-I miss you. I'm so happy you're back.
Welcome back. Thanks for being here.
-Thanks for having me. Hello, everyone.
Hi. Hi. [ Cheers and applause ]
-You're back.
"Saturday Night Live" this weekend.
But before we get into that, I want to talk about --
you were at The White House.
-I was. Oh, my gosh.
-On the day that they passed the Respect for Marriage Act.
And that is a massive moment for this country.
What was it like?
What was it like getting the call?
What was it like getting there? Who did you see?
What happened? -It was wild.
We got an e-mail from The White House that said,
"From The White House."
-From The White House. Yeah.
That right there is enough. You go, "What?!"
-It was mad.
And I just never thought -- I mean, I'm British, right?
So I never thought I would be in that place singing.
And it was such a beautiful day, such a beautiful step
in the right direction for our community,
and I was just very honored.
-You sang "Stay With Me," which I love,
but you changed some of the lyrics.
-Yeah, I did. -What lyrics did you change?
-Well, it's, like, a lonely song about one-night stands,
so I decided --
[ Laughter ] -Is it?
-Yeah, it is. It's pretty depressing.
So, I -- -I always sing it happy.
-But I changed it to, like, be a love song,
and it was really beautiful.
And there's certain lyrics I'm going to keep forever.
-What was the president like? How was the vice president?
-Oh, stunning. -He's great?
-He's fabulous. They're all great.
Kamala loved my handbag, which I was very happy with.
-Yes!
We have a picture with you guys there,
all of you together.
-They were very sweet and kind to me
and my team and everyone.
Like, my band loved them. It was a beautiful day.
-Do you get star-struck at all in your career anymore?
-I do, I do. With the pop divas.
-Oh, really? -Yeah.
-Really? -Yeah, yeah.
Like, if I see Rihanna or Madonna, I fall to the floor.
-Really? To this day? -Oh, my God, of course.
-I read somewhere, by the way,
that Lady Gaga once got you in a little trouble.
-Yeah, I skipped school to see her "Monster Ball Tour,"
and I, like, forged a letter from my dad.
And then I got put in detention for like a week afterwards.
It was crazy. -You got busted.
-I was a bad liar. Bad, bad liar.
-Does Gaga know she got you in trouble?
-I don't think she knows this, but it was so worth it.
It was so worth it. -And look at you now.
Your new album, "Gloria."
This is your fourth studio album.
I love the name, "Gloria."
My sister's name is Gloria.
My mother's name is Gloria. -I love that.
-My grandmother's name is Gloria.
-Best name in the world. -How unoriginal is my family?
You can't think of another name?
My dad's name was Jim. I was Jim.
So it's really unoriginal.
They go, "Yeah, we'll have kids. We'll name them Jim and Gloria."
-Two great names. -But I love "Gloria."
This is fantastic.
"Gloria" isn't based on a person that you know, necessarily.
-No. It's a word that's meant a lot to me throughout my life.
And, you know, the Laura Branigan
gay anthem "Gloria" is something I've always heard in gay clubs.
And then "Gloria" in school, through singing hymns and stuff.
But for me, "Gloria" is something that I've called
a spirit inside of me that says to me, "You keep going.
You've got this. Carry on."
It's like a fighter spirit within me.
-Yeah, I love that. -I've called it "Gloria."
I love that. That's great.
I heard -- You know I'm a fan.
But when "Unholy" came out, I was like --
Oh, I was just hoping it was great.
And it's beyond great.
It was like... [ Vocalizes ]
Like, "Oh, my gosh!"
You got a banger here, bud.
And I never say the word "banger."
And it was unbelievable.
And now "Gimme" is another super-smash.
I go, "Oh, my gosh."
You got Jessie Reyez on there and Koffee.
And, so, now, before the album comes out,
is there any more releases or no?
-There's one more song, yeah. One more song.
And, like, amazing. There's a video, everything.
I explode into glitter. -You don't have to say it.
-This one. -Okay, yeah.
-Yeah. -Wow!
-Yeah, it's -- [ Laughs ]
-I'm excited about this. -It's going to be fun.
-You're doing "Saturday Night Live."
I think you might have been here the first time
you did "Saturday Night Live."
It was eight years ago. -Yeah, it's wild.
-Different time.
-Different time. I'm not as nervous.
I was [bleep] myself the first time.
But it's nice now. It's, like, a nice feeling.
I feel -- It's the fourth time I've been there,
so I'm a bit more calm.
-What was it like after doing the first "Saturday Night Live"?
Were you -- -I mean, it changed my life.
That night after doing it was -- It changed my career.
It's like, I feel like people knew who I was after that show,
so it was crazy.
-Coming from England, I mean, does that --
Do you go, "Oh, America is the goal"?
-Oh, my God, always. -Really?
-Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I always wanted to be -- Yeah. It's my dream.
-And the next day, Sunday, you're walking down the streets,
and everyone's like, "You're Sam Smith."
-Yeah, New Yorkers knew who I was.
I was -- My dream was made.
-Yeah, that's exactly what I'm talking about.
[ Cheers and applause ]
The tour -- When does the tour start?
-April. -The tour starts in April.
Okay. The album comes out not this Friday, next Friday,
and then tour in April.
Are you ready for the tour?
-Yeah, it's going to be -- You all have to come.
It's going to be stunning.
[ Cheers and applause ] It will be great.
-You're actually coming back to New York in August.
I want to say August 8th and 9th.
-Madison Square Garden. -Madison Square Garden.
-Yeah. -I will be there.
I will be there cheering you on. -Please.
-I love you. Sam Smith, everybody.
Their album, "Gloria," is out next Friday.
You can see Sam this weekend on "Saturday Night Live."
We'll be right back with more "Tonight Show."
Come on back.