Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware - Ep1: Sam Smith

Episode Date: November 8, 2017

So for the very first episode of Table Manners, I invited over my old mate and pop superstar Sam Smith. Over mum's turkey meatballs we talked about Sam's childhood food experiences, living without booze, and what he would choose for his death row dinner. Oh and he gave his very scary impression of a movie icon... Get stuck in people! Jessie x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi, I'm Jessie Ware and I have decided to make a podcast with my mum, Table Manners. Say hi mum. Hi. Hi. It makes me laugh every time she does it, it's so awkward. It's a podcast about food, family and the art of a good old chit chat. I've decided to rope my mother into this because she's the best cook I know. And what we do every week is we invite a guest over to be cooked for by my mum.

Oh no, fuck. Because you don't know what, you need to think about what you're saying before you say it. Would you like to introduce her? Sorry. Well, I don't think you can call it the art of change all right fine fuck off right right just go you it's about food family and conversation wherever the conversation takes us okay there you go because that sounds more exciting it's like promising something okay sort of yeah because you know maybe food and family are not what everyone turns everyone on

but good conversation does is not what turns everyone on. But good conversation does. Is that what turns you on? God, Mum! No, but you know what I mean? We don't even talk about sex! Why haven't we? Who are we having tonight, darling? We've got...

You know him. It's Sam Smith. Oh, fantastic. You've met him a few times, haven't you? I think I've met him once. Oh, at Wilderness Festival. At Wilderness Festival. He's a really good friend of mine, and I adore him.

And regardless of all the enormous fame and fortunes he's had, he is the most fabulous friend and loves food. We both love food. Maybe too much sometimes, but yeah. So tonight, I thought the remit was a healthy meal because he's always on a bloody diet like me. But I've just texted him and said, don't worry, babe, it's healthy tonight.

And he said, oh, babe, let's eat whatever. Well, we're not eating... Well, we're eating a delicious meal, but it's rather... It's not Kentucky Fried Chicken, yeah. And he loves Kentucky. I do too. We could have gone out and got it in.

That would have been my pleasure. Well, we'll see. It would be my last meal before I died Kentucky why? I just love it and I never eat it because it's so fattening so I met Sam side stage at

Plan B in Brixton both of us waiting to go on and sing with Disclosure. It was one of their first live shows. And so I met this completely fabulous, wonderful guy waiting to go on, had heard about him. I think I'd heard Latch, but hadn't met Sam. So we met side stage waiting to go on and kind of like dancing whilst we were introduced ourselves to each other from then on um there were plenty of side stage dancers together and voguing but actually just became really great mates who have kept in touch and always check up on each other especially at hard times of touring and promoting albums which at the moment we are both doing which um is rather stressful so I'd be interested to see how his promotion of his records going

hey hello sam smith Hey! Hello Sam Smith! Right, what can I get you to drink? Coffee. What? Coffee please. Oh, Harden, I know about... I'm going to be boring today. I know about this... I made a bet with Max. Who's Max? Max Gerrans. I know who Max is, but everyone else doesn't. I made a bet with him that... I basically said I didn't want to drink to Christmas Eve. And he said I couldn't do it, and I was like, I'm going to show you.

Why don't you want to drink to... If I make it to Christmas Eve he has to get a tattoo of my choice he's never had a tattoo before. And isn't it gonna be on his bottom? On his lower back. And what are you gonna put down? Dick Whisperer. You're saying! I won't make him do it. He thinks I'm He thinks I'm going to make him get dickless breath. How are you finding not drinking? It's interesting. It's cleared my head massively. It's so boring.

The last week has been super stressful and I really just want to... You just want a bloody drink. Yeah, I just want wine. But it's fine. It's fine. That's why I'm... Smoking. Yeah, well, hang on a minute. I'm going to get your coffee. Do you just want black coffee or do you want... I've got almond milk if you want.

Black's great. Thank you. Right, I'm heating up the food. Babe, it's like, so I thought that you were being really healthy. That's what Max said, your manager. He was like, Sam's on a healthy tip. So I was like, yeah, fine. So we've done something relatively healthy. I mean, mum got you courgetti. she didn't even know what cauliflower rice was. We've got it but we've actually just got white rice which is far more delicious. I want a rice. I wanted to save myself for this.

Okay fine. But it's still not going to make you hate yourself after. No, god no. I've been eating so badly in New York. Did you go to Carbono? Where's that? Oh my god, it's the best Italian ever. They do this vodka pasta, which is insane. I went to San Ambrosia. Have you been there? No, what is it? It's incredible. It's Italian as well.

They do good Italian in New York. They really do. So, you were there because you were doing SNL? Yeah. It was stressful, I'm not going to lie. Was it? Why? I don't know. Why do you think, Mum? It's his first thing back from being the biggest pop star in the world.

But it's like, do you know what it is? It's like in that moment, I mean, obviously you feel like you're in a team. You know this, Jessie, but you have a team around you. But in that moment, it's all on you. It's all on you and it's live. And it was, I nearly puked in the dress room whilst I was singing because I was starting to feel a bit sick as well it was horrible but then I got my I just had a bit of coca-cola chilled my stomach out yeah and then I but I got through it which

was great because I always just think of you as brilliant at live. Well, you're the most capable singer I know, but you are brilliant at singing live. And I had to get a hypnotherapist for my Jools Holland performance. I didn't think that you got that scared. No, I'm getting more and more scared. It's really intense. Why?

I don't know. But you're fabulous. Why would you be scared? I don't know, but in the moment, I forget to sing It's really intense. Why? I don't know. But you're fabulous. Why would you be scared? I don't know, but in the moment I don't... It's a pressure. I forget to sing, how to sing. You forget everything. It's the live TVs that are so intense. And it's like, I think the thing that people forget is your voice.

Like, as soon as you're nervous, dry throat, clamps up, can't do it. It's not like playing a trumpet and you can just play it. So So true. There's no room for human error is there really? No. And it's sad because you think back, all the music that I'm inspired by and I know that you are too is imperfect you know. All those old soul records you know, those, look at Etta Jaynes performing live and all that stuff. She was messing up all the time but it was part of it and it was part of the, but because of autotune and it was part of the but because of Auto-Tune and because of all of that I feel like everyone

just wants you to be on the money every time and I think talent shows too because I know that I talk about when they go a bit flat but then I listen to like

I saw the Whitney documentary recently oh my god me too cried the BBC one the Nick Brimfield one yeah yeah and you know

she goes really flat and I don't care. Yeah, completely. You don't care. No, because it's feeling. Yeah. It's feeling. It's,

no, it's, it was great. New York's amazing. Well, I mean, exciting. It's, it's SNL. I've never done it.

It's like the biggest TV show to do. Yeah. Because you what? You do how many songs of your own? You do two, but then you rehearse on the Thursday and the Saturday you come in and you do two more rehearsals. So it's like this big performance that is built up. And do you have to do comedy skits?

No, no, I didn't do that. Fuck no. But you're funny. You can swear, right? Babe, it's my podcast. Come on. So to bring it back to the reason we're here, firstly, thank you so much for doing this. Babe, are's my podcast, come on. So to bring it back to the reason we're here, firstly, thank you so much for doing this.

Babe, are you joking? Any excuse to see you. Any excuse to see me. And any excuse to eat with you. Yes. We've had good meals together. So many good meals. We love food.

I love food more than my family. It's the best thing in the world. It is, it's the only thing that actually world it is it's the only thing that actually gets me through every day it's so good yeah

however you have to deny yourself a lot of food when you've done you know your yeah but do you know what I've got to point out

where it doesn't feel like I'm denying it I actually enjoy those things and when I eat badly I I kind of feel bad but I'm in a

really good place at the moment where for me eating badly is like having loads of McDonald's then I feel bad but I'm in a really good place at the moment where for me eating badly is like having loads of McDonald's then I feel bad but I'm able to have my rice and potatoes now and enjoy it so I've got a nice balance at the moment so can I ask you

because I guess for me just to explain I decided to do this podcast because obviously you know my mum's a really good cook she always does this face where she goes she's great

and food's been always important to our family. Like with you growing up, were you a foodie family? Massively. My dad couldn't cook, so my dad was a house husband. Well, he could cook, it's really bad for me to say that, but he just used, every time we'd follow a recipe, he just would pour water in it. I remember him cooking this amazing curry once and he'd follow the recipe and it was this Jamie Otto recipe, it was incredible, and then he just put the whole entire pot under the tap. I don't know why he did it, it's really weird.

Maybe he thought it wasn't enough sauce. Yeah, maybe, but he never trusted the recipe. So Dad would always ruin the meals at the last minute. But food-wise, as a kid, it was my mum. My mum's cooking was outrageous. But we also, as a kid, I was mum my mum's cooking was outrageous but we also as a kid I was very lucky I went out to eat a lot which was great but you grew up in near Cambridge yeah near Cambridge countryside so there's some beautiful places to go to um but yeah food to know I've always had a weird relationship with food though it's something that I love

so much like my sisters were never that fussed by it. I know. I know. It's a problem. I live to eat rather than eat to live. Me too. It's not a problem. I think it's a gift. I really do believe it's a gift because I don't, I watch, I used to watch my sisters and being forced to finish their plates every day. I don't understand that. I don't understand that. It's mad. I'm already thinking about my second plate when I've just got my serving. I'm thinking about my breakfast on the way home tonight. Yeah, it's mad. So your mum was a really good cook? Mum's unbelievable. She's got even, like, she's got better now. But she was incredible. Because she worked in the city, it'd be once a week, which made it more of an event, I guess So what would it be like weekends with the weekend like roasts roasts?

And she's amazing at all different types of Thai food, but she she just loves following recipes So she just go in so they're both quite strict. They do follow a recipe. Yeah. Yeah massively and that tries to Use to just cook a lot of jacket potatoes and cheese and beans which is still my favourite thing in the world. Me too. Loads of cheese and beans. Well I like, so Sam, my husband who you know, likes to have cold baked beans. Oh.

Don't. I didn't understand it until I had it so we love, jacket potato night is one of my favourite nights where you have it and you have all the different toppings so you do tuna mayonnaise. Tuna night, yeah. Coleslaw. Coleslaw coleslaw um nice salad uh i like to do grated carrot with some cheddar just because you feel a bit less guilty

and then he has cold beans that's strange i don't i don't like that yeah i don't does it taste good i just don't understand why you'd have cold beans but i either i don't know if it's his way of trying to be salt of the earth and like brings him back to camping in the Lake District. I don't fucking know but you have a stove there too though. But anyway I have to have cold beans but I do love a jacket potato. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Do you cook? I try to but for me cooking in my family actually my mum's side of the family is a huge thing that I link it with getting older. Like, I can't wait to get, like, 60, 70 and just, like, cook.

It's like my retirement plan. Would you open a restaurant? No, just, like, family cooking. I just think it's something that I just want to do when I have more time. I really do it every night. But, so, like, do you ever cook at home? I do, actually, yeah. I cook, but mainly really basic stuff.

Like what? Roasted butternut squash with feta and all that stuff. Okay. That's good. I go to, like, the butchers and stuff and get amazing meats and stuff like that. I always ruin the amazing meats that I get from the butchers because I always kind of am impatient and I just turn the heat up really quickly. You should tell them how to...

I ask them, I'm like, how do you cook it? And they'll tell me. It's incredible. But you, yeah, I mean, I remember you came over here, I loved it, you got trained by my husband, personal training, and then to celebrate your training, you brought over cakes for me and you to eat. Healthy cakes. Healthy cakes. They were heaven sent.

I had one today, it was ridiculous. Can you just explain what they are, because... They're called aphrodisiac cakes, and it's like this gooey chocolate tart thing but it's all made with cacao and raw and like coconut butter and stuff like that. It's great. Will you tell Sam what's on the menu tonight? I did turkey meatballs. That is not exciting Sam but it was because we were trying to do it lean. I like turkey. Yeah, turkey. But actually, they're really very light. And they're almost as good as the Greek ones, the sysulakia. You know, the ones that are very, very light.

And you make them and you put parmesan inside. So they do taste nice, I hope. Beautiful. So we did get you cauliflower rice and courgette, but I'm taking... Let's just go rice. Okay, fine, I hope. Beautiful. So we did get you cauliflower rice and courgette but I'm taking... Let's just go rice. OK fine, thank you. I thought Mexico was in Europe until last year. I got a plane with my manager and he said,

and I didn't have any hand luggage, and he was like, why have you not got any hand luggage? And I was like, it's just like a two hour plane journey to Mexico. And he was like, no Sam. Where do you think Mexico is? And I thought Mexico was like near Germany. Because if you look at pictures, it looks very Spanish. Not that Spain is near Germany,

but it looks very Spanish and everyone speaks Spanish. And I just didn't realize it was so far away. So, had you packed correctly? Nope. and I just didn't realise it was so far away. So... Had you packed correctly? Nope. Why are you in Mexico on a holiday? No, just gigs. Got a shock of my life, it's a 12-hour plane journey. Very different to Spain and Germany.

I would like to have taken the baby to synagogue this Thursday. I've never been to a synagogue. Sukkot's gone. It's Simkastara now. With the flags. When did you get so bloody Jewish? I'm not so Jewish, but the children have the flags and they give them sweets and they wave the flags.

Mum, I'm relying on you to educate my child. Well, if you lived in South London, we'd be alright. Oh, there we go. This is like, yeah, okay. Can I whip cream with a hand blender? Fuck's sake. I'm not fucking whipping it for like... I've got one of those bloody things, I just can't find them.

Hold on, Mum. Mum, we need whipped cream. This is going to be an issue. Have you got a whisk? I don't mind having non-whipped cream. No, I mind. How do you whip cream? Have you got ice cream as well? This is an absolute mess, Mum.

Oh, hold on. Hold on. I found a whisk. OK, well, that could take 20 minutes. Oh, hold on. Hold on. I found a whisk. OK, well that could take 20 minutes. Oh, hold on. That could take 20 minutes. Oh my God, look at that whisk. Should I just try and do it for a bit? I mean, how long's it going to take?

A little while, darling. Think of those arm muscles, babe. No, I haven't been able to work out for ages. I've just had one Pete Sampras bloody bicep. Oh no, mum it's already whipping! Good. Oh my god I'm incredible! Whip it good! Into shape.

Was it real? It's not too late. Have I just, I've overdone it? How can I even do that? Why did you do that? Oh my god that's whipped so quickly. No what the fuck! We froze our guinea pigs by accident when we were kids.

What? How did you freeze guinea pigs? We left them in the garage and they froze. Shit. I know, but we thought the garage was warm. And we put, like, padding and everything there, but they died. Oh, my God. We had nightmares, kids with pets. We had, like, all our hamsters got eaten by the cat.

Oh, yeah, the gerbil, yeah. Jar Jar Binks was my first hamster just got mutilated sorry can you please just because oh god no it's just because I feel like not enough people know how well I mean a lot of people know you're funny but like I've never no it's gonna be really embarrassing for you but I don't care do your impersonation that I love you to do Colin yeah it's gonna sound weird with the cold. No it's gonna sound amazing. You stupid fat robot. It's good isn't it? You ruined it. My presser. Is it good? So good. Very good. My presser. Now you've got the role. Frodo Baggins.

Now you've got the roll. Throw the buttons. It's so good. I'm not going to tell you. We had the best Glastonbury of our lives. Me just basically making him repeat that till 6 o'clock in the morning. That's my memory of you babe, you know. I have to tell this. Pissing in a bush together. Oh my gosh. Remember that?

When you were pissing, you were squatting in the bush in Glastonbury. I was dead. Babe you were pissing right by me. Oh my god. But the, my favourite Your daughter. I don't know if you know this, but the first time I ever met Jessie, I was working in a bar in London and I took two days off of work to go to Bestival to perform with Disclosure for the first time. Is that when we met?

Oh god, I've done the wrong story then. No. Is that when we met at Bestival? First time we ever met and I, and I was on the side of the stage and I'd taken a day off work and I was shitting myself because I'd never performed in front of anyone before and I had to sing Latch. And sing with disclosure and I wasn't familiar with dance music. I remember watching YouTube videos of you performing in Ibiza with Annie Mack before I'd even met you, just trying to gauge how I would perform.

Oh, shut up. And I stood side of the stage in the Best of All, in the big top ten, and I watched you do your set. And then I, my first memory of Jessie is she met me before, and she was like, how are you?

So I have met you before. No, no, before I went on, in Best of All, we met outside. I thought we met at Pan B on the side of the stage. No, that was after. I'm a terrible friend.

Okay, go on. And then I was performing Latch, and my, something was wrong with my in-ears and I panicked because I'd never performed with in-ears before and I turned to my right and you were on the side of the stage and you ran round the back of the stage to the sound desk and you were helping me with my sound. What? And we'd only just met and you literally saved me.

The people's princess they called me. You were just such a beautiful person. Oh, babe, no. I was saying that my intro, well I got the wrong bloody day. I thought we met at Plan princess. That's a beautiful person. Oh babe, no, I was saying that my intro, well I got the wrong bloody day, I thought we met at Plan B. Oh okay. But I just remember it was basically how our romance started, that we would dance and vogue on the side of the stage. We knew the set off by heart. Something is boiling. And then it would be like when a fire starts to burn. It was so much fun. Back then there was an excitement wasn't there? And there was an

innocence about it. Yeah, there really was. There was a real scene and it was just like... None of us knew what we were doing. Oh wow. You don't have to have all of it. Yes I do. Okay good. Oh thank you. Okay sorry it's a bit too much for this. Mum, mum announce, please announce what we're eating. Okay so there's meringues with cream and I'm kind of... Over with another batch of over with cream. Did you make the meringue? No I didn't. Oh my.

No but they're not, they're not shop bought. They're my friend Anne's, Sweeney makes the best meringues. She basically made them. Yeah. Do you want berries? Yeah please. That's enough then. Okay.

I'm never mad about summer fruits. Oh I do. I don't really like fruit. I like them with yoghurt. That leads me to my next question. What is your comfort food? What's your go to comfort food? Crunchy peanut butter with jam on a cinnamon bagel with loads of butter, toasted, with

a glass of milk. Oh sweet, that's a nice one. And why is that? Does it take you back to your childhood? Yeah, my grandma used to, my grandma was the reason why I got fat. She used to feed me up, my mum and dad would be like, you need to stop eating, when I was like 13, because I was getting huge. And grandma would be like, he's young, he's growing, let him eat. And my parents were really strict, so they were like, he can't eat bad food. And I have a very fond memory of my grandma waking me up at three in the morning in my summer holidays and taking me downstairs

and just sitting with me on the kitchen bench, just feeding me peanut butter and jam on a spoon. I love her. Yeah, she was amazing. Which grandma was it? Your mum's mum? It was my mum's mum, yeah.

She was incredible. Incredible. When did she pass away? When I was 19. She got really sick and we thought she was going to die and we all said our goodbyes and then she had another year. Oh, good. Yeah, and she was was amazing she was smoking weed to the very end because she was in so much pain they just gave her weed so she was just high

basically for the last year of her life she had a fabulous time she had a fabulous time Was she a good cook? No. So she was just kind of the naughty influence? Yeah yeah just a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches and stuff but So she was just kind of the naughty influence, the bad influence? Yeah, yeah. Just a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches and stuff. But she was such a... Oh God, there's nothing better than having that grandma. That it just gives you all the things you shouldn't have. And it's just amazing. It's like, oh Gaga, my mum's grandma.

My mum's mum. I mean, hers was mostly predominantly, like, gefilte fish, which I don't know, I had a really big thing for. It was, like, fried fish. It's mixed fish and you put it in balls and you... It's a Jewish thing. Fish balls, really. Ooh, sexy.

Yeah, some people would like it. Really delicious. But it was good. What's your favourite thing to cook? I like doing Friday night dinner. So I like doing chicken soup with matzo balls, chopped liver. I've never had that either. I think everyone should have that.

I know, sorry, we should have done it. No, I've never had it. Friday night dinner is great. We'll come round to Mum's for a Friday night dinner. Yeah, and we have lots of people, it's always fun. So I like chopped liver. Have you ever had that in... No.

Not in New York? So it sounds horrible, but it's chicken liver and you make it with egg. Have you never been to Katz's Deli? So like chicken chopped liver, have you ever had that in... No. Not in New York? So it sounds horrible but it's chicken livers and you make it with egg. Have you never been to Katz's Deli? When you've been in New York? Never been. Never been but I know where it is and I know the history of it. Yeah, chicken soup with matzo balls which are very light, they're just like a dumpling, they're delicious.

And then roast chicken often. You're smashing it. Yeah, smashing it with other people's rice. Yeah but it's clever, resourceful. Otter Lengies Meringues, have you ever seen them? Yeah they'll do pistachio ones. I love carrot cake. Do you? Yeah I'm obsessed with carrot cake. That's your go-to cake? Yeah, isn't it weird? Why? I love Horlicks! Oh my god I haven't had a Horlicks for about 20 years. In Whitley Bay like near Newcastle they do this Horlicks by the seaside which is just the best. Why do you go there? That's where my mum's family come from. But Whitley Bay is beautiful but it's recently it's really run down but I think they're putting more money into it because

it's such a beautiful seaside town. So what, you'd go there for family holidays? Yeah, all the time, like four or five times a year. And you'd have a Horlicks on the beach? Yeah, there's this old cafe called Rendezvous and they haven't changed a thing for like 50 years. I love the name. Oh, it's beautiful and they have this amazing Horlicks that they give you.

But how do they do it differently or is it literally just milk? It's more creamy and milky. Is hot bovril just a northern thing or is this a London thing? I've never tried it. You get it at football. You get it at football but I don't know if they do it at football in London. Do they do it

at football in London? I don't think they do, no. No, I think it's in London. They're more pucker pies here, aren't they? Yeah, pucker pies. I fucking hate football. What's pucker pies? They're just like pies, crappy pies that are quite nice. Do you like football? Yeah. I used to adore it and I feel like I've neglected it since I've been a singer.

I love it. I can't kind of have my attention on both things. I can't stand it. Why? My dad used to force me to go since I was like five. Well, who does he support? I used to eat the pies and just look at the boys. Just pray I didn't get punched in the face because everyone was so aggressive around me.

Who does he support? Fulham. They're not even that bad. It's aggressive for me. I used to dread when they'd score because everyone would just go fucking mental and it would scare the shit out of me. I'm just sitting there with my pie just trying to have a chill time.

There's some Michael Jansen statues over there. Yeah. You know they've out of me. I'm just sitting there with my pie, just trying to have a chill time. There's some Michael Janssen statues over there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know they've taken this away. I know, I know. Because it's obscene. It was pretty hideous. It was so terrible. But it's a beautiful ground.

It's the best ground. And if you're a bit fed up, and you go out for a hamburger, you can see all the river. It's quite pretty. Yeah, it's pretty beautiful, yeah. All my family work on the vegetable stores on North End Road. Oh, do they?

Yeah, market traders. They're proper cockney. Is this on your dad's side? Yeah, yeah. It's fascinating. They all still work, they know. How did your mum and dad meet? They met in a pub in, like, Turnham Green.

So then how did they end up out in Cambridge? Well, my mum was working in the city. Like turn them green? So then how did they end up out in Cambridge? Well my mum was working in the city, my dad was working with mentally handicapped people. They, I don't know actually, I think they just wanted to move into the countryside. But then, and they moved to a place called Linton and then I was born. But I was a mistake. Really? Why? Well not a mistake, is that the wrong word? I was, I wasn't meant to be. Are you the oldest or youngest? In terms of her being pregnant but yeah I'm the oldest but then I think when I was born it changed everything and then three years later my sister Lily was born and then they got a bigger house in the countryside and really set up there and then they broke up and now they're both, Mum lives back in London and Dad still lives there.

How come it's not together? No, but it's like... I always dread saying it because I think people think, oh, no, that's really bad, but they're best friends. It's really lovely. That's really rare. When they were splitting up, I remember being 18 and just being like, I won't accept, I won't allow this to happen

if this is going to be a nasty thing. Like, we can do this and you can break up and still be friends and they're still really good friends. We were talking before but you were saying something about your music and how you decided on the songs on this record. How did you do it? Meals like this were a huge part of the making of this record because I'd go to the studio and for the whole year my aim was just to be there for my family. For three years it

was about me all the time and I just wanted to be there for them and for it to be about their issues and what they were going through. So that's what I did and the whole year and a half I was off. I'd be in the studio during the day finish at five six and just go and spend time with my family every night but that's how I shared the music with them as well like we'd sit and have amazing meals and my mum's all drink some wine and then I'd when after a bit of wine I felt a bit confident to be able to play a few tunes and then I'd play the tunes and they'd give me their honest opinion and you'd see in their faces if it moved them or not. Does anybody else sing in your family? My mum could hold a tune.

My sister Mabel couldn't sing. But no, not professionally or anything. So how did it happen that you became so kind of crazy about singing? When did you realise you got a voice? It's got the most amazing voice. Well, I know, but when did you realise that? I don't think it's always been with a voice. Do you know what?

It's so weird for me because I didn't... Singing wasn't even something that I was just like, I love this so much. It was more like... I remember just singing at eight, being like eight years old, and I'd sing along to all my mum's songs in the car. Because it was a 20-minute drive from our house into town

because we lived in quite a remote countryside. So what would she be playing? Aretha. Whitney. Snap. Stevie. Exactly the same playing? Aretha, Whitney, Stevie. Exactly the same as mine. And I used to just belt away. And it was my dad who, he said, would you be up for doing singing lessons?

And I was like, yeah, sure. I think I remember just being young and wanting to be good at something because I wasn't very good in school or anything else. And I was like, yeah, of course. And dad, really, I don't know why he did this. And I do think it's the main reason why I sing how I sing now. Is he went to a local jazz singer who wasn't even a teacher. So clever.

And he was like, would you teach my son how to sing? And she was like, I don't teach, but yeah, just have a lesson. And she just... How did he know her? He just heard her voice in like local jazz bars. Oh my god, that's so clever. Yeah, and then my dad, and then she was like, just bring the music you

want to sing and we'll sing it. And I remember being like ten, bringing Amy Winehouse You Sent Me Flying. Which is probably not appropriate for a ten year old to sing. But I remember bringing the musical score and playing it, and she'd play the piano and I'd just sing and that was my singing lessons for like four or five years, was just

singing songs that I wanted to sing with her. I wished I'd done singing lessons like that. I did classical. I got into classical after, which is equally as important. It's important but like... And I just wanted to do the jazz musical numbers. So like... But the classical gives you that support. Yeah, maybe, yeah.

But you've got it too. You're alright. But that's from my musical theatre training. That's how I got the stomach support that you need. Did you want to be a musical theatre star? Or did you want to be a pop star? I had a really weird period when I was 14, 15. I was so... I had my first manager when I was 11.

Bloody hell, how did you find that? It's a guy that wanted to help me out locally. He was managing the jazz teacher. Well, then your voice must have been pretty remarkable at that age. So that was before your voice broke? Yeah. I remember sitting with my mum crying one time because I was like, I need to decide right now what I want to do

And how old are you? Because I need I was I needed to 14 15 I was like I need to decide what what I want to do career-wise because I need to start work now That's what I remember and she I used to sit and cry because I don't know what to choose Do I attempt to be in musical theatre or do I try and be a pop singer? And what did she say? My mum actually said, you should, she said, I feel like musical theatre would be harder for you because it's... Why? Just because she said, because of how many people are in it. And I don't know, she said

it would be harder, but she also said she thought I should do musical theatre just because I was 14 years old and I was gay and I was living in a village with no gay people and I went to school and there was no gay people in my school. And I think my mum just wanted me to be around gay people or just people of an artistic mindset like me. So she wanted me to go to drama school. But at the same time, she was just like, do whatever you feel. Did you get a place at drama school but at the same time she was just like do whatever you feel did you get a place at drama school no I never auditioned

because your best friend went to Arts Ed didn't she yeah and I went to Sylvia Plath Saturday School and I went four times

Sylvia Plath or Sylvia Young Sylvia Plath Sylvia Young the most depressing Saturday School ever ever reciting poetry

singing the bell job. Right. But I went four times to Saturday school, to Sylvia Young's. Was it horrible? It was great. Oh, you liked it? And the fourth time, the singing teacher... Who was in your class? It wasn't the proper school, so it was just like a Saturday thing.

So Pixie Lott wasn't there? No, no, no. She went to the main school. She was Italia Conti, wasn't she? Yeah, she was. Winehouse got kicked out of Sylvia Young, didn't she? But I was... Is that why you wanted to go to Sylvia Young? No, no, no. I just wanted to go because I wanted to do musical theatre. But the singing teacher took interest in my voice

and he asked me to start coming to his studio. And I started to go to his studio instead of the Saturday school and record covers. So people were hearing this voice and thinking, we can do something with this. Immediately. But before I met Sam and Jack, I know of him. Your managers. I had seven, I'd had seven managers.

I'd recorded one album when I was 15. Oh wow. Was trying to get out of a record deal that my mum signed. I didn't even sign it. Uh oh. And was already, yeah. get out of a record deal that my mum signed I didn't even sign it and was already yeah so by the time I met Sam and Jack I'd felt like I'd been working for you I had been working for years and I felt like it wasn't for me

what doing what music just before I met them I was I was nine 18 19 just moved to London and I was like you know what I don't want this life I was I'm gonna travel I was like I'll get I said I give it one more year of trying and trying to write music that fits but if it doesn't work out I'm just gonna try and be young and just travel Wow I didn't know that happened yeah and latch lay me down first lay me yeah And then it happened, yeah. And Latch? Lay Me Down first. Lay Me Da- Yeah. First day I met Jimmy we wrote Lay Me Down. Oh wow. And then they, Sam and Jack met me and said would you be up for writing with Disclosure? So Jimmy is Jimmy Napes who is an amazing songwriter who you write most of your stuff with.

Yeah. And they, Sam and Jack your managers also manage Jimmy. And they were managing Jimmy at the time were they? Yes, yeah. And Disclosure. And Disclosure. And so they heard Lay Me Down and they were like, we're having a piece of this incredible play. Yeah, they played it to the boys and then I met Disclosure and the same day I met them we wrote Latch. It's like a weird domino effect, that first two years were just like,

it just all happened so quick. But yeah, so thankful it did, wow. Have you written a lot with Jimmy this time? Yeah, yeah, he's got, and he produces the record. You went away from each other for a little bit and tried to kind of do your own thing. There was a two month period where I had to walk away and discover what I wanted to say as an artist. You know, I love Jimmy, he's amazing, but it's my album, so so I have to I have to figure out what I've got to say and also me and Jimmy were writing the same song again and again because we

listened to in the Lonely Hour too many times yeah and then you're probably trying to second-guess you trying to make a stay with me round two accident not because you necessarily want it I can presume, but you kind of go well, that worked and people like it. But then our distance, after that two month period we came back and me and him went to Ireland together and we were just writing, we wrote Midnight Train and Pray. You had this, I remember because Jimmy's wife was over here and you were having this kind of slightly romantic getaway in Ireland, you were drinking loads of whisky. Yeah, Guinness. Guinness. It was beautiful. Ireland, you're drinking loads of whiskey. Yeah, Guinness.

Guinness. It was beautiful. What were you eating? We just got to reconnect with each other and being, it was so important to just be in the middle of nowhere and we had no phone signal. We just had to sit and chat and it was just amazing. He's such a vital part of what I do.

He really is. Do you want children? You do? Massively. Yeah, it's like my life plan and I'll do it with or without a man. Would you do adoption or would you do...? I don't know. I think I might do both. Fair enough. Yeah. I don't know yet. When I went to Iraq to the camps camps, it made me want to adopt.

Yeah. Yeah, just because there's so many kids out there that just don't have families at home. Who got you involved with? Was it War Child? War Child, yeah. It was amazing. Amazing. Are you going to do more work with them? Yeah, 100%. They're incredible. But, yeah, I want kids so bad.

I just feel like it's nature's way of reminding you that it's not about you. It's nature's way of reminding you that it's not about you. It's certainly a way of reminding you. It makes you, like, not selfish. Yeah. But I've never had a kid. You two have, so I don't know. I don't know.

I don't know. It's the best thing I ever did in my life. Yeah. Without doubt. I mean, it's been wild this year, but it's also pretty amazing. Yeah. That's the best thing? Yeah, but also you've got so many stages to go through.

Are you excited for when you can just sit and have a glass of wine with her? What, with her? Yeah. I have a glass of wine with her when she's in the bath, I'm having wine. Yeah, don't worry, it's already started. But when you can sit and talk about life and like... I know, I can't wait for her to start talking, actually. I think that's like...

Yeah, I think she's going to be a great talker. And she's quite funny. She's quite entertaining. She goes for the laugh, which is quite good fun. Oh, she's going to be wonderful. No, it's going to be a mad year. You're not doing festivals? No, which I'm a bit upset about. Actually, I wanted to do them. Well, would you do them the year after maybe? But it depends how long it goes on, right? How long did the last one go? Like two and a half years?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Too long or not? It felt too long, but it was longer because of the Bond thing. But it's, I don't know, the music has changed so much. I know! Going into it, like, it's crazy how much has changed in three years. Streaming, I know! It's mad, like, and I don't know.

It's weird I was talking to John Mayer the other day. He said something amazing to me. I fancy him so much. He's beautiful. But he said something amazing which will stay with me forever. He was like, he said, we make red t-shirts. Everyone's making blue t-shirts right now. Don't make bad blue t-shirts.

Carry on making good red t-shirts and campout. And it's so true. That's such a good idea. Isn't it so nice? Yeah, it's true. I think it's so true. Because I just think in the climate of music right now, people aren't really listening to singer-songwriters. I'm talking about more just like the climate of pop music when you're performing at award shows and stuff. It's just, I feel like the

odd one out a little bit sometimes. We're both kind of waiting. I mean, I think we know your album's going to do all right. But it's just this weird period before the album comes out where you're just in this, like, threshold. Like, it's just slightly unnerving. When really all you want to do is play the gigs. Completely.

Once it's out, it'll be beautiful and fine. It's just the hype that is a lot, isn't it? It must be hard for you at the moment be beautiful and fine. It's just the hype that... it's a lot, isn't it? It must be hard for you at the moment. It's fine. It's fine. You're dealing with it really well. I feel really, I feel really chilled. You seem really relaxed. I think it's the non-drinking that helps.

Really? Yeah. But you're not a massive drinker. No, but I think before, when something good would happen, I'd go out and celebrate and then it just made everything more like, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. and then it just made everything more like oh my god oh my god oh my god whereas now I just go to hotel room and chill and kind of wind down and I don't know I'm not still watching Bake Off at 8 o'clock on a Tuesday. It's a dream man. Whilst promoting a record is great.

Right back to the food. Death Row we haven't asked this one. Death Row, you're on Death Row. What's your final meal? Fish and chips. From where? Large fish and chips. From where? From a legit, like really good seaside fish and chip shop.

Okay, fine. But fish and chips with a pickled onion, a battered sausage, bread and butter. The shop. Bread and butter and a savoy for the walk. So you're not even going starter? No, just like the biggest main meal. You're just going like three meat mains. Basically everything that's in the fish and chip shop. Is that like one of your favourite things? Yeah. When do you have it? And curry sauce. I forgot. When do you have that? Do you have it have it a lot no but it's one of those

it's quite a hard one to digest you eat it and then you have to open your buttons and just like lay back and roll around

it's like Christmas dinner do you ever on Christmas dinners do you have to excuse yourself and lay on the bed for a minute no I lay on the sofa

and then I get I rev myself up for the turkey sandwich really that I watch that I'll eat whilst watching TV like I don't give

up. I knock myself out. I have to go and lay down and I roll around in pain like a buffalo and then come back down and do it again. Who's cooking Christmas? We change. We alternate between mum and dad. So last year was dad's Christmas, which is great. And will your mum go? And we see mum boxing day. Okay. So we just is great. And will your mum go? We see Mum Boxing Day. Oh, OK. So we just changed it. So we have Mum Christmas this year, which is great. And she's great for...

It'll be better food. Yeah. Will you cook anything? No. No, Mum loves doing it. But I think we might do something for Boxing Day at my house with my dad and his family and stuff, which would be nice. Right, OK, last question.

As this is called Table Manners, what Table Manners do you require? Or what really pisses you off at the dinner table when people are doing certain things? Do you know what? My mum was huge on Table Manners. Really? Huge, yeah. It was her big thing as kids. She... Like what would she make you do? Because my mum used to always say...

She hated it when you'd eat and then hold your cutlery up like that when you're talking. So you'd have to put your cutlery down. You'd have to put your cutlery down when you're eating. I hate when people rush and just have their head in it. That's me. Other than that, nothing. For me, sitting around a table eating dinner is about taking your time, conversation, sharing food, I think. Me too. I share too much. I take all the food before everybody can share it. That's the problem. People don't like sharing with me. I'm like one of my team in the restaurants. I'm always like, start us to share whenever

we go anywhere because I don't see the restaurants. I'm always like, start us to share. Whenever we go anywhere because... Me too. I don't see the point of being in an amazing restaurant and us all not experiencing the same thing together. Agreed. The thing is if you share with Jessie, she's eaten it. I don't understand why people in curry places get their own main. I'm like, fuck you.

Weird. Me too, I get aggressive. Thanks so much for being on this. Pleasure, babe. It's so nice. It's just nice to see you, isn't it? Yeah, I get aggressive. Thanks so much for being on this. Pleasure babe. It's so nice. It's just nice to see you isn't it? It really is. No, I'm really, really happy we got to chat.

Me too. Thank you so much for being on Table Manners. Thank you for having me. Thank you for cooking. Pleasure darling. Thank you. We'll do Friday night dinner next time. Yes. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

so sam smith fabulous guest i thought i thought it was really interesting listening to all about what he's doing at the moment and his family and what he's done he just seems so unfazed by it like there's me like I'm like breaking out um my skin is breaking out I'm like taking voice tea and he's there with a cold having a fag and being like I don't have to sing in four days I wish I could be as unneurotic as he is um he's just taking it in his stride he's just such a thoroughly nice person and very generous and not just not show off here and just for someone who's had such fantastic success he's just very quite i mean he's confident about his abilities but he's not a show-off and he's very aware of his um he's very aware of himself and that he's lucky and he's done very well and it's completely genuine and I think that you know I've seen it like firsthand you know whether he's so thoughtful whether it's sending me flowers for

when the baby was born or making sure that I'm okay when I was in LA and I was on my own and I was writing. And, you know, he's got all these... He's loyal and he's obsessed with his family and they go everywhere with him. It's not like, you know, like he's kind of cares... Yeah, I love him. He's so honest as well. Yeah, he's honest. He's good fun. He's great fun. He's got a great sense. He seems much honest as well. Yeah, he's honest. He's good fun.

He's great fun. He's got a great sense. He seems much older than 25, don't you think? I guess he's had a bit of a mental... Yeah, he's grown up. Yeah, he's grown up. I mean, you feel he's someone... He's very mature, isn't he?

He's been in the industry since he was 11. 11? 11? I feel I didn't push you hard enough. Yeah. I could be... You could be big now, Jess. Samantha Smith right now. By the way, if you've been enjoying the music,

please listen to more by Peter Duffy and Pete Fraser. And a little fact for you, Peter Duffy and I used to be in a band called Man Like Me together and it was brilliant and I got nodules from it because they used to make me belt so much. So thanks, Pete, for getting involved on this. And Pete Fraser was also the saxophonist in it. So it's...

Saxophonist. All right, sorry the saxophonist in it so it's Saxophonist alright sorry Saxophonist fucking hell this has been Table Manners thank you so much for listening

and if you are enjoying our podcast please if you wouldn't mind subscribing that would be fabulous and also

if you'd like to rate us we'd love a few five stars yeah five stars. Five stars, Jessie. You know what my Uber rating is?

What? 4.4. That's shocking. I don't even know what mine is. I think I'm so bossy, I'm about three. No, Mum, us being assertive women is getting us in the shtick with Uber.