Sam Smith has spoken out after facing a backlash over a photo they posted about the stresses of being on lockdown.
Last month, Sam shared photos of themself going through what they described as the various “stages of quarantine meltdown”.
Although intended as a joke, the photo went down badly on social media, with many pointing out the Oscar-winning singer is far more privileged than many who have been hit hard since the coronavirus pandemic.
In the last few weeks, the photo has repeatedly been brought up during discussions about celebrities’ behaviour while in self-isolation.
On Thursday the star’s name began trending on Twitter, following comparisons to Captain Tom Moore, the 99-year-old veteran who has raised millions for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his back garden.
Speaking about the backlash during an interview on the Heart breakfast show, Sam insisted they “didn’t mean any malice” with the post, noting that the humour they intended to show hadn’t been “picked up very well”.
“It was probably bad timing of me, but I use my social media as if it’s just my friends on it,” they insisted. “I posted with my humour and stuff, but it just didn’t get picked up very well, but I didn’t mean any malice by it at all.
“You know me, I’m always sharing all of my feelings all the time and trying to be as human as possible but sometimes maybe people can read it wrongly but that wasn’t really meaning it in a malicious or nasty way, I was just trying to be myself.”
The post in question appears to have been removed from Sam’s Instagram page.
As a result of the coronavirus outbreak, Sam announced last month that they were postponing their forthcoming third album, which was originally titled To Die For, but will now be given a new name in light of the pandemic.
“I have done a lot of thinking the last few weeks and feel that the title of the album and imminent release doesn’t feel right, so I have come to the decision to continue working on the album and make some important changes and additions,” they explained.
On Friday, Sam debuted the latest release from the as-yet-untitled album, a duet with Demi Lovato, named I’m Ready.
Watch the Olympics-themed music video for I’m Ready below: