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Backlash

Is a Sam Smith backlash beginning to form?

We investigated.

V Festival 2015 Day Two - Weston Park Joe Giddens Joe Giddens

EARLIER TODAY, IT was announced that Sam Smith would perform the theme song for the forthcoming James Bond film Spectre.

In doing so, the singer follows in the footsteps of artists like Adele, Madonna, Jack White and Carly Simon.

But while the news was warmly welcomed in some quarters, it was also met with a chorus of ughs.

In fact, if you dig deep enough, you’ll find that Smith is the subject of a fair number of jokes and jibes on Twitter.

The 23-year-old has won four Grammys and sold 8.5 million copies of his debut album worldwide.

So why the vitriol?

 

For one thing, the openly gay singer has been accused of championing “gay conservatism” in the past. This is partly because of comments he made last year relating to dating apps Grindr and Tinder.

No offense to people who go on Tinder but I just feel like it’s ruining romance, I really do. We’re losing the art of conversation and being able to go and speak to people and you’re swiping people…From my experience the most beautiful people I’ve been on dates with are the dumbest, so why would I swipe people who are “unattractive” when I could potentially fall in love with them? Stop Tinder and Grindr!

He also called on LGBT people not to make their sexuality an “issue” and focus instead on being “normal”.

Don’t make [your sexuality] an issue. If other’s around you are making an issue, I understand. Fight for your rights, of course. But … let’s make it a normality. To make it equal, we kind of need to act equal.

Both sets of comments did little to endear him to the LGBT community. (Even Wired described his comments as “boneheaded”.)

Furthermore, he has found himself mocked for embarrassing tweets like this.

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Cringey statements like this.

ss THR THR

As well as the sort of clingy lyrics in Stay With Me.

But for everyone who accuses him of being conservative or guilty of slut-shaming, there are as many who just find him and his music… dull.

Will he be able to win over his critics with the new Bond song?

Only time will tell.

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