Sam Smith says changing pronouns "felt like a coming home"

Sam Smith has been thinking back on their experience since coming out as non-binary in 2019. Additionally, Smith discussed how much their lives has altered since the reveal in an exclusive footage from their chat with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 that was shared with PEOPLE. "In my personal life, there's not one negative. My family, they can communicate with me. They always did. But they communicate with me now in an even better way," 30-year-old Smith told the host. "My love life has become better from it. I feel lovable. I feel comfortable in my skin, but I wear what I want to wear." They went on, "Since changing my pronouns, it felt like a coming home. I wish I knew what the words were when I was in school, because I would've identified as that in school. Because it is who I am and it's who I've always been." [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Image credit: Hollywood Life[/caption] Furthermore, the singer-songwriter continued by saying that their only challenges have been related to their career and public life. "The amount of hate and s---tyness that came my way was just exhausting. And it was really hard and it's not like, this isn't me sitting at home Googling my name… It was in the f—ing news. It was hard not to look." Also read: Channing Tatum Says He And ‘Magic Mike 3’ Co-star Salma Hayek ‘Are Besties’

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Sam Smith acknowledged that people "can control" refraining from Googling themselves and "reading comments," but there is more to it. "What people don't realize with trans non-binary people in the U.K. is it's happening in the street. I'm being abused in the street verbally more than I ever have. So that was the hardest part, I think, was being at home in the UK and having people shouting at me in the street," they said. Smith went on, "Someone spat at me in the street. It's crazy. What I find hard about it is it's like, if that's happening to me and I'm famous, I'm a pop star, can you imagine what other kids, like queer kids are feeling? And it's just so sad that we're in 2023 and it's still happening. It's exhausting and especially in England." [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1548"] Image credit: Billboard[/caption] On another note, the complete episode will be broadcast on Apple Music 1 at apple.co/_Zane at 10 p.m. PT. Moreover, the fourth studio album of Sam Smith, Gloria, will be available on Friday. They first revealed the record in October, stating that the collection of songs would see them explore intimate subjects like romance, treachery, and all the passion in between. Later that month, Smith and Kim Petras' song "Unholy," which they co-wrote, peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Lastly, Smith and Petras are the first openly transgender and openly non-binary solo artists, respectively, to top the list since its inception in 1991, according to Billboard.