Sam Smith Says It's 'Beautiful' to Be Back on Stage During COVID Pandemic's 'Hard' Times

Sam Smith is back singing on stage – and loving every second.

The "Breaking Hearts" singer, 28, chatted with BBC's The One Show about the struggles of lockdown during the pandemic and how they loved performing again on the U.K's version of Dancing with the Stars.

“It’s definitely weird times to do it but it’s been lovely to sing," they said about their "Diamonds" performance. "To have dancers in front of me while I sing is wonderful. It’s beautiful. It’s been great.”

The TV performance allowed Smith to return to the stage as the United Kingdom has established a universal lockdown until Dec. 2.

"I found it hard,” Smith said the show about having to socially distance for most of the year. “I've been traveling for eight years now and I hadn't been in my house for more than three weeks for about eight years."

"I was living with my sister, and I am still going to be with her the next four weeks, and she helped me out and we buckled down and did fun stuff, which was good,” they added. "But it's a weird time."

Despite the setbacks due to the pandemic, Smith can also see some benefits of lockdown.

“I get so anxious in front of people on stage and I was getting so anxious toward the end of last year. So, it’s been good for me to have a break,” said Smith, who dropped their album Love Goes last Friday. “But I’m definitely missing sweaty rooms and people together and music being shared.”

Smith also talked about renaming their album from To Die For to Love Goes because of “everything that was going on this year."

“It felt weird calling it that. So, I changed it, made it a little bit softer,” says Smith, adding that releasing an album midway through a global pandemic has been “weird” but “wonderful all the same.”

“Toward the end of the record, I just wanted to slow things down,” added Smith about their 17-track record. “I’m now just wanting to write loads of soulful guitar music. I guess the lockdown is having that influence.”

As for their future?

Smith dreams of moving to the dramatic hills and heather-filled countryside of Scotland so that they can “have babies and goats and sheep.”

“Wouldn’t that be stunning?” they said. “Now this albums out I’m just going to disappear to Scotland.”

Love Goes is out now.

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