Sam Smith talks ahead of two nights at Birmingham Genting Arena

After the remarkable worldwide success of his debut album, In The Lonely Hour, Sam repeated the feat with last year’s The Thrill.

Both albums went platinum and hit the top of charts around the UK, with The Thrill of It All lodging at number one in the UK and USA.

The star is back on the road and will headline two nights at Birmingham’s Genting Arena on Tuesday and Wednesday, with support from Bruno Major.

But Sam has faced troubled times in between those records and at one stage went on a downwards spiral of drinking, smoking and being totally out of condition. The Thrill of It All was recorded during that period of vulnerability.

He told NME: “I was in a dark place but I’m starting to be happier now.

“I was out gay-clubbing three or four times a week, smoking and drinking too much, giving my heart away a bit too easily,” he tells NME.

“It was fun – it was super-fun – but it wasn’t me. I didn’t feel like I was treating myself with a lot of respect at that time. It was all because I broke up with a guy. I wasn’t in love with him, but it was more the hope of what it could have been. That hurts more, sometimes, because I was so close to something being so amazing. It just killed me because I wanted it to happen.”

The Thrill Of It All is very personal and Sam has described it as being dangerous. He adds: “I don’t want to be an easy listen.

“It’s just painful to sing songs like Burning now.

“It’s about fame and that relationship that ended. I got to a point last year where I didn’t care any more about myself. I was being completely reckless and not looking after my body and my mind and heart and literally burning. I don’t know if I’m ever gonna be as personal again in music, because I really had to go to a weird place to get the music out. I was in a bit of a dark place. I just didn’t really like myself that much when I was making this record. But I’m starting to be happier now.”

Sam’s rise has been astonishing. He decided to pursue a career in music after watching George Michael at Wembley at the age of 15. Having attended Youth Music Theatre UK, he set off on the road to fame. He worked in jazz bands, studying songwriting under jazz pianist Joanna Eden, and made his breakthrough in 2012 with Latch, alongside Disclosure. He also featured on Naughty Boy’s La La La before releasing his debut album.

Sam says George Michael, his favourite artist of all time, was a key figure.

“(Seeing George at 15) was the moment I decided I wanted to do pop music. He’s become more of an idol of mine in the last three years – I relate to him so much because he was an openly gay pop singer. I look to him for guidance because there’s not many acts I can look to and idolise in that way.”

Sam moved to London where he started to meet other gay men. His career also started to move forward. In The Lonely Hour became a major success, reaching number one in the UK albums chart and number two on the Billboard 200. By November 5, 2014, it had become the second biggest selling album of the year in the US behind only 1989 by Taylor Swift. In January 2015, In the Lonely Hour was named the second best selling album of 2014 in the UK, behind x by Ed Sheeran.

Sam admits that he found the transition from wannabe to star quite difficult. “I don’t want to be a robot,” he says. “I don’t want to have everything prepared. I want to make mistakes. It’s important to. I’m still trying to figure stuff out. But I wanna be human in that way. With my first album I was a bit scared and guarded at points because I didn’t know what’s correct to say or what I should say. Now I’m just like, ‘let it all hang out’, really.”

In addition to George Michael, Sam cites Adele and Amy Winehouse as his main influences. He is also a huge fan of such R‘n’B legends as Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, while Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé, Brandy, and Lady Gaga are also firm favourites.

He takes his responsibility to the LGBT community very seriously.

“I lived in a village in the middle of nowhere as an openly gay man from the age of 10.

“I didn’t meet another gay man until I was 19 when I moved to London. I just went gay clubbing a few times with some straight friends and with some girlfriends of mine, and then I became famous.”