo shoot.

Sam has been busy preparing for the release of his fourth studio album, Gloria, and recently announced that they will be going on a 27-date North American tour.

Sensational: Sam was also dressed to impress in a white T-shirt with Rihanna's Rated R album cover printed on it, while they slung a black jacket over their arms

Sensational: Sam was also dressed to impress in a white T-shirt with Rihanna’s Rated R album cover printed on it, while they slung a black jacket over their arms

The North American tour will build on their European tour which kicks off in Sheffield in April with dates in the UK before concerts in Berlin, Oslo and Cologne, among others.

They will perform songs from Gloria, which will be released later this month, which includes their Grammy-nominated single Unholy.

On Instagram, Sam announced that the tour would begin on July 25 in Miami and end on September 25 in Mexico City.

Exciting: Sam has been busy preparing for the release of his fourth studio album, Gloria, and recently announced that he's going on a 27-date North American tour.

Exciting: Sam has been busy preparing for the release of his fourth studio album, Gloria, and recently announced that he’s going on a 27-date North American tour.

Sharing their exciting announcement, they wrote: ‘GLORIA – THE TOUR. NORTH AMERICA. This is going to be so special, it’s been too long sailors!! I can’t wait to see all of her beautiful faces and celebrate the era of GLORY together.

RSVP at the link in my stories to get the pre-sale password and gain access to limited pre-sale tickets starting Wednesday the 11th at 9am local time. General sale tickets are available starting Friday the 13th at 9am local time. I love you all… Sx’

Read read the full feature on www.rollingstone.es.

Tight schedule: On Instagram, Sam announced that the tour would begin on July 25 in Miami and end on September 25 in Mexico City.

Tight schedule: On Instagram, Sam announced that the tour would begin on July 25 in Miami and end on September 25 in Mexico City.