Sam Smith - Joe Allan

For Sam Smith, the omens are good. When you record a song with John Legend for Comic Relief, you know you are on the way to big things. More promisingly yet, comparisons are being made to another hyper-successful Brit who sold Soul music back to America: while Sam might be bullishly rejecting comparisons to Adele, the signs are all there. With his debut album In the Lonely Hour having sold 4 million copies, he is rapidly catching the figure of 7 million to date for Adele's breakthrough record, 19. And with four 2015 Grammy awards, three Billboard Awards, an American Music Award, and nominations for MTV Video Music Awards and BET Awards, he is on the rise. Sam Smith has massive crossover appeal, with his album going gold or platinum all across the world and his touching honesty about loneliness, love and his own sexuality coming through both in his music and his interviews to win him fans of all ages and genders.