Out and Proud singer, Sam Smith is the first male artist in 34 years – and the first U.K. male artist ever – to receive nominations in the “big four” GRAMMY Awards® categories following the release of a debut album.
As announced today, Smith’s In The Lonely Hour was nominated for Album Of The Year while his 4x multi-Platinum single Stay With Me was nominated for Record and Song Of The Year. Smith also received a nod for Best New Artist. These four categories constitute the General Field of the GRAMMY nominations. In addition, he was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album (In The Lonely Hour) and Best Pop Solo Performance (“Stay With Me”), bringing his total nominations to six. The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards telecast will take place live from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 8, 2015.
Smith made chart history in the U.S. with In The Lonely Hour, which sold more copies in its first week of release than any other U.K. male artist debut in the 23-year history of SoundScan. It entered the Billboard 200 at No. 2 and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. The Associated Press hailed it as “a passionate, heart-wrenching album” and The Washington Post observed, “‘In the Lonely Hour’ shows off every facet of Smith’s voice to goose pimple-raising effect.”
“I’m Not the Only One,” Smith’s new single, was recently certified Platinum in the US. It marks his third Top 10 hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 this year, a feat unrivaled by any other male artist in 2014. It follows his 4x multi-Platinum breakthrough hit, “Stay With Me,” which was played across eight radio formats and climbed to No. 1 at five formats.