British singer charms D.C. audience

The crowd anxiously strained their necks, looking for a sign of movement from behind the stage as they eagerly awaited the appearance of last Friday’s musical performer, Sam Smith. The U Street Music Hall in Washington D.C. was filled with avid fans waving their arms in the air and singing along to the love ballads of the up-and-coming British artis. Although the venue was relatively small and the concert began an hour later than initially planned, the entire hall was packed with excited fans.

The minute Smith appeared on stage, stylishly covered from head to toe in black, the audience broke out in a mad wave of cheers and girlish squeals. Smith looked quite shy to be standing in front of the crowd, and happily surprised to see what a large fan base he had accumulated in the U.S. According to him, Washington D.C. was his first stop and very first concert in America.

Smith, at only 22-years-old, has the beautiful voice of an angel according to his fans, and is filled with enormous potential. He is currently one of the most popular rising stars in the music industry, not only in Great Britain and Europe, but also in the U.S. His song, “Money on My Mind” was the number one hit single in the U.K., and he also won the Brit Award for Critics’ Choice in 2014.

His vocals were also featured in the immensely popular single released by British producer Naughty Boy, entitled “La La La.” The song was number one on the U.K., Czech Republic and Italian Singles Charts. By the end of 2013, it was confirmed that “La La La” was the sixth fastest selling single of the year in the U.K., selling 145,000 copies in its first week. Smith will even be making an appearance on Saturday Night Live this Saturday, March 29.

His voice is truly magical, and he has a voice that is meant to sing love ballads. Specifically, it is deep and unwavering, and his range is extremely wide. He sings love ballads in the most beautifully heartbreaking way. During his performance of “Not In That Way,” a preview of one that all of his songs were based on unrequited love. He admitted that he had never been in a relationship before nor had he ever been in love. This drove the girls in the front row insane as they all began to chant, “We love you!”

Many of his songs are slower so there was the potential of the concert’s atmosphere dying down, but this never happened, as Smith cleverly alternated between upbeat dance songs and the slower love ballads.

The entire crowd was singing along to his performance of “La La La,” as well as his unlikely rendition of the Arctic Monkeys’ “Do I Wanna Know.” Even songs like “Do I Wanna Know,” were made special, as Smith reimagines and recreates the song into an entirely new version of his own.

Although the concert only lasted a little over an hour, the music enjoyed during that time frame was unbelievable. Smith is an excellent performer, filled to the brim with potential. He is most definitely one of today’s hottest rising musicians, and it seems that his American tour is the turning point in his musical career.

Smith’s new album, In The Lonely Hour, was released yesterday.