BBC promise Sam Smith’s Proms performance will be “entirely appropriate” after past ‘Satanic’ backlash
The BBC have promised that Sam Smith‘s upcoming Proms performance will be “entirely appropriate” after their past ‘Satanic’ backlash.
Smith has been announced as a headline act for this year’s BBC Proms on August 2 under their expanding pop programme. They will perform their 2014 debut album ‘In The Lonely Hour’ in its entirety. Tickets for the event will go on sale on May 18 and can be purchased here.
The broadcasting company made sure to reassure Prom-goers that Smith’s set will be appropriate for the occasion.
“I think what you’ll see is a performance that is entirely appropriate for the Proms and entirely appropriate for the audience in attendance,” said Radio 3 director Sam Jackson (per Metro).
He went on to share that the focus would be on Smith’s music, which will be played alongside a unique orchestral arrangement. Jackson added: “This will be the only opportunity to see Sam Smith in the UK this year.”
“This is very much a Prom – it’s not Sam Smith at the Royal Albert Hall,” Jackson concluded. “The look and feel will be entirely appropriate for that festival.”
Last year, Smith’s BRIT Awards 2023 performance sparked over 100 Ofcom complaints, according to the broadcasting regulator.
Kim Petras joined the pop star to deliver a rendition of their smash hit ‘Unholy’ at the annual awards show, one week after being accused of promoting Satanism with their Grammys appearance.
The performance drew 106 complaints from viewers to Ofcom, although it is unclear which parts of it were complained about.
Their performance at the Grammys last year also caught the attention of conspiracy theorists who believed that Smith had been “taken over by demons”.
The Church Of Satan went on to respond to the backlash that conspiracy theorists and right-wingers gave of Smith and Petras’ performance with magister David Harris telling TMZ they thought Smith and Petras’ performance was just “alright” and “nothing particularly special”.
Of the claims the performance was a Satanic ritual, Harris added: “It’s sad when politicians on a national stage use someone’s religion as a punchline.” He also described those offended by the display as “delicate snowflakes”.
Morrissey used the opportunity to hit out at his former label Capitol Records. In a statement posted to his website, the ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’ singer wrote: “Capitol Records (Los Angeles) proudly promotes Sam Smith’s ‘satanism’; yet they consider the honest truth of Morrissey’s factual ‘Bonfire of Teenagers’ to be their biggest threat and they will not release it despite their contractual obligation and promise to do so.”
Elsewhere, Florence + The Machine are set to play their debut album ‘Lungs’ in full as part of BBC Proms.
In other news, Sam Smith was one of the many artists to sign an open letter warning against the “predatory” use of artificial intelligence (AI) in music.
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Anagricel Duran
NME
