Sam Smith reveals the biggest 'diva demand' he makes before a show

Singer is the subject of a new BBC special

Sam Smith (Getty)

Sam Smith has revealed the biggest "diva demand" he makes before heading on stage for a performance.

The singer, who just released his second album The Thrill of It All, was speaking with the BBC ahead of a sketch for his TV special, Sam Smith at the BBC.

"Sometimes - and I'm really embarrassed about this - when they're doing my makeup before I go onstage, people do up my laces for me," he said.

"I hate it. I feel like a diva. A diva or a three-year-old."

Smith also admitted that the success of his debut album In The Lonely Hour turned his head a little with the sudden rush of fame.

"I did get a little bit... I wouldn't say big-headed, but I was living in that scene way too much, and I needed to be brought back down to earth," he said.

"There was one time when I wore a new pair of pants every day and threw all the old ones away. I got obsessed with wearing different pants every night. But that only lasted a month - I rewear all my pants all the time now."

Sam Smith at the BBC will be broadcast on Thursday 9 November at 9pm on BBC One.

Smith released The Thrill of It All on 5 November. The Independent's critic Andy Gill wrote in his 4* review that Smith's voice "remains a thing of wonder throughout".

"On the old soul-styled 'One Last Song' he sweeps smoothly into a clear high tenor without slipping into a falsetto, thereby evoking more genuine emotional connection; his vibrato touches in 'Burning' are subtly controlled, against the rich choral backing vocals that give the album a powerful gospel flavour."

Read an interview with Sam Smith on his new album here.

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