I don't have that many sad things going on in my life and it was the only thing that was really affecting me last year: I fell in love with someone who didn't love me back, and it made me get into this head space of, 'Will I find a man to love? When will I find love?' This album is my 'fuck off' to everyone and basically say, 'No, I have been in love with a man and, if anything, it was much more painful than your version', because I'm not getting what I want with a man and it's so close I can almost taste him. It was my way of talking about the only real issue in my life.

In another interview with Digital Spy, when asked to describe the album, he said: 'My debut album is just a diary from a lonely 21-year-old. He also said in an interview with The Line of Best Fit that the most personal song in this album is 'Good Thing.' Hopefully I'll be happier soon and I'll write about that.' I was sad, heartbroken, and I wrote about being sad. Talking about the name of the album, he said: 'People are saying, 'Oh but it's too sad', but that's what it's about. In an interview with Digital Spy, Smith described the overarching theme of his album as 'sad'. On January 7, 2014, Smith unveiled the artwork and tracklisting for the first time. On December 16, 2013, it was announced that Sam Smith's debut studio album would be released on through Capitol Records.

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