Sam Smith let their “freakiness out” with Kim Petras on new song Unholy
Sam Smith has opened up about becoming confident enough to let their “freakiness out” and how this channelled itself into the making of Unholy.
The 30-year-old’s latest single, which features Kim Petras, has become an instant smash hit and is currently pacing for a top five debut in both the UK and US. “I was holding it back until I knew I had it,” they told Zane Lowe in-studio on Apple Music 1. “Well, with Unholy, I just loved that song so much and I wanted to ease into this record because it’s quite a lot for the brain.
It’s time to get freaky. But we were just having fun. Yeah, Unholy just came from pure creativity. It was one of the most purest songs ever for me in terms of making it.” The Too Good at Goodbyes singer shared that it was made in Jamaica, a country Sam had wanted to visit after seeing Harry Styles there in a documentary several years ago. “I left one night, I had one night out, which is rare for me, and I was in the studio the whole time,” they continued. “I didn’t leave the studio, I was up until three, 4:00 AM every day.
I normally work a nine to five when it comes to studio time, but I just disappeared. I went to a hole of freakiness.” Sam further explained that having time off during the COVID-19 pandemic gave them the chance to “ask myself what type of artist I want to be”.
