Sam Smith Admits He Was 'Obsessive' About Weight: 'My Body Image Is Always Going to Be an Issue'

Sam Smith talks gender identity
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Sam Smith is getting candid about his dramatic slim-down.

Sam Smith is getting candid about his dramatic slim-down.

The 25-year-old singer covers V Magazine's spring 2018 issue, in which he's interviewed by his friend, Sarah Jessica Parker. Parker gets personal with Smith, including his current feelings about his self-image after his noticeable weight loss.

"It’s completely different. I think that’s come with me losing weight," he says about how he feels about himself as opposed to two years ago. "When I was shooting my first music videos, I just wasn’t happy with the way I looked, so I was trying to control the way the camera moved. I got a bit obsessive. I was constantly looking in the mirror, pinching my waist, weighing myself every day."

These days, Smith says he has a much more positive outlook -- though admits it's easy to get caught up in comparing himself to unattainable body standards.

V Magazine

"Now, I’ve gotten to a place where I really love my stretch marks and I just enjoy my body," he shares. "My job is very self-indulgent: I have to listen to my voice daily, I make decisions on what tour posters or album covers look like, I look at my face while sitting in the makeup chair. I get kind of sick of myself, so I trust my team. But my body image is always going to be an issue. I need to constantly train myself to watch the right sort of films, to not look at certain ads and think that’s how my stomach should look. It’s something that I’m fighting every day. I think men should talk about it more."

Smith also talks about how his second album, The Thrill of It All, differs from his first album, the GRAMMY-winning In the Lonely Hour. While his 2014 debut album focused on the loneliness of being in love with a straight man, the singer says he's actually now in a happy relationship. Smith is currently dating 13 Reasons Why star Brandon Flynn.

"On a personal level, I’m in a relationship right now and for the first time, I think I deserve to be happy," he says. "I’m actually asking myself if I’m going to be writing some happy love songs soon. Also, I’m really proud because, even with this whole dreaded second album thing the industry makes everyone concentrate on, I’m putting out a second album that couldn’t be more me -- and it couldn’t be gayer. I’m so proud of that. I’m excited to be singing songs like 'Him' in parts of the world that maybe aren’t as open in terms of sexuality. To be that raw in front of people is daunting and scary, but the high is incredible."

"A lot of this album for me is about self-love," he adds. "When I was writing it, I had a really bad relationship with myself. I didn’t like who I saw in the mirror, and now I really kind of like myself. I enjoy my own company and I feel like I deserve to be loved back." 

V Magazine

In November, Smith adorably fanned out during his appearance on "Carpool Karaoke" with James Corden, when he was surprised by Fifth Harmony, who he admitted he was "obsessed" with.

Watch the cute moment below!

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