Myles Smith remembers being in his childhood bedroom, turning up the music pulsing through his Skullcandy headphones so he couldn’t hear what was going on in the house.
“Sisters crying, slamming doors, plates are flying / I was born into a fractured family, where a word could start a war,” are the opening words Smith sings on his debut album, My Mess, My Heart, My Life. Now speaking to Big Issue in the slick Sony Music offices in King’s Cross, Central London, he says: “There was no better place for me to start my debut album than at the place where I started music, which was in that household.”
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The 27-year-old from Luton speaks to the Big Issue in this week’s magazine. It’s the latest step on his rise to stardom. Smith has sold out the O2 Arena in London before his first album is even released. The only other person to have done that was Lewis Capaldi in 2019. Smith built a following on TikTok by posting covers before releasing his own songs. His 2024 single Stargazing was a massive viral success and has been streamed more than a billion times, while his later hit Nice to Meet You has reached more than 360 million streams. “To the world, it might seem like an overnight success. To me, it feels like a lot of hard work.”
What else is in this week’s Big Issue?
Chasing Tinie Tempah – The man can run fast!
I’ve lost sight of Tinie Tempah. He has run off through the streets of Nottingham. People start lining the roads, looking on in bemusement as a group of us run through the city centre on one of the hottest days of the year so far. “Is this a race?” I hear locals ask. Thankfully not. We were invited to attend a run club hosted by the rapper.
Mind the renting gap
The Renters’ Rights Act is now in force but an affordability crisis still haunts low-income renters. Big Issue’s analysis shows how benefits freezes are making things even worse.
Sadiq Khan’s Letter to my Younger Self
This month marks 10 years as mayor of London. Sadiq Khan had a hectic childhood which has informed his political life and decisions. But he does wish he’d stuck with the cricket.
