Troublemaker
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Post by Troublemaker on Oct 23, 2017 21:36:44 GMT -5
Why does he keep dressing older than his age???
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14887fan
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Post by 14887fan on Oct 26, 2017 15:47:17 GMT -5
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Ty
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Post by Ty on Oct 26, 2017 16:55:27 GMT -5
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Glove Slap
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Post by Glove Slap on Oct 26, 2017 17:02:21 GMT -5
He doesn't look nearly as harsh as he does in some of the pictures, he just looks like a normal person in their mid 20s. I don't get why they're going out of their way to ensure that the shots that make him age the most are the ones picked. It's hard to believe he's 25 after seeing that shot. He looks strung out and hungry.I'm SCREAMING! His weight loss actually reminds me of Jennifer Hudson's. She too did need to settle into her new weight, I remember her face looked weird at first especially around her mouth. It sometimes reminds me of when Janet lost that weight she gained for a film right before 20 YO. She lost so much so fast that her face looked sunken in for a period after, but then again she was 40 then and she'd lost weight fast several times prior, though not to that extent. Whatever period this was, was the perfect amount of loss for him. That's some reverse Alec Baldwin stuff right there.
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Active Aggressive
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Post by Active Aggressive on Oct 26, 2017 17:34:46 GMT -5
He's also losing his hair and is White, so he is naturally going to look older than he really is. He could be 27 or 40. He looks borderline hot in the still for that Apple Music movie though.
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14887fan
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Post by 14887fan on Oct 26, 2017 17:39:21 GMT -5
Withholding commentary on his physical appearance, I'm just aggravated by the stagnancy of his music. His debut was harrowing and dark and carried a lot of originality because...it was his debut. You can't essentially recreate that same thing and try to call it good, or label it as progress, or "life lived." The first 3 songs could've been labeled as outtakes from ITLH and nobody would've thought twice or argued it. It's all just *so* same-y. I don't dislike the guy; he's obviously talented. I just want there to be some sort of artistic progression or growth. Or even just a slightly different-sounding song than what he's already put out.
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toomuchboy
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Post by toomuchboy on Oct 26, 2017 19:26:39 GMT -5
That's a question I've been asking myself after reading this forum the past month. I guess it's not that strange considering how many women hate other women. I'm glad he's succeeding in spite of it.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2017 19:45:41 GMT -5
I don't know why people equate gay men calling his songs boring with gay men hating him.
That trash mag article is basically like "GAY MEN HATE SAM SMITH. To prove our point here are some outrageous quotes from anonymous bitter queens we claim to have spoken to."
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toomuchboy
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Post by toomuchboy on Nov 1, 2017 0:36:38 GMT -5
I don't know why people equate gay men calling his songs boring with gay men hating him. I guess I wouldn’t expect people to be so passionate about someone who’s just boring at worst. The fixation on his appearance is overboard. If anything it's worse now that he's lost weight. That kind of obsession with appearance is similar with female artists (and doesn't seem to happen with straight, male artists generally). Lack of progression would be a more credible criticism if I thought artists needed to always be changing. All I expect is for the music to be good, not for their sound to constantly be in a state of flux. He isn't exactly the type of artist who should be chasing trends anyway, like the Britney's, Katy's, Taylor's of the world.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2017 5:14:29 GMT -5
I don't know why people equate gay men calling his songs boring with gay men hating him. I guess I wouldn’t expect people to be so passionate about someone who’s just boring at worst. The fixation on his appearance is overboard. If anything it's worse now that he's lost weight. That kind of obsession with appearance is similar with female artists (and doesn't seem to happen with straight, male artists generally).Lack of progression would be a more credible criticism if I thought artists needed to always be changing. All I expect is for the music to be good, not for their sound to constantly be in a state of flux. He isn't exactly the type of artist who should be chasing trends anyway, like the Britney's, Katy's, Taylor's of the world. Head on over to the Timberlake thread.
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Ling-Ling
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Post by Ling-Ling on Nov 1, 2017 7:50:22 GMT -5
I don't know why people equate gay men calling his songs boring with gay men hating him. I guess I wouldn’t expect people to be so passionate about someone who’s just boring at worst. The fixation on his appearance is overboard. If anything it's worse now that he's lost weight. That kind of obsession with appearance is similar with female artists (and doesn't seem to happen with straight, male artists generally). Lack of progression would be a more credible criticism if I thought artists needed to always be changing. All I expect is for the music to be good, not for their sound to constantly be in a state of flux. He isn't exactly the type of artist who should be chasing trends anyway, like the Britney's, Katy's, Taylor's of the world. I support gay artists, if the music is good, it's good. This idea that gay men dislike Sam Smith simply because he's gay and they're jealous is ridiculous and offensive. Because collectively, all gay men are catty, shallow and could never support each other right? Give me a break. I can't speak for all gay men and neither can you or that stupid article, so I'll just speak my truth. I do think people tend to throw harsher criticism at artists that are massively successful at the expense of others (or it's viewed that they haven't truly earned that success/acclaim). And I do think Sam Smith fell into that trap. I guess you could call that resentment, which is a companion emotion to jealousy? But for me it's not that deep. Sam Smith is mediocre. His music is mediocre. I don't even find his voice that appealing. He came out of the box basically being called the male Adele and with a level of credibility that HE HAD NOT EARNED. And that he still hasn't earned. He came in sweeping up Grammy's and Oscars for music that simply didn't deserve it IMO because he did an amazing job of branding himself as AN ARTIST, but he has yet to release music to back up his reputation. So yeah, when I see Sam Smith win an Oscar for what is without a doubt one of the worst Bond songs in history, not because he deserves it, but just because of his name value, I tend to f**king cringe and give a major eye-roll. That has nothing to do with him being gay, because believe me, I have thrown that eye roll at many straight artists, male and female. Call me petty, call me bitter for feeling that way, whatever. But at the end of the day, it all comes down to his music. And if it was good, I wouldn't care. But if we do wanna talk about the gay tip, there are gay artists that I have admired for years that have been making better music (and quite frankly have much better voices than him) and haven't been met with a fraction of the success or acknowledgement. So we finally get a massively successful gay male artist and it's some by-the-numbers boring balladeer? And let's be honest, Pop radio has a tendency to pat itself on the back for doing the absolute least. Hey look, we're playing a gay artist! We're not homophobic. Hey look, we're playing Rihanna! We play black people too! But oops, that fills their quota, so we basically get one gay man and one black woman being played at Pop radio. I'd rather that quota be filled by someone who is making music a tad less watered down. At least Rihanna is giving us something interesting (and why can't Sam give us a ballad as dynamic as "LOTB"?). As for your lack of progression comment, what does progression have to do with changing genres and being in a constant state of flux? Progression just means getting better. And he isn't. Everything released from this album is Sam Smith by the book again and it's even flatter than the best stuff on his first album. More ballads with textureless, stilted production. And that's his greatest weakness, he NEEDS more dynamic, lush production, period. And we can look to his biggest comparison for that. Adele has managed to remain interesting and progress outside of the fact that she's still making the same genre of music. She picks collaborators that create gorgeous instrumentals and melodies for her. Meanwhile, he's singing over basic pianos and drum programming. It also helps that her voice is far more dynamic than his, but that's not the point. And let's not forget, Sam Smith came onto the scene and got his start singing uptempo, dance songs. He is capable of doing way more than he is right now.
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Post by Heart Shaped Box on Nov 1, 2017 9:13:08 GMT -5
The man has released ONE album people. One damn album.
It baffles even more so with the Adele comparison since she’s basically released the same break up album 3 times back to back.
Whether he’s boring, mediocre, or whatever you wanna say about his music - sorry, but his music charts, wins Grammies, and gets acclaim. So y’all will have to just deal.
We haven’t seen a kind of artist like him before - so I am happy to have him in the scene.
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Ling-Ling
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Post by Ling-Ling on Nov 1, 2017 9:29:32 GMT -5
The man has released ONE album people. One damn album. It baffles even more so with the Adele comparison since she’s basically released the same break up album 3 times back to back. Whether he’s boring, mediocre, or whatever you wanna say about his music - sorry, but his music charts, wins Grammies, and gets acclaim. So y’all will have to just deal. We haven’t seen a kind of artist like him before - so I am happy to have him in the scene. Yeah, he's released one album and several tracks from the new album. So I'm judging him on that. Am I supposed to judge him on his fifth album? I'm sure it's gonna be amazing! And yeah, Adele stays in her genre and her lane. But she continues to work with dynamic producers that keep her sounding like a million bucks. So you have a problem with her making the same album over and over again (allegedly), but with Sam it's alright? Cause that's all he's given us with these three pre-release tracks. Yeah, his music does well on the music charts, wins Grammies... acclaim? Not so much. He had very weak reviews for his first album, which makes his reputation as an amazing, award worthy artist even more baffling to people like me. And please... we've never had an artist like him? Men have been singing piano ballads since the dawn of time. The fact that he is gay and successful is an achievement, it does not make him a dynamic artist unlike anything we've heard.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2017 9:32:35 GMT -5
The man has released ONE album people. One damn album. It baffles even more so with the Adele comparison since she’s basically released the same break up album 3 times back to back. Whether he’s boring, mediocre, or whatever you wanna say about his music - sorry, but his music charts, wins Grammies, and gets acclaim. So y’all will have to just deal. We haven’t seen a kind of artist like him before - so I am happy to have him in the scene. All. Of. This. I'm definitely not denying that Sam definitely has a niche/theme for majority of his songs but at the end of the day, it works and it clearly resonates with the public and his fans. The criticism is just odd because it's the exact same niche/theme Adele has used for far longer than he has, and at least IMO, he pulls it off better. Pulse really is a place of dancepop divas so it's not really shocking that he isn't that liked here since he's A) a man B) a balladeer mostly. There's no reason to drag the discussion out further.
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Glove Slap
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Post by Glove Slap on Nov 1, 2017 9:36:59 GMT -5
He's doing the ticket bundle, so expect a big opening. I won't be surprised if he clears 200k easily.
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Post by Heart Shaped Box on Nov 1, 2017 9:38:51 GMT -5
He doesn’t sound any less produced than Adele. And in fact, he’s technically stronger than her.
Adele didn’t even see fame until way near the end of her first run. And she was a nobody in the US until Rolling in the Deep.
Sam shot out right out of the gate. He’ll never match her stardom, but his artistry is certainly recognized.
What I’m saying is - if Sam can stay in his lane and genre, why is that’ a criticism that isn’t applied to Adele. Their music is similar.
I guess I just want to give him more time to really see where he takes his artistry. But all this judgment based on one album and a few new tracks seems weird and premature.
And then there’s the point of him being a respected openly gay male pop artist who is seeing success singing piano ballads. That’s what I meant about an artist like him never have been seen before. Cause we haven’t. To ignore that detail because you don’t like his music is a shame.
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Active Aggressive
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Post by Active Aggressive on Nov 1, 2017 9:47:11 GMT -5
Finally got around listening to the most recent song of his. Not bad. I haven't gone back to Good at Goodbyes or Prayayieiaeiyay but I will at least give him the courtesy of sampling this before I decide whether or not it's worth the money.
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Ling-Ling
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Post by Ling-Ling on Nov 1, 2017 10:11:23 GMT -5
He doesn’t sound any less produced than Adele. And in fact, he’s technically stronger than her. Adele didn’t even see fame until way near the end of her first run. And she was a nobody in the US until Rolling in the Deep. Sam shot out right out of the gate. He’ll never match her stardom, but his artistry is certainly recognized. What I’m saying is - if Sam can stay in his lane and genre, why is that’ a criticism that isn’t applied to Adele. Their music is similar. I guess I just want to give him more time to really see where he takes his artistry. But all this judgment based on one album and a few new tracks seems weird and premature. And then there’s the point of him being a respected openly gay male pop artist who is seeing success singing piano ballads. That’s what I meant about an artist like him never have been seen before. Cause we haven’t. To ignore that detail because you don’t like his music is a shame. Adele did win BNA at the Grammy's though, which set her up nicely for 21. And if you listen to "TGAG" or "Pray" and tell me the production is close to anything production-wise on 25, then we'll just never agree. His mixing, his instrumentals, his melodies, they're just not as strong. Everything is so tinny and flat. I agree, they do make similar music, which is why they're so often compared (also both British). She just does it better. And I think that criticism is lobbed at her by a lot of people, it's just deafened by her massive appeal. And I'm not writing Sam Smith's whole career off. Of course he has the chance to expand his artistry and improve. It all comes down to the music for me. When he releases stronger material, I will get all up on his d**k. We'll see what he does with this album, but I'm not excited at all based on the first three tracks. And I acknowledge that his success in a homophobic industry is a major achievement. I just wish his music backed up the hype and awards. And I'm not going to throw him my coins or blind support just because he's gay. But kudos to him for breaking down barriers and creating that brand for himself. I just get super frustrated on these boards sometimes, because someone always wants to explain away or write-off opinions. I pretty much just wrote a million paragraphs about why I'm not a huge Sam Smith fan. And not two responses later, I see someone try to explain it away again because "Pulse only like divas and doesn't like ballads." REALLY? Or we get an article about how gay people are all horrible and that's why we don't support Sam Smith (when clearly there are tons of gays that do). I think people have done a very good job of explaining why they don't care for Sam here. The same way people who like Sam have explained why they like him. So sorry for all my ranting in here!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2017 10:17:50 GMT -5
Sam’s success does not entitle him to everyone’s adoration, and (more specifically) his being gay does not entitle him to the support or adoration of all gays.
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Post by Heart Shaped Box on Nov 1, 2017 10:55:06 GMT -5
Absolutely.
But failing to acknowledge and admire the correlation of his sexuality to his success, despite what anyone thinks of the quality of his music or personality, is really choosing to ignore an important time in both music and gay culture.
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PerPlexied
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Post by PerPlexied on Nov 1, 2017 11:20:15 GMT -5
I think part of my problem with Sam Smith is being introduced to him via Disclosure before he released his first album. 'Latch' is the kind of music I want from him.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2017 11:21:42 GMT -5
wants to explain away or write-off opinions. I pretty much just wrote a million paragraphs about why I'm not a huge Sam Smith fan. And not two responses later, I see someone try to explain it away again because "Pulse only like divas and doesn't like ballads." REALLY? Or we get an article about how gay people are all horrible and that's why we don't support Sam Smith (when clearly there are tons of gays that do). I think people have done a very good job of explaining why they don't care for Sam here. The same way people who like Sam have explained why they like him. So sorry for all my ranting in here! My intention wasn't to come across so dismissive or oversimplify/explain it all away, reading it back I can see how it comes off though. I apologize for that! The discussion has just carried over into pretty much all his threads which is why I was trying to smooth it over because it's become a moot point debating since there's clear opposing sides. I should've also dismissed my stance as well. I was genuinely just confused as to the differing treatments between two artists who I considered to be otherwise musically-identical, but I guess looking at it in broader terms, it really boils down to each person's own individual taste. What I see as similar, some will say nah, Adele's output is clearly better, while I'll say the opposite. People used to compare Britney and Christina and one could argue if someone liked Britney's music why they couldn't like Christina's since it was all bubblegum pop and C has a *better voice but there were strong supporters on each end saying why one was better than the other so there are a lot of other factors involved with all this.
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QAF
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Post by QAF on Nov 1, 2017 11:27:22 GMT -5
His music is just boring. I was really on board when he first came out but it's gotten to the point that one song is the same as the other and it's just boring.
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Glove Slap
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Post by Glove Slap on Nov 1, 2017 11:49:27 GMT -5
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dbhmr
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Post by dbhmr on Nov 1, 2017 12:26:05 GMT -5
He doesn’t sound any less produced than Adele. And in fact, he’s technically stronger than her. Adele didn’t even see fame until way near the end of her first run. And she was a nobody in the US until Rolling in the Deep. Sam shot out right out of the gate. He’ll never match her stardom, but his artistry is certainly recognized. I mean, 19 got a ton of acclaim and two Grammy's, but yes, "Rolling In The Deep" is what made her a star. But this comparison is laughable. Sam Smith, to put it over-simply, owes a lot of his success to Adele. Being able to be marketed as the male Adele, who also hails from the UK, let him walk through all the doors Adele had opened for someone like him. It could have been someone else, and what Sam brings to the table absolutely mattered in him seeing such huge success, but getting his name and style inextricably linked with Adele helped him immeasurably. I'm rooting for his success, but I just don't love the new material as much as his debut, because it's too much of the same for me. Nothing more, nothing less.
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Glove Slap
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Post by Glove Slap on Nov 1, 2017 12:38:24 GMT -5
Sam Smith, to put it over-simply, owes a lot of his success to AdeleSNL. Being able to be marketed as the male Adeleon SNL, who also hails from the UK, let him walk through all the doors AdeleSNL had opened for someone like him. It could have been someone else, and what Sam brings to the table absolutely mattered in him seeing such huge success, but getting his name and style inextricably linked with Adeleon SNL helped him immeasurably. Not that this invalidates what this post originally said, but out of all the UK crossovers over the past 10 years, I cannot think of a single one who had an easier time not only breaking through, but establishing a brand and credibility as quickly and strongly with the US public as fast as Sam did when he did SNL. If you compare him to Ed Sheeran, who was already a superstar in the UK with a massive album, big singles, and in demand as a songwriter, and still had to hit the pavement for a year in the states working up from campuses to MSG, to the extent that he pushed his entire follow up plan back a year (when he could have launched x in 2013 and still had a big reception Internationally) and only started to truly break through as a big mainstream act around the same time as Sam, the difference in the amount of effort, time, money, and opportunity cost to reach the tipping point is gigantic. This isn't to discredit his talents and drive, but if there's some extra demands on Sam to prove himself, I wouldn't say it's unwarranted.
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Post by Heart Shaped Box on Nov 1, 2017 12:40:43 GMT -5
But there are so many singer songwriters male balladeers that have come from Europe that came before Sam and Adele and released since and still haven’t risen has fast or high as Sam.
Was he given a pass because of his sexuality? Who knows. But the fact that a gay man was even given a pass, in this musical climate, is important to note.
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Caviar
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Post by Caviar on Nov 1, 2017 12:51:07 GMT -5
The hate that Sam receives, especially from the gays, is incredibly sad. They just dismiss him as if it's nothing. His music is "boring" or isn't as "dynamic" as Adele's they say. When in fact, her fans aren't even make up of the LGBT community any more than Sam's, but for some reason he's held to this higher standard.
I find it refreshing he's able to have an incredible amount of success WITHOUT the majority backing of the gay community. Good for him
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dbhmr
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Post by dbhmr on Nov 1, 2017 12:55:31 GMT -5
The hate that Sam receives, especially from the gays, is incredibly sad. They just dismiss him as if it's nothing. His music is "boring" or isn't as "dynamic" as Adele's they say. When in fact, her fans aren't even make up of the LGBT community any more than Sam's, but for some reason he's held to this higher standard. I find it refreshing he's able to have an incredible amount of success WITHOUT the majority backing of the gay community. Good for him I guess Ling-Ling's explanation fell on deaf ears. smh. If Sam Smith's music was held to a higher standard than Adele's, he'd be in a very bad way. Speaking for myself (what a concept!), the only standard I'm holding Sam to is his music and my taste. His debut passed, the new music isn't. I'm not offended or mad, nor do I hate him or wish we had different LGBT representation. I'm just not digging the f**king music.
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Post by Active Aggressive on Nov 1, 2017 13:01:20 GMT -5
That article makes him sound so pathetic. Ugh.
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