What's The Real Meaning Behind Unholy By Sam Smith Featuring Kim Petras? Here's What We Think
On August 23, singer-songwriter Sam Smith leaked a small portion of a new song they have been working on with Kim Petras. "Little dance we made," they captioned their TikTok video featuring both Smith and Petras in the recording studio dancing to part of the hook of the song. After the "Latch" singer posted the snippet, the sound went viral, as TikTok users made dances, and even video edits, to the song to hype up its release.
"It's amazing," Smith told Entertainment Tonight about their collaboration with Petras. They mentioned that it's "exciting" that the collaboration is already getting so much positive attention amid the snippet's release. "It's a wild song," Smith added. "It's a theater show in one song, and I'm so proud of it."
For some unknown reason, though, the "Lay Me Down" singer delayed the release of the song. It was originally supposed to drop on September 9, but it was delayed until September 15. The song's release was then delayed another week. Although fans do not know the reason for this, it's clear that they were all anticipating its release, as one fan tweeted, "Sam Smith delaying Unholy for another week is my villain origin story." Now that the song has finally dropped, what's the potential meaning behind the lyrics and tone of the song?
Unholy continues themes of cheating from Sam Smith's past songs
In September 2014, Sam Smith talked about their debut album, which features the song, "I'm Not The Only One." "It's about a marriage that I've been an observer of," the singer told Digital Spy. In the song, the husband is cheating on his wife, and it looks like the theme of cheating has translated to Smith's new song with Kim Petras.
"Mummy don't know daddy's getting hot, at the body shop, doing something unholy," the lyrics of the chorus say, revealing that the husband is out and about, doing things that are considered unfaithful in a relationship and a marriage. In the second part of the hook, Smith sings about the children and how the whole family doesn't know about the guy's secretive side.
In August, the "Stay With Me" singer mentioned that they wanted to have more power in the music production process, per Billboard, This new attitude translated well in "Unholy," as the chorus — especially at the very beginning of the song — has multiple layers to it. It sounds like a whole choir is singing, showing that the singer is exploring their creativity in their songs. It also shows how Smith is continuing to dive into their new era of music.
Unholy represents a new era of music for Sam Smith
In September 2019, Sam Smith posted to Instagram, announcing that they were changing their pronouns. "Today is a good day so here goes," Smith wrote. "I've decided I am changing my pronouns to THEY/THEM." The singer mentioned that, although they were still scared to speak about it, they have been "at war" with their gender identity and they are looking forward to their new chapter in life.
The "Too Good At Goodbyes" singer dove into this new chapter by releasing songs that evoke more authenticity. "I'm overjoyed to announce the release of my new song Love Me More," Smith shared in April in a pinned comment on their music video for the song. "It's taken a lifetime to be able to express this type of joy and honesty in my music and I am so happy to have you all here with me."
And it seems Smith is still in the midst of this new era of music, as "Unholy" is definitely one of their more raunchier songs to date. "It's time for my villain era, I think," the singer told Entertainment Tonight on September 21, the day before the song's release. "Time to get sexy." Smith mentioned that they felt a shift in themselves after they turned 30. "I think I know who I am a bit more, and I'm ready to have fun," they added.