The day after Sam Smith shared an historic Grammys win with Kim Petras for their song “Unholy,” one half of the duo was already back at work in the studio.
Smith had hit the recording booth, but this time with the Queen of Pop herself: Madonna.
During the post-Grammy’s session, Smith said that the pair and “a group of some of the most talented people I know,” wrote and recorded their new collaboration “Vulgar,” which was released Friday.
“The creativity was pure and the energy was alive,” Smith shared Friday in an Instagram post.
Madonna and Smith have been intertwined since the 2023 Grammys ceremony. The “Vogue” singer introduced Smith and Petras as fellow “rebels” and “troublemakers” who are “forging a new path,” before their edgy performance of “Unholy.” The performance and a subsequent showing at the Brit Awards, as well as the song’s music video, have drawn criticism for use of satanic imagery and sexual themes.
Earlier in the ceremony, Petras made history as the first transgender woman to win the Grammy Award for pop duo/group performance. During her acceptance speech, Petras thanked Madonna “for fighting for LGBTQ rights.”
After the ceremony, Smith, who identifies as nonbinary, posed with Madonna at an after-party, thanking her for her support in an Instagram post. Madonna also took to social media to praise Smith, 31, and Petras, 30, for their historic win, but also blasted the “ageism and misogyny” from critics and observers who poked fun at the 64-year-old’s face.
Even then, fans were begging the pair for a music collaboration. And “Vulgar” delivers just that with a glitchy dance beat pulsing beneath the catchy bridge that reads like a manifesto.
“Vulgar is beautiful, filthy and gorgeous / Vulgar will make you dance, don’t need a chorus / Say we’re ridiculous, we’ll just go harder / Mad and meticulous, Sam and Madonna.”
Smith called the single “one of the most exciting songs I’ve been a part of” during an interview this week with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe.
“The day after the Grammys, we all got in the studio and just had an amazing evening creating and writing and expressing,” Smith recalled. “And, of course, it was the biggest dream come true for me to get to work with and perform and sing with the Queen of Pop. I am so honored and excited about this song, and I hope everyone loves it as much as I do.”
Smith is headlining a world tour in support of their fourth album, “Gloria.” During a stop in Manchester, England, in late May, Smith teased his “Vulgar” collab with Madonna. But only several songs into their set, the lights at AO Arena cut off and the show ended abruptly.
Many concertgoers thought it was a power outage, though Smith later shared they were suffering a vocal cord injury. The health complication also resulted in the cancellation of shows that had already been rescheduled in Birmingham, England, and Glasgow, Scotland. Smith’s tour includes back-to-back shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.
Madonna is embarking on a world tour of her own that kicks off in Vancouver on July 15 before making stops across the U.S., U.K. and Europe. The 35-city Celebration tour hits Los Angeles this fall with a stop at Crypto.com Arena on Sept. 27.
