Sam Smith was trying to access their mum’s “fury and protection” in new song Oh Mother.
The non-binary singer said in an interview with Sara Cox on BBC Radio 2 that they have a “very strong, beautiful relationship with my mother” Kate Cassidy, and wanted to reflect that in the new tune.
Sam said: “In this song I was just trying to access my mum’s fury and protection that comes to save the day when a child gets hurt or heartbroken.”
The Stay With Me star added that they’re finding themselves getting more “maternal” as they get older.
Sam, 34, said: “As I’m getting older I feel like I’m becoming more maternal and more definitely hungry one day to have children myself and things like that.
“So it definitely felt like a maturing theme to step into for me, which was really great.”
DJ Sara replied: “I mean, she’s there for you through the tough times and even you say as a kid, but even as a grown up, your mum’s always going to be there for you.”
To which Sam said: “Oh my gosh, yeah, I mean my dad and my mum, my sisters, my whole family have been a rock for me through everything I’ve gone through.”
Sam is gearing up to release their fifth studio album Hazel Eyes, and reflected recently on how their style has changed since bursting onto the music scene – both vocally and sartorially.
They told Variety: “I feel like I’m a flow person. That’s the only way to explain it. Every day I wake up and I feel like a different me, and there’s different things I want to wear. And I felt as though I was locked into a kind of a look for the first five years of my career, which I found so hard.”
Before adding: “We all make a choice every morning when we get up. In what we all wear, we all make a choice. And I’m actually passionate about imploring people — if people don’t want to, it’s fine — that if you do want to, it is OK to start again! “To throw it out and start again, and choose a different character. Because it can be so wild when you do that. And the way people treat you or see you, it’s really fun.”