Photo Illustration by Erin O’Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty Images
Sam Smith has taken over the world. Their big single “Unholy,” featuring Kim Petras, is currently second on the Billboard Global 200 chart. It has been on the chart for a remarkable 16 weeks, and number one for several of them, with no signs of slowing down. It’s a historic accomplishment: Sam Smith is non-binary, and Kim Petras is a trans woman. How many other songs led by trans and non-binary artists have topped the charts? The answer is none, as “Unholy” is the first ever.
It’s a bold new beginning for Smith in several ways. For one, they’ve been wearing things—often traditionally female-coded clothes—that they wouldn’t have dreamed of putting on when their career began and carrying themselves with heartwarming confidence. Their first album, 2014’s In the Lonely Hour, feels practically sexless compared to their new music.
Smith recently told The Independent that they’ve got “the opposite of body dysmorphia.” They look like they’re the most comfortable they’ve ever been, and in a world where people get scrutinized for simply existing, it feels like a spectacular accomplishment. Smith seems truly alive and thriving in their new musical direction, and I’m living for it.