Last summer, my cousin was undeniably obsessed with the singer Sam Smith. His music never really grew on me, except for the song “Life Support” from his most recent album The Lonely Hour, which I repeatedly asked her to play in the car when Sam Smith was the only option of music. His songs grew popular and so did he, but still I thought that Sam Smith was just any other artist with a hit single that would soon become overplayed on Kiss FM.

Let’s start with saying that I was completely wrong. On a spur of the moment decision, I decided to go with a friend to the Sam Smith concert in St. Paul, Minnesota…5 days before the concert. Fan pictures from his concerts all had a backdrop of a huge stadium packed full of Sam Smith die-hards and a tiny stage in the distance with Smith almost unrecognizable on it. I was expecting the exact same thing, however I was once again proven wrong.

The concert took place in a venue about the size of Ames City Auditorium, so, needless to, say it was tiny. Every seat in the house had an up-close view of Sam Smith, who donned a snappy suit on his surprisingly normal body. Usually, stars like Smith are thin and muscular and look untouchable and perfect, but Smith looked like he could fit in with the concert goers himself. He was really personal with the audience, and I was actually touched when he started sharing the details of his past, spilling stories of his relationships and heartbreaks, specifically with one mystery man, with the audience. The Lonely Hour definitely wasn’t inspired in the minds of hired songwriters, because Smith had a story for each song.

All of this wouldn’t matter if Sam Smith had no talent. He could write songs and share his stories to a tiny venue like any average local singer, but Smith’s voice was incredible. If you’ve heard his songs on the radio, then you’ve heard Sam Smith live. His voice is as clean and crisp as it sounds on his recordings, which may seem suspicious to someone who believes strongly in lip-syncing starlets, but I can 100% assure you he was not lip syncing. Listen up, Sam Smith is REAL.