\n\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\n\tSam Smith is being vulnerable about the support they received from one of pop music\u2019s most enduring icons.<\/p>\n
\n\tDuring a new Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe, Smith spoke about Madonna\u2018s influence on their career and revealed that the Queen of Pop personally reached out when the singer was facing controversy surrounding the 2022 hit \u201cUnholy,\u201d their collaboration with Kim Petras that famously hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\u201cMadonna is my mother,\u201d Smith said while discussing the music they are listening to on The Zane Lowe Show<\/em>. \u201cShe\u2019s just un-f\u2014ing-real.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tSmith went on to recall how Madonna supported them during the fallout surrounding \u201cUnholy,\u201d which became a lightning rod for controversy following its release and its provocative visual and live performances.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cShe, the minute it happened, she made sure she got through to me,\u201d Smith said. \u201cAnd she\u2019s so aware of queer news and what\u2019s happening in the community, [what\u2019s happening] to the artists within the community.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tFor Smith, Madonna\u2019s support carried particular weight because of the role the pop icon has long played in queer culture. Smith described Madonna\u2019s music as \u201ca lifeline to queer people,\u201d pointing to her ability to continually reinvent herself while advocating for LGBTQ+ communities.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cYou feel that in her music,\u201d Smith said. \u201cHer music is a lifeline to queer people and just all of the eras of her and her stamina and how she\u2019s just always carried on and on and on. I just find it very inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe connection between the two artists extended to the studio, as they teamed up for \u201cVulgar,\u201d released in June 2023, just months after Madonna introduced Smith and Petras\u2019 performance of \u201cUnholy\u201d at the 2023 Grammy Awards.<\/p>\n \n\tDuring that Grammy introduction, Madonna specifically positioned Smith and Petras as artists who had risen above criticism and controversy, making her behind-the-scenes support for Smith all the more meaningful in retrospect.<\/p>\n \n\tSmith\u2019s latest comments come as they prepare to release their fifth studio album, Hazel Eyes<\/em>, out this Friday. The record is a new chapter for the singer\/songwriter, who has described the project as a more intimate and personal body of work centered on love, identity and artistic freedom.<\/p>\n \n\tWhile Smith is looking ahead, their admiration for Madonna remains firmly rooted in everything that came before. \u201cI think a lot of queer people find [her music] inspiring,\u201d Smith told Lowe. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not just a comfort in my personal life; it\u2019s a comfort in my music.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWatch the full interview with Smith and Lowe below.<\/p>\n