Sam Smith Says Madonna ‘Made Sure She Got Through to Me’ During ‘Unholy’ Controversy: ‘Her Music Is a Lifeline to Queer People’

Sam Smith is being vulnerable about the support they received from one of pop music’s most enduring icons.

During a new Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe, Smith spoke about Madonna‘s influence on their career and revealed that the Queen of Pop personally reached out when the singer was facing controversy surrounding the 2022 hit “Unholy,” their collaboration with Kim Petras that famously hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Madonna is my mother,” Smith said while discussing the music they are listening to on The Zane Lowe Show. “She’s just un-f—ing-real.”

Smith went on to recall how Madonna supported them during the fallout surrounding “Unholy,” which became a lightning rod for controversy following its release and its provocative visual and live performances.

“She, the minute it happened, she made sure she got through to me,” Smith said. “And she’s so aware of queer news and what’s happening in the community, [what’s happening] to the artists within the community.”

For Smith, Madonna’s support carried particular weight because of the role the pop icon has long played in queer culture. Smith described Madonna’s music as “a lifeline to queer people,” pointing to her ability to continually reinvent herself while advocating for LGBTQ+ communities.

“You feel that in her music,” Smith said. “Her music is a lifeline to queer people and just all of the eras of her and her stamina and how she’s just always carried on and on and on. I just find it very inspiring.”

The connection between the two artists extended to the studio, as they teamed up for “Vulgar,” released in June 2023, just months after Madonna introduced Smith and Petras’ performance of “Unholy” at the 2023 Grammy Awards.

During 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.

Smith’s latest comments come as they prepare to release their fifth studio album, Hazel Eyes, 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.

While Smith is looking ahead, their admiration for Madonna remains firmly rooted in everything that came before. “I think a lot of queer people find [her music] inspiring,” Smith told Lowe. “And it’s not just a comfort in my personal life; it’s a comfort in my music.”

Watch the full interview with Smith and Lowe below.

This article was first published by Billboard U.S.