Charli XCX Defends Sam Smith Following “Hateful Comments”
Image: British musicians Charli XCX (Left) and Sam Smith (Right) release their new single, "In The City." Image: Charli XCX/Facebook and SAM SMITH/Facebook
British pop sensation Charli XCX has called out the “disheartening” comments towards Sam Smith, following the announcement of their new single and collaboration, In the City.
Released on Thursday, October 19, the single’s initial anticipation shifted once it was announced it would feature the acclaimed non-binary performer.
Comments began to appear on the Vroom Vroom singer’s social media posts, requesting Smith’s collaboration be removed. The amount of “hateful comments” lead to Charli addressing the situation.
“Sam, I love you”
In a video posted to social media, the day before the single’s release, Charli described her surprise to the sudden hate towards the song.
“The experience so far has been really interesting because never in my life have I seen somebody receive so many hateful comments online,” said Charli.
“It’s honestly been really disheartening, but at the same time, I’m so proud of Sam’s ability to withstand that, because I know that I certainly couldn’t withstand it.”
@charlixcx
“So I just want to say, Sam, I love you. I love our song together, and I am in awe of your strength,” she continued.
Whilst some fans appreciated Charli’s comments in defence of Smith, others were still unhappy that a “solo version” of the song wouldn’t be released.
Requesting A “Solo Version”
Charli initially teased the song earlier in October, with many fans excited and anticipating the new release.
“Mother” and “Queen” were common terms of endearment throughout the original post, with one TikTok user saying the snippet made their “heart sing!”
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A second post a week later, announced their collaboration. The post included the new vocals from Smith and was captioned saying, “I’m so lucky to have [them] on it with me.”
All social media posts from Charli, especially on TikTok, were suddenly flooded with request for a version without Smith.
One of the top comments on TikTok saying, “[Please] make a solo version,” with many other similar iterations being posted.
“Don’t you dare put Sae Smith on this… [Please] I’m begging you mother,” exclaimed a commenter on TikTok.
However, many came in defence of the collaboration, questioning the reason behind the sudden dislike in the song.
“I don’t understand why [people are] so negative, this genuinely sounds good,” said TikTok user.
Other commenters continued to appreciate their voices within the song, with one TikTok user saying they both sounded “unreal.”
In The City
The collaboration between Charli and Smith, In The City, is a club-ready pop track. It’s synth heavy and upbeat song with incredible vocals from both artists.
The grammy-award winners initially teased the collaboration back in August, with Smith making a cameo in Charli’s music video for Speed Drive – from the Barbie movie soundtrack.
In The City is out now, and is available on all major streaming platforms.
