After securing a healthy heaping of buzz with his incredible features last year, including Disclosure‘s “Latch” and Naughty Boy‘s “La La La,” as well as a slew of his own solo material, including “Lay Me Down” and “Safe With Me,” über-talented UK crooner Sam Smith was just crowned as the #1 artist on the BBC’s highly regarded Sound of 2014 list.
In other words, that’s a whole lotta pressure.
Luckily, Sam’s right on track with his first major release in 2014: “Money On My Mind,” a falsetto-happy Two In Punch-produced rumination about fame, fortune and all the complicated emotions in between. “When I signed my deal, I felt pressure/Don’t want to see the numbers, I want to see heaven/You say could you write a song for me, I said I’m sorry I won’t do that happily,” he sweetly croons above the tripping, piano-tinged soul-pop production. (Consider it a vastly less irritating version of Jessie J‘s “Price Tag.”)
Today, the UK songwriter dropped the Jamie Thraves-directed clip for “Money On My Mind,” which traces my trip to Las Vegas to see Britney a few weeks ago. (Kidding! Sort of.) The video captures all the glitz, glamour and unrelenting weirdness of Vegas in one glitzy clip filled with casinos, strippers and celebrity impersonators. (AKA, it’s one giant metaphor for the music industry.)
Sam’s doin’ it, doin’ it well right now, and “Money On My Mind” should only keep the momentum going stronger.
“Money On My Mind” will be released on February 16. (iTunes)