MYLES SMITH: ON DIVORCE, RACISM AND HOW HE KEPT ME GOING ON MY ULTRA-MARATHON RUN

Summary

Episode Summary: "MYLES SMITH: ON DIVORCE, RACISM AND HOW HE KEPT ME GOING ON MY ULTRA-MARATHON RUN"

Great Company with Jamie Laing features an in-depth and heartfelt conversation with rising UK musician Miles Smith. Released on June 3, 2025, this episode delves into Miles's personal journey, exploring themes of childhood divorce, experiences with racism, social anxiety, and the transformative power of music. Through candid discussions and memorable quotes, Miles shares his path to success and the challenges he has overcome along the way.

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1. Introduction to Miles Smith

Jamie Laing opens the episode by expressing his admiration for Miles Smith, highlighting his rise in the UK music scene and the personal connection Jamie felt during his ultra-marathon run, where Miles's song "Stargazing" provided motivation.

Jamie Laing ([04:04]):
"Myles is like one of these really unique individuals. That kind of music kind of found him in a way."

---

2. Early Life and Personal Struggles

Childhood Divorce: Miles discusses the impact of his parents' divorce during his formative years, emphasizing the emotional turmoil and feelings of being a "total fraud."

Miles Smith ([10:51]):
"My dad's a complex person. I really hope he's in a good space. I'm truly not angry at the situation or mad."

Jamie Laing ([12:08]):
"If someone’s listening now and adores you, what would you say to them?"

Miles Smith ([12:50]):
"I'd say, one is not your fault. That took me so long to, like, so long."

---

3. Journey into Music

Transition from Business to Music: Miles shares his decision to leave a successful consultancy business to pursue his passion for music, highlighting the support from his mother and the realization that fulfillment does not come from financial stability alone.

Miles Smith ([44:46]):
"Money and comfort do not bring fulfillment."

Collaboration with Ed Sheeran: He recounts collaborating with Ed Sheeran, which played a pivotal role in reshaping his perspective on releasing personal music.

Miles Smith ([21:38]):
"Ed really helped reshift my mind and see that this song has a place in the world and could help a lot of people."

Creation of "Stargazing": The spontaneous creation of "Stargazing" during a songwriting session in Malibu is described as a moment of pure creativity.

Miles Smith ([50:10]):
"Within like 15 or 20 minutes we wrote 'Stargazing'."

---

4. Experiences with Racism

Racism During School Years: Miles recounts his first experience with overt racism at age 11 during a school trip to Cornwall, where he was subjected to racial slurs and discrimination.

Miles Smith ([29:25]):
"It was one of my first experiences of, like, overt racism."

Coping with Racism: He discusses the dual burden of experiencing racism and the expectation to educate others about it, leading to emotional exhaustion.

Miles Smith ([33:59]):
"It's fucking tiring."

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5. Mental Health and Social Anxiety

Social Anxiety: Miles delves into his struggles with social anxiety, describing how he masks his feelings in group settings and relies on support from his manager PJ.

Miles Smith ([07:14]):
"I get crazy social anxiety, but I like to hide it really well."

Therapy and Support: He emphasizes the importance of therapy and his mother's unwavering support in building his confidence and self-worth.

Miles Smith ([16:53]):
"She always reminded me about what's important and that's the person I was."

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6. Navigating Rapid Success

Handling a Hectic Schedule: Miles discusses the overwhelming pace of his career growth, including international tours and high-profile collaborations, and his strategy to live day by day to manage anxiety.

Miles Smith ([38:33]):
"Otherwise, it's way too much. So I have to just live it day to day."

Balancing Personal Life: He reflects on the sacrifices required for success, such as missing out on personal milestones, and the ongoing attempt to balance professional demands with personal well-being.

Miles Smith ([39:23]):
"You want to do this thing, but it also means I have to miss out on a lot of life as well."

---

7. Musical Philosophy and Community

Engaging with the Audience: Miles shares his philosophy of building a community through his performances, aiming to create an inclusive and interactive environment rather than merely performing to an audience.

Miles Smith ([09:09]):
"I strongly believe as an artist, I shouldn't sing at people. I should be singing with people."

Authenticity on Stage: He describes moments during performances where his ADHD leads him to interact spontaneously with the crowd, reinforcing the sense of community.

Miles Smith ([09:09]):
"It's like we're all figuring it out. Sometimes I have ADHD and I'll stop a song mid-show to point out something or talk to someone."

---

8. Reflections and Advice

Encouraging Others: Miles offers advice to listeners who may be experiencing similar struggles, emphasizing that they are not alone and that their struggles do not define their worth.

Miles Smith ([12:50]):
"One is not your fault. It took me so long, but don’t place so much of your own value into a divorce."

Empowerment Through Music: He underscores the therapeutic role of music in processing emotions and connecting with others who share similar experiences.

Miles Smith ([19:17]):
"Music is probably the one time that I feel truly creative and free."

---

9. Quickfire Questions

In a light-hearted segment, Jamie and Miles engage in quickfire questions, revealing personal tidbits and showcasing Miles's down-to-earth personality.

Notable Responses:

• Phrase that makes him smile:
  Miles Smith ([50:48]): "Oh, get lit."

• What scares him most:
  Miles Smith ([51:00]): "My workaholism."

• Best compliment received:
  Miles Smith ([51:12]): "You're a beautiful person."

• Favorite lyric he’s written:
  Miles Smith ([52:44]): "Oh, you don't have to be so strong when you're with me."

---

10. Conclusion

Jamie Laing wraps up the episode by expressing immense pride and gratitude for Miles Smith's openness and the impactful nature of his music. The episode serves as an inspiring testament to resilience, authenticity, and the healing power of creative expression.

Jamie Laing ([53:07]):
"Myles, if you're listening to this, you're incredible. And I really appreciate you giving us your time."

---

Key Takeaways:

• Resilience Through Adversity: Miles's experiences with his parents' divorce and racism shaped his identity and fueled his passion for music as a means of processing emotions.

• The Power of Community: Emphasizing the importance of building genuine connections, Miles fosters a sense of belonging among his fans and peers.

• Mental Health Awareness: Open discussions about social anxiety and the importance of therapy highlight the need for mental health support in the public eye.

• Authentic Success: Despite rapid fame, Miles remains grounded by living day by day and prioritizing personal well-being over long-term planning.

• Empowerment Through Music: Miles's journey underscores how music can serve as a powerful tool for healing and inspiring others facing similar challenges.

This episode of Great Company with Jamie Laing offers listeners a profound and relatable exploration of overcoming personal struggles, the challenges of fame, and the enduring impact of authentic artistry.

Transcript

[Elise Hu]

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[Miles Smith]

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[Miles Smith]

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[Miles Smith]

Or felt like the odd one out.

[Elise Hu]

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[Miles Smith]

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[Elise Hu]

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[Miles Smith]

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[Elise Hu]

Hello everyone, my name is Jamie Laing and this is great company.

[Miles Smith]

Hi Jamie.

[Elise Hu]

Hi Jemima. How are you? I'm well, how are you? I'm really good actually. Okay, listen, enough of that because today's episode is really gonna be amazing. Enough of that. None of that. Today's episode is gonna be really amazing we have Miles Smith on the podcast. How excited are you? Beyond excited. Well, tell me about your journey in terms of the love of Miles, because it's deep. It's real deep. It's real deep. So I first heard Miles music last year and when I was on Radio 1 and I said that I think he's going to be a real star. Cut to. This year, he's won the Brit Rising Star Award. When I did my marathon run, his song Stargazing, which has had millions and millions of streams, got me through the run. That was the first song on the playlist and I played it over and over and over again when I was running, especially in those hard times. Miles is like one of these really unique individuals. That kind of music kind of found him in a way. He left university, he was running a business, he realized he wasn't happy and so then went into music. Put his music on TikTok on social media. It blew up. Hence now Miles Smith is probably one of the rising stars within the UK music scene. He also reading his background, he just seems like the type of person who everything he tries, he does pretty well in. Yeah, he does really well. He had a business, he was like doing quite well in the corporate world and then was like, no, I really want to pursue singing. And then has just absolutely smashed that. He's absolutely smashed it. He also has experienced racism. He has had loads of ups and downs in his life. He wrote a song about his father who left when he was a kid.

[Miles Smith]

My first heartbreak.

[Elise Hu]

My first heartbreak. Part of the new ep, which is out now. Exactly. So we're gonna talk about all of these things in this episode. Are you ready for this? I can't wait. And I also can't wait because we've been trying to find time because he.

[Miles Smith]

Is such a busy man, because he.

[Elise Hu]

Is doing so, so well. But we've been trying to find a time to get Jamie and Myles together.

[Miles Smith]

For such a long time.

[Elise Hu]

And it's finally, is finally come. He's booked out to 2027, so this is the moment. We finally got him. If you haven't subscribed to this show yet, please do subscribe. It does us absolute wonders. I cannot tell you. Let us know what guest you want next and anything you want to tell us about the show, slide into our DMs@GreatCompany podcast or you can send us an email. Greatcompanyjamproductions.co.uk Are you ready for this? I sure am. Enjoy this episode of Miles Smith on Great Company.

[Miles Smith]

Hey, I'm Miles Smith and I'm in great company.

[Elise Hu]

I interviewed Brad Pitt. And before, before I went in, I was in my head thinking, okay, it's Brad Pitt. He's probably gonna go for a high. He's gonna go for like a high five. He's gonna go for like, you know that one where you. Where you sort of go high five, but you grip each other's thumbs and you pull into each other. And probably because of my adhd, I laser focused into that. So I walk into the room and I went in my head fucking, that's Brad Pitt. Like, and I went. I went up to him. I went up to him to give him the high five and he put his fist out and then completely panicked and grabbed it and went, doorknob. And he went, cool, man. I was like, oh, fuck, this is not good.

[Miles Smith]

The funniest part of this story is I've never heard someone describe a dap. Like a high fiver. You grab each other's thumbs. Stop it. That is wild. We are from different backgrounds. Like, fuck me, the high fiver. You grab each other's thumbs. I'm crying.

[Elise Hu]

I love that's what you took out of it. What do you like with first impressions? You get awkward.

[Miles Smith]

I'm really weird in social situations. Like, sometimes I'm.

[Elise Hu]

I don't think you are at all.

[Miles Smith]

I'm much better one to one than I am in new groups. I like, mask a lot. Like, like half time stressing.

[Elise Hu]

Really?

[Miles Smith]

Yeah. Yeah. I've, like, I've always got pj, my day to day manager, like, with me, like all times. Like, he's gone from like day to day manager to just like life, like my life person. But yeah, if I walk into certain situations, like, I find it like incredibly like stressful in new situations. But I like, I just like, I. Oh, I put myself out there way too much to the point that it's like I. I overdo it so that I can't be anxious because I'm just like.

[Elise Hu]

It's exposing yourself to it.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah, yeah.

[Elise Hu]

So just explain this. It's like a social anxiety.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah, yeah. I get crazy social anxiety, but I like, hide it really well. Really? Yeah. Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

I had. I had terrible social anxiety in my 20s. It was really strange and I. I don't know why I got it. I think. I think I know why I got it. I got it because I was. I was being someone I wasn't a lot of the time. And it got so bad that I just never. I never went for one on one lunches, I couldn't. I was much better in groups. I couldn't do. I couldn't do intimate sessions unless it was with a stranger. If it was a stranger, I found it really comfortable, but if it was one of my friends, I couldn't do it. So actually I became really lonely because I couldn't go and see any of my friends. And only in groups situations I could then, like, talk about. I could be like, loud and. Because I would mask actually what I was actually feeling.

[Miles Smith]

That's so incredible.

[Elise Hu]

And that's interesting how you find one on ones. Yeah, well, because one on ones is more intimate. So.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah. Which I find that's more exposing. I find it the opposite. I feel like in groups, I don't know what I should be doing. So, like, if I'm in groups, I'm like, should I be talking right now? Should I not be talking? Am I talking too much? Like, should I just be standing here? That joke wasn't funny. But should I laugh? Because everyone else is laughing. Like, I. Like, I'm constantly thinking, like, how do I seem normal within this group? Whereas one to one, I'm very like, if I'm uncomfortable, I'm happy to say someone like, okay, I'm super, like, anxious at the moment. Like, I'll just get it out the start from the gates. But in a group, I'm just like, I'll just go with the flow. But the flow is like, not a flow. It's like me reading every single thing going on.

[Elise Hu]

I find that so amazing when musicians say this, because so many people are feeling the same way and feeling that awkward. I mean, I think I actually generally believe that the majority of us have some slight bit of social anxiety. And whether that's because of social media or whatever it is, it's amplified it. But I think we do. And when you see people who their job is to go on stage in front of thousands and thousands of people and be this entertainer, but actually they also feel those awkward moments. That is so powerful for these people listening.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah. It's weird on stage, I feel, because of the songs I put out and I think the community that I've built. I feel like we're all fucking weirdos. So it's like when we're in those rooms, it's like we're all thinking the same thing. It's like, we don't know how to act. Like, you don't know how to be an audience member. I don't know how to be a singer. Let's just have fun I strongly believe as an artist, I shouldn't sing at people. I should be singing with people. And that's like the sort of philosophy of our shows. Like, we don't want to perform at people. We want it to be a thing that we're all involved in. And, like, throughout the show, we make a real intentional effort to involve people. And. Yeah, that's why I think for me, being on stage, it just feels like a community thing, that we're all figuring it out. And, you know, sometimes I have a crown stage, sometimes my ADHD will take over and I'll stop a song mid show. Just to point out the fact I like someone's cap. Like, I. They're so wacky sometimes. But, you know, there's. I think. Where was we? Like Denver or somewhere. And I. I just had an. An urge to just walk, like around the crowd and ask people questions about their life because I was bored. I was like, I'm actually, like, so bored right now because I've had the longest day ever and I've not spoken to anyone. So I'm going to speak to someone right now. And I just jumped off stage, just walked through the crowd. So having a conversation with random people, and it's like, I can. And people know me for me. So. Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

You may not want to go home if you don't just tell me to F off. Right. You know, my parents divorced when I was 8 and I sort of struggled with that a lot.

[Miles Smith]

Right.

[Elise Hu]

I struggled with a lot because I, you know, I just. I didn't, like. I just hated it. I hated it. And then throughout my life, I just definitely. I think a lot of my. I do therapy as well. Right? Yeah. Let's go, man. It's the greatest thing in the world. And I had anxieties and all these different things, and I think a lot of it stems from childhood. How old are you when your dad left?

[Miles Smith]

So they got divorced around 7, 8 years old.

[Elise Hu]

Same as me.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah, pretty similar, but it was like a stretch, like. So between like 8 and 11 was a separation. It was very chaotic. Probably stuff I won't go into, but it wasn't like the traditional. We fell out of love, like, cool. It was mess.

[Elise Hu]

You don't even need to go that.

[Miles Smith]

Long after a while. So. Yeah. So between 8 and 11 was like the separation period. And then by 11. I've not seen him since I was 11.

[Elise Hu]

He's never reached out.

[Miles Smith]

Many a times tried to, but not in, like, not in a genuine way. In a. My dad's a complex person. And I really hope he's in a good space. And I really hope he's grown and done all the healing he needs to do. And the last time he tried contact was probably, like, 13, 14 years old. But, like, I'm truly not angry at the situation or mad. I'm just like. Like, I have my life, you have yours, and I hope you're a better person than you was sort of vibe.

[Elise Hu]

How do you. If someone's listening now and adores you, right? Because I think what you gotta. Whether you like it or not, Miles, you're sort of people's heroes now, really. And people look up to you as a musician, as an artist, as 100%. They do. Like your music. Your music. For. For example, when I did my run, right, the song that I had the entire time was stargazing, right? I had that. That was the one playing all the time as I was running because it got me through it. And that for me, gives me so many emotions now when I hear it for so many amazing reasons. And for other people around the world, your music does that for them. So someone's sitting there thinking, oh, my God, that story's similar to me. You know, my mum left, my dad left, or my parents divorced. What would you say to them?

[Miles Smith]

I'd say, one is not your fault. That took me so long to, like, so long. I remember, like, when it first happened, I was like, is it because I was born then? Like, then you get to your teen stage of, like, just being, like, mad. Like, well, like, what is it? Like, why. Why could they not love each other enough to love me enough? Like, you go through. I'm sure you went through similar. Where it's like you just kick yourself every single day sometimes.

[Elise Hu]

I thought I was like, if you. Why do you have me? If you. Why do you have me? Yeah, why do you have me if you don't want to be together?

[Miles Smith]

100 and it's. I think. And it's hard when you're young to be able to get to this level of, like, rationale. But just going, like, your parents are also kids having kids. And that doesn't mean that they are. That they handle things the right way. It doesn't mean that you aren't entitled to feel the way that you do. But try not to, like, place so much of your own value into a divorce. Yeah, because I did that for so long.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, man. Same. I did that for so long.

[Miles Smith]

And when you realize everyone's just a twat and we're figuring this out, it becomes A lot lighter and I, I didn't start getting into s face until I was like in my sort of late teens. But yeah, I, I think when you realize that they're not like I'm 26 now and I still feel like a fetus, you know what I mean?

[Elise Hu]

And I'm 36, I still, I don't know, when we grow up, I got to a really scary moment in life where I saw you realize like everyone's guessing.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah, yeah.

[Elise Hu]

Tell me about your mum. She sounds amazing.

[Miles Smith]

Oh, she's the best. Yeah, she's, she's the best. I love her the most in this world. She annoys me the most in this world. She is like the extreme of everything and she's like the most loving person, the most like intelligent person, like I said, the most annoying and frustrating person, but also my mother. And you know, I really try to be and emulate sort of the person that she is, which is just like all loving, all caring, non judgmental and just a real, A real, she just has a real big heart and she really cares about people. And you know, she was unfortunate in that she lost her mum quite early on in life and sort of was sort of estranged from her family. So like her whole thing's about being able to choose her own family and that's something that I think I've inherited and adopted as well. And so we're just big believers in finding people who are like us and making them family.

[Elise Hu]

What does she do? Well, bring you up, do you think.

[Miles Smith]

She did so much? Well, you know, like I was a kid with not a lot of confidence and she made sure that every day I left for school I was confident in who I was. You know, she was the person that if I felt I wasn't enough, she'd make me feel like I was enough. She was a person. If, if I felt like I was, I was doing too well, becoming arrogant, she'd tell me, you're being an idiot. I mean like, that's not how I raise you. So she was always just a really leveling and grounding person and just such a phenomenal human being. And she's a real, she was like a mum through example as well. Rather than just teach me lessons, like she would live the things that she taught and I thought that was really incredible. And yeah, just someone as well who's been through so much, like she's been through a horrendous amount, like to the point in which like not many human beings would probably be around for what she's been through in life. And she still has such a big smile and she still is the exact same person. And I think that's the part that inspires me so much about her. She is like just a formidable force that I'm like, how the fuck are you still like you like you should be so angry at the world or so annoyed at the world or so mad at life, but you're not. And that's why I try to like always come back to like. However I'm feeling like I'm still in a really good spot.

[Elise Hu]

How does she make you feel confident? Was there a thing she used to say?

[Miles Smith]

I, I've always had confidence issues like from young and I think it's part of a parent leaving. Like we talked about earlier. I think you suddenly start to look inwards and go, it must have been me in some capacity. Like I remember in school I wasn't the coolest, you know, I definitely wasn't the most attractive in school. Like I had the most sporty forehead and I went from like really skinny to like really large like frequently and never balanced out in between. And you know, she would always like, she'd always just remind me about what's important and that's the person I was. And I think from young I was able through her to understand it's the person you are. Like not what you look like, not what you do as a living, not what you do as a job. It's a person you are. And to find value in everyone. Like, yes. One of the earliest, earliest examples she gave me like we had like a, a bin man who like came along sort of like once a week and she'd always make conversation and, and etc. And one of my cousins was like, oh, why, why are you always talking to the, the bin man or whatever. And she, she like pulled us aside and she was like, I never want to hear that come from your mouth. She was like, whether someone's doing the bins or whether and Prime Minister of England or whatever, everyone has a value and a purpose and everyone has more behind it. And it just so happened like two months or three months down the line I was moving house. This bin guy also had a removals company and came over and did all of our removals for free or whatever. And it was such like a small thing back then, but to see it play out in real time that like someone's profession does not matter. Like I'm a musician, like that doesn't matter. I'm no more important than doctors or nurses or social workers who I Must say, probably work a lot harder than me and a lot more hours than me, and it's not seen, you know? And so it's like, I always get asked a question in interviews, like, how do you stay so grounded? And how come you're such a nice guy? My theory is we should be arts and dickheads. Why they're dickheads, not good people. Why they're good people. And that sort of, like.

[Elise Hu]

Because that's a harder question to ask. Yeah, it's easy to ask why you're kind.

[Miles Smith]

It's hard to ask why you're a dickhead 100%. And there's many dickheads. And I think we should be looking at them and going, why are you a dickhead? Not Miles? Why are you a nice guy? Because I think we should all be. We should all be nice people. It's a lot easier.

[Elise Hu]

You know, you wrote My First Heartbreak, which is about your dad. It's just. Yeah. It's a beautiful way of processing emotions.

[Miles Smith]

Oh, thank you so much.

[Elise Hu]

It's such a great song.

[Miles Smith]

Thank you. Yeah, no, it's. It was a labor of love. It took a couple of years to put out the song that I wrote. Yeah. Two years ago now. And it's the only song that's taken me so long to release. And I think it was just. Cause it was two things. I wasn't ready to, I think, come to grips with the fact that, okay, this is going into the world. And then I watched this Kid Cudi documentary. Right. I love music documentaries. And in this documentary, he was basically saying that he only realized, like, the gravity of what it meant to release personal stuff. When he walked into an interview first time, and they start asking him about all the up in his life. And he was like, how do you know all this? And he was like, is my music? And he was like, he didn't know that when you put out music, it gives people sort of, like, the license to then ask about it. And so I was like, I don't want to put out a record that gives people a license to ask about it. And I'm not ready to even talk about it myself. And so I think for me, I wanted to wait until I was, like, in a position to be happy to talk about it.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, it's like baring your soul for people to question.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

Ask anything.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah. It's so strange. It's so weird that, like, your life, which is this thing that you keep really private, is just like a point of conversation, and it's different. Like, here it's in a meaningful context. But there'll be sometimes, like, you'll be on a red carpet. They'll be like, oh, so your dad left. He'd be like, sick. Sick. Cool.

[Elise Hu]

Like, what do you want from this? Wearing Gucci, actually.

[Miles Smith]

Or like, on, like, a rage. And they'd be like, oh, what do you have for breakfast? And he'd be like, I don't know, Granola. And your dad left and we're sick. We're doing this. So it's that shit I've had to get accustomed to.

[Elise Hu]

How do you navigate that?

[Miles Smith]

That I'm still figuring out sometimes. I'll just. Yeah, yeah, it's. Yeah, it's tough. It's really tough.

[Elise Hu]

Can I ask them one more thing? What happened to make you feel ready to release the song?

[Miles Smith]

It was so. Yeah, so it was a mix of getting to that point. I had loads of conversations with family and friends just because there's real life repercussions that come with everything right. And you always gotta be prepared. But I went to my ginger friend Ed's house and we.

[Elise Hu]

Who's that?

[Miles Smith]

Ed Sheeran. I hate doing it still feels really cunty, like, when you're like. So I was with Ed and we're just talking about music and it was. No, I was at his house. I mean, me. And we're playing loads of. Loads of my music. And I was just playing him through stuff I was excited about or really liked. And we got to that record and he was like, wow, this is, like, really good and sort of, like, quite emotional. And it was like this, like, has to be in the world. And I sort of explained the background of it, etc. And he really helped reshift my mind and that, like, going from a point of, like, this songs, for me, about me, mine to this song has a place in the world and it could help a lot of people. And I hadn't really seen music through that lens, although I've seen it, like, at my live shows and people come to see it live. Like, even just putting a song into the world and just being like, hey, I hope this helps. Like, was a real nice way of reframing my mind and really helped me put it out.

[Elise Hu]

What was. Was there one thing that he said to you that you were just like, oh, yeah, I can. I can see it?

[Miles Smith]

Yeah. No, for me, he was talking about his own sort of catalog and times that in his sort of, like, music career, he'd done the same thing. And for me, it was just seeing that sort of, like, symmetry and like, sort of where he started to sort of where I am now and being able to just go like, wow, like, okay, this music stuff is yours and it's about you and it's your journey and your story. But you've also brought so many people on the way and so many people, like, resonate with you and so many people have a home with you, like, add to it because of the type.

[Elise Hu]

Of music that you do and. Cause you're black. Right. You say that typically people think that you shouldn't be singing that music.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah. Which is fucking wild.

[Elise Hu]

Which is wild. Right? And I've heard Ed Sheeran talk about when he was doing his music at the beginning, he was like, well, you. You're a ginger white guy. You shouldn't be creating that type of music. So there's an interesting connection there. Right.

[Miles Smith]

Gingers are black. I'm telling you. You see that as well, right? Gingers are black.

[Elise Hu]

I see this.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah. No, it's, it's. It's crazy that we still use boxes to this day.

[Elise Hu]

Wow. Isn't it?

[Miles Smith]

But, you know, going back to the sociology student in me, is.

[Elise Hu]

Is.

[Miles Smith]

Is just. For some humans, it overwhelms their mind to think that we could exist in outside of boxes. Whether it be, like I said, your gender identity, your sexuality, your race or religion. People are like, wait, that doesn't fit in the boxes that have been prescribed. What the fuck is this?

[Elise Hu]

Is that because if we're humans, it's easier to digest when we're in boxes?

[Miles Smith]

Absolutely. But it also is just a means of how we've always controlled the narrative and controlled the world, I think, and not from like this big brain sort of like, I have conspiracies about the world thing, but just in the way of like, it's easier to be able to, I think, for some people to comprehend, digest and move forward by prescribing things a box.

[Elise Hu]

It's so. Right. It's lazy to put people in boxes.

[Miles Smith]

Right. It's so lazy.

[Elise Hu]

When you're hanging with Ed Sheeran. Are you thinking this is wild?

[Miles Smith]

Yeah, absolutely. Every time. Every time. No, the first couple times for sure. The first couple times I was like. Like, it was like, we're talking and having this out of body experience. I'm like, that's fucking a. CHEERING I'm like, that is fucking enduring. And then like the first time, like, you know. Cause we wrote songs together. Not like together to put out, but just in general, sort of like music, dating. You do it.

[Elise Hu]

How does that work? Explain that to me.

[Miles Smith]

So when you meet like a new friend in music, you're like, let's write a song. You know, it's probably like how uni kids go like, let's shag. I don't know. But it's sort of how you bond. And. Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

So do you say, do you, do you say like, right, I'll, I'll do the melody and you can do the lyrics.

[Miles Smith]

You can strum on my guitar and you can strum my fucking guitar. Yes, but, yeah, but even in those moments when like he's singing in a room in front of you, I'm like, that's Eden. And it's like, it's really weird but, like, because I'm sure you're the same. But at the start, like, you get really starstruck by everyone, you know, like, even the producer that you see off camera, that was that one time on like BBC radio. And you're like, oh my God. And then you go to this part where you're like, you're just really nonchalant and you actually, you're just like, oh, everyone's human. But then there's, every once in a while you meet someone and you're like, this is fucking wild. Was one of them.

[Elise Hu]

Hey, I'm Elise Hu, host of the podcast Ted Talks Daily. For more than 20 years, Paylocity has been leading the way with cutting edge work solutions like on demand payment, which offers employees access to wages prior to payday, flexible time tracking features which enable staff to clock in and out through their mobile device and numerous other cutting edge solutions that simplify collaboration across hr, finance and it. Learn more about how Paylocity can help streamline work and enhance business outcomes for your [e-mail] simplified now at Verizon, we have some big news for your peace of mind.

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[Miles Smith]

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[Elise Hu]

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[Miles Smith]

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[Elise Hu]

On your next campaign. Get started at LinkedIn.com results, terms and conditions apply. What struggles did you face growing up?

[Miles Smith]

Oh, fuck me. What? Didn't I.

[Elise Hu]

Let's go into it, baby.

[Miles Smith]

I mean, you know, like, I think, you know, off the bat, sort of dad not being about was a bit difficult. I think that really was the first instance of feeling different. Sort of going to school and everyone's like, father's Day. And I'm like, what the fuck is that? You know, and that was, like, really tough and having to understand that. But, you know, I think for me, that was probably the first instance, like I said, of feeling different and really coming to grips with it and learning how to sort of, I guess, grow up a lot quicker. Sort of. When you have a single parent and, you know, she's got. My mom's got three kids, me, one brother and a sister, and she's pulled apart, sort of trying to support and help us grow, it's like, oh, you're sort of getting home and. And you're cooking dinner at, like, you know, like nine years old for yourself, and you're walking yourself to and from school at that age, and you're sort of trying to figure out life without having that another parental figure in the picture. And that was tough. But, you know, those. Also racism growing up, you know, and it wasn't as sort of abrupt and immediate as. As being called the N word or stuff like that in passing, though that did happen in my first ever visit to Cornwall. That was crazy. I was like, 11 and I got called the N word. I was like, this is weird.

[Elise Hu]

Are you serious?

[Miles Smith]

Yeah, that was nuts.

[Elise Hu]

What the hell?

[Miles Smith]

Cornwall freaks me the fuck out. I've got friends in Cornwall now, but for a while I was like, I'm not going to Cornwall.

[Elise Hu]

Age 11.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah, that was weird. That was weird.

[Elise Hu]

How do you react to that? So who? A stranger on the street?

[Miles Smith]

No, I was. It was a school trip. We went down. I forgot what the hell we're doing in Cornwall, but was in like a caf? And though we went in and we're all lining up for, like, muffins or donuts or whatever the hell it was at the time. And I remember this woman just like. Like, I was first in the queue and she'd always go to person behind me, always goes Past, behind. And I stand there and I'm like, what is going on? Then my teacher was like, he's been waiting. Can he be served? She was like, we don't serve his type around here. And I was like, what? I was like, what? I was like, I get them a little chubby, but come on. And just took my breath away a bit. Yeah. Yeah. And then he was like, what do you mean by that? And he was like, n words. And I was like, great. Sick. Awesome. And that was like, one of my first experiences of, like, overt racism. But growing up, man, like, what did your teacher do? We left the shop immediately. But even then, you know, again, didn't know how to handle it because it wasn't as much in the public awareness or what they say or what they do. But, yeah, strange.

[Elise Hu]

It's more. I mean, what a. What a insecure, fuelish, foolish, terrible person.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

To say something so horrific to a child.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah, yeah, definitely, definitely. But again, it wasn't something that was spoken as much about then and, you know, like, it's inherently wrong. Yes, but. And. And I'm not excusing it by any means, but it again, goes back to that educative piece about what people know and why people think the way that they think and what we can do to challenge those beliefs and assumptions. And, you know, I won't even go into ontologies and epistemologies and all of that rubbish.

[Elise Hu]

You can go into anything.

[Miles Smith]

Honestly, it's a whole shebang.

[Elise Hu]

Is it really theory?

[Miles Smith]

And it's long, but it's like. Like what we know, what we know and how we see the world. You know, those two things and how they're formed and et cetera. And there's a lot that we could do to challenge people's epistemologies and ontologies and what we value as knowledge and et cetera. But it wasn't around back then. You know, those conversations didn't really start coming into public discourse, and they did in some capacity, but like true public discourse with support until sort of like the last 10 years. And even now there's still so much work to do. But, you know, growing up, it would be like going into a shop and being followed around by security or, you know, every time you sort of pass the police in London being stopped and searched or, you know, just a whole lot of rubbish. So dealing with that on top of sort of like not having a father around was. Was pretty difficult.

[Elise Hu]

I chatted to a friend of mine who. Who's black, and he said to me, that growing up he went to predominantly white school. And he said growing up, wherever he went, he just felt awkward. Just felt awkward. And I said, really? And he said, wherever I went, I felt awkward because there was. None of my friends looked like me. And I was a young kid and it was just not fun. And I thought people were looking at me and I didn't know what to do. And his dad also wasn't around and he said it was just, it was terrible. And now what it for him, what it manifested into? And I see it on him occasionally, which is where he will make jokes and use humor to sort of get past that and get past sort of comments that people have made or things that have been said to him about his color of skin.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

And he now, yeah, just tries to use humor the whole time to sort of defend it.

[Miles Smith]

Everyone's got a coping mechanism, you know, and I think hopefully when. When it's a hard one because you're always stuck between, is it my responsibility to teach someone or, you know, is it for them to learn themselves that this isn't okay? And I find myself having that conversation all the time. And the education is out there. Books are out there. Like, there's. You could type in Race on YouTube and be presented with 50,000 one hour YouTube videos teaching you on race and identity politics. And this isn't specific to race. It happens with disabilities. You know, it happens in sexual orientation and gender identity. It's like it gets to a point where. And they call it a dual burden of like, not only am I being impacted by this is now I now have the responsibility to teach people about why it's wrong. And that's fucking tiring.

[Elise Hu]

Ooh, that's tiring.

[Miles Smith]

It's like when you go to a workplace, right, and it's Black History Month and there's one black colleague, it's like everyone turns around and goes, we know who's planning Black History Month. And it's like, what the fuck? That's fucking tiring.

[Elise Hu]

And it's almost backhanded racism in a sort of weird way.

[Miles Smith]

And it's tiring. You know, it's like whenever there's an issue of, I don't know, maybe gender identity or an issue of sexuality, and everyone turns to their gay friend and goes, yeah, what do you think? And he's like, it's like, I'm just having a good fucking day just being me. I don't want to talk about this shit all the time. And sometimes humor could just sort of like palm it off to the side. But, you know, for me now, it's like I care when it has a tangible impact and when we see it institutionalized and when we see it have a real block or barrier to people's progress. But if it's just on the street or in passing, like I do not have the capacity or care enough, but if it's stopping people from progressing, having opportunities, or being able to grow, then I'm gonna be annoyed.

[Elise Hu]

It's a great answer. Looking back at you as that kid when you were in that shop in Cornwall, does it make you angry or does it make you sad?

[Miles Smith]

Makes me sad, yeah. It doesn't deserve my anger, you know, it makes me sad. However, I've been to Cornwall many a time since and it's not happened, which has also shown me there's been progress, you know, and it seems so small and so nuanced, but it's honestly really weird. It took me a while to go back to Cornwall. That shit was really weird.

[Elise Hu]

PTSD from it.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. In a sense. But, you know, the world is getting better fucking slowly. Jesus. And every day it feels like. Like we're one button away from this shit ending.

[Elise Hu]

Dude, I'm so excited that we're doing this. I'm so freaking. Have you done a podcast before?

[Miles Smith]

I've done one. One with Zach. Sang. I don't know. Do I say competitors on here?

[Elise Hu]

You can say that, yeah.

[Miles Smith]

Really cool. But, yeah, this is. I'm new to this, but when I got told it's with you, I was.

[Elise Hu]

So, so happy, man, because your schedule at the moment is so wild. It's, like, all over the place everywhere, isn't it? It's just the craziest thing in the world.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah, it's min. I went New Zealand to LA and then LA to here, all within three days. So I woke up, like, three this morning. I'm still, like, trying to figure out the world.

[Elise Hu]

Wait, so you went to New Zealand first?

[Miles Smith]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

How long does that take to get there?

[Miles Smith]

So we did at the end of the Australia tour, so it was 17 hours there. Was there about a week and a half. And I flew to LA to do a TV show, then flew here. So I've been back in the UK about a day.

[Elise Hu]

Was the TV show American Idol?

[Miles Smith]

Yeah, it was.

[Elise Hu]

It was the final of American Idol.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah, it was pretty cool. It's pretty cool.

[Elise Hu]

What the hell, man?

[Miles Smith]

Yeah, it's well weird, isn't it?

[Elise Hu]

Dude, it's. Yeah, it's unbelievable.

[Miles Smith]

For me, it's like. It doesn't feel Quite real. Like because things are moving so quickly, you know, like probably for like the last two years, it's just been non stop. So like nothing's really like sunk in. And then I'll go home and mates like, you're on American Idol. I'm like, oh yeah, I was.

[Elise Hu]

Do you think it's. Do you think that's the way to do it though, staying. Because in these situations it's quite hard to stay grounded. Right. When you're like not grounded in like a strange way, but to be. It's just a lot that's going on.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

And it's a lot of performing. It's a lot of like this, this, this and this. And actually staying quite blase about it may be a good thing.

[Miles Smith]

100. I think if you stop and you start to like process it all, you just get filled with anxiety and get overwhelmed really quickly. Like, I remember when I started sort of of like finding success in the music industry. I like would look at my schedule and it would just freak me out. Cause I'm like, oh my God. I know what I'm doing to the day, to the hour for the next six months. And that would like really like scare me because I'll be like, I have no control over my life. I don't know what I'm doing. I can't plan breaks. I can't plan holidays. And that would become really overwhelming. And so now I live like day to day and I just like, it comes and it comes.

[Elise Hu]

That's a great way to do it. So you don't look forward to anything. You just basically wake up and you go, okay, fine, here today. Yeah, whatever tomorrow brings, I'm going to be doing that as well.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah. Otherwise it's way too much. Because right now my schedule goes all the way into 2027. And I don't want to know. Like, you know, for me it's kind of scary. So I have to just live it day to day.

[Elise Hu]

It goes all the way until 2027.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

You're like a really. It's like a really popular restaurant. It's like the booking system like that is. So wait, hang on. It's booked down until then?

[Miles Smith]

I would say, like it's held. All my holds are in, you know, like, so give me a.

[Elise Hu]

Give me a rough schedule. Like, what does that look like?

[Miles Smith]

I wish I could because there would be way too. That was cheeky. There'll be way too much information and way too many surprises I stumble into. But it looks hectic. You know, it's Everything from, from touring to music releases to you know, promotional opportunities to just like life stuff like, like I now have to think like, okay, my mum's birthday's here, I need to like safeguard it and keep it free and, and do all these things. But like in the process like you end up missing friends, birthdays or family funerals or not being.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Miles Smith]

Being able to be there for the important things and that could sometimes really suck. But it's also like it's such a balance because it's like you want to do this thing and you've been dreaming of doing this thing since she was like 10 years old and now you're doing it and it's like yeah, it's such like a, a two sided blade where it's like this is the thing that I love. But it also means I have to miss out on a lot of like life as well.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, that's always happens. I think with any success there has to come sacrifice. Right. I've worked out that life basically is just a, it's just a, it's basically one big role of sacrifice. Like once you get one thing you have to sacrifice another. That could be social life or family life or I don't know, health or whatever it is. And when you're, that you're being that successful it's quite hard to balance everything.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

Who gave you that advice about not living, about living day to day?

[Miles Smith]

It was a mix between my mum and my therapist really. Yeah. Yeah. I've, since young, I've always been like so meticulous of like planning and organization to the point where like it could be over the top and like when I went to university or something I loved because I love being able to plan and execute and organize and blah blah, blah. And then it gets to a point in life where you, I don't know, you have your first relationship. And I mean I remember like being with my first girlfriend and I was like, I can't plan and I can't organize and manage like every single circumstance that goes on. And I used to get like really stressed out. Whereas like learning how to balance and navigate emotions of yourself and other people and that was like something that came to me quite late in life. And so all of those things really started to take a toll where like I used to become anxiety filled by the fact I couldn't control every inevitability. And I think part of that comes with childhood trauma, part of that comes with relationships. And so it got to a point where when the music thing kicked off and my mum saw it really early on. She was like, you look stressed and you look overwhelmed. You need to stop thinking you could control everything because, you know, music's another thing, like a relationship or like your emotions that you can't control. And it's going to take you on a journey and just let that journey be. And my therapist sort of said the same thing in a similar vein.

[Elise Hu]

I'm a bit of a control freak as well. And it's. Dude, it's. It's the worst when. Especially in careers where you can't control it, right? That's why. That's why most entrepreneurs, you know, like that control, because they know what they're doing, they know what they're doing day to day. They understand it. You have your new ep. A Minute, A Moment. Come on. Everything. Dude, I feel like everything you write, it just feels like it could be a hit.

[Miles Smith]

Feels like it is.

[Elise Hu]

It feels like it's a hit. What's the story behind the name?

[Miles Smith]

A Minute, A Moment? It all comes from a story. It was all about how people come and go into your life for different reasons and for different points, right? So she'd say, like, some people are here for a minute and, you know, they might just be a brief encounter that you learned something from. Some people might be around for a few months to a few years and really help you develop and change and grow as a person. But no matter in what interval they enter your life, they all have importance and just to really cherish those moments. And so me writing this is all just being about exploring those different things in my life, whether people have been here for a short while or a longer while, and trying to tell the story of how those relationships have impacted me or how certain situations have impacted me. And so I did A Minute, which were. I mean, yeah, A minute, which was the first dp and A Moment, which is a cp, which just talks a little bit more about those moments and trying to understand. Understand them and portray them musically.

[Elise Hu]

You got given your first guitar at what age?

[Miles Smith]

11? Yeah, 11. 10 or 11. Between the two ages. Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

Who taught you to play it?

[Miles Smith]

Me. Yeah. Yeah. My mum had. I'd tried football, basketball, trampolining, cadets. What's the little, like, army, territorial armies, all that shit. I tried it all and she was sick of it. Like, we didn't have much money, so when she was paying for me to do these clubs, it was like this was a real stretch on the household and, like, it would be felt, you know, like it would go from, like, cooked meals to we're getting Iceland oven pizza, like, you know what I mean? Like, And. But she always wanted to find something that I loved and was interested in. And whether she. I think she did that for two reasons. One, because I think when a divorce happens that young, you feel like this responsibility to give your child the best life. But. But two, cause she genuinely just wanted me to find what I was about and I was shit at everything.

[Elise Hu]

It doesn't feel like it.

[Miles Smith]

No, I was. Trust me.

[Elise Hu]

It doesn't feel like it.

[Miles Smith]

Trust me. Anything that wasn't academic and was a hobby. Ah, terrible, mate.

[Elise Hu]

Because what's. I don't think a lot of people know this is that you started a business.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

After university.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

And then you said, okay, I'm not gonna go and do this. I'm now gonna go and do music.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

That feels like playing your hand at things is. You're pretty good at it.

[Miles Smith]

If it's a book or if it's a guitar, I'm great. If it requires footwork, speed, agility, strength, get fast. I can't do it.

[Elise Hu]

What was the business?

[Miles Smith]

It was operational and strategic development. Basically sounds like delivered as a consultancy package. Yeah. To help with sort of like medium to large enterprises and basically understand their business, help grow and then help make them more efficient. But by way of changing culture and change of policy within them.

[Elise Hu]

I'm in. That's unbelievable.

[Miles Smith]

My business partner's still going. I can link you up. Yeah. She's amazing. Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

Because I find that the amazing moment for you is that you have this, you entrepreneurial, and then you start pivot.

[Miles Smith]

You pivot.

[Elise Hu]

And pivoting at that age is a wild cause that age, they call it like the lost years. You don't really know. So everyone's scrabbling around, especially in our current climate, to find any sort of job. So you have security. Here it is.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah, yeah.

[Elise Hu]

And then you go, no. And you start posting things on social media.

[Miles Smith]

I think it was such a privilege being able to get to a point where, like, don't get me wrong, I wasn't fucking a millionaire, but, like, I was very comfy for my age, you know, 23, earning from consultancy is like, I was doing okay, and it was a privilege of going, wait, okay, so I have my own apartment. I have a steady and stable income, which is above my peers. Like, I'm good. So now what I got to really look at is am I, like, satisfied and am I fulfilled? And I think being able to go, money and comfort does not bring fulfillment. At 23 was the biggest privilege ever.

[Elise Hu]

How on earth do you know that?

[Miles Smith]

Because I was working that job and I was like, this is shit. Like, I was like, I'm making money, I'm living in an apartment, I've got a car that I wanted, but do I feel like I could do this forever? Absolutely not. And I could have, like, moved it to a place where it became passive income and done all of that stuff, but I couldn't see that for myself as like, that's my purpose, if that makes sense.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, man. That's such great self awareness. That is insane.

[Miles Smith]

That was my mum. We actually had that conversation because the first time I had that conversation myself was before university. And I was like, do I want to go to university or do I want to do music? And my mom was like, I'll support you doing either, but I strongly recommend you go to university just so that you have something to fall back on if it doesn't work. But if you want to do music, lean and do it full. And then I actually went to my mum and had the conversation with her before I quit everything. And I said, this is the position I'm in. And she was like, I've been waiting for you to get to this point.

[Elise Hu]

What year is this?

[Miles Smith]

This was 2022. Three. Somewhere in that bracket. Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

We're in 2025.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

You're going on tour with Ed Sheeran.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

You get 25 million streams, maybe more a month on Spotify. Yeah. You got Rising Star at the Brit Awards.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah, Silly in it. Is this the intro that I missed? This is it.

[Elise Hu]

This is it, baby, man.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah. About two years ago. Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

That is crazy. Growth, like, it's, it's wild. You know, you put a song out, you did a cover for the neighbors. The neighborhood. Yeah, the neighborhood, right. And then on social media, Jared Leto shared it. Crazy moment. And from there it's like, seems to be just sky rolling. And, you know, when I first heard your song Stargazing, right? Which is, you know, probably maybe the one that people most know you for at the moment, there's just something just different about it. I, I, There is, like, when you, when you write a song like that and you feel, did you feel it? You're like, no, this is, this feels good.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah. I mean, music, Music for me is probably the one time that I feel truly, like, creative and free from, like. But I don't know, Type A, Type B. But I know people use Type A people, Type B people. I don't understand it, but I think Type A is like, super like detail oriented, right? Music's the only time that I don't feel Taipei and so I could just be like purely creative. And I remember that song. When we wrote it, I was in Malibu for the first time. So I, I had like loads of online success and I just signed my record deal in the January, like before that. I think I built myself up to like 8 or 9 million month listeners, like Independent. And it was really cool. But it was like so hard to manage. Like, I couldn't. It was just me and my manager at the time and it was impossible. So we needed a label who saw our vision and et cetera. But the first thing I did, I was like, well, I've never stayed in a fucking mansion before. So booked a huge like five story mansion in LA Hills. Flew out. My brother and my best friends got the label to pay for it. I was like, this is sick. Swimming pool, Jacuzzi. Like it was nuts. And I was like, I feel like this shit right now. So me and, me, Pete and Jesse then booked another Airbnb. Why not just signed in Malibu and we wrote about 20 or 30 songs that, that week. And then towards the end of the camp, we were like going like mad because like, like, have you. If you've been to Malibu, I'm sure there's no one there. It's beautiful, but there's no one. So it's just us, like, like sore. Like we're just like messes. Like, we've just been eating junk food and, and drinking and just like, yeah, like rock star living. And we were like, let's just write something just to like finish off this week. Let's not think about it. Let's just have fun. And like, yeah, within like 15, 20 minutes we wrote stargazing. Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

I just want to say, I just like, I think the reason why people say that you're so nice and all those things is because you, you literally are. You are so nice. Your energy is amazing. And this has been. I've been so excited for this one and weirdly, I don't know why, but Phil, like, immensely proud. Like, I think that's what your fans probably think of you as well. I think they feel very proud of you because, yeah, it's just, it's rare when you really want to root for someone and I feel like everyone wants to root for you.

[Miles Smith]

Thank you so much.

[Elise Hu]

We'd like to end with quick eight quick fire questions. Answer really quickly. You ready? Saying a phrase that makes you smile or cheers you up.

[Miles Smith]

Oh, get lit. Why did I pick that.

[Elise Hu]

Let's go.

[Miles Smith]

That's crazy. Just grab the thumb. Yeah, yeah.

[Elise Hu]

What scares you most about yourself?

[Miles Smith]

My workaholism. Workaholism.

[Elise Hu]

Workaholism.

[Miles Smith]

Workaholism, Workaholism.

[Elise Hu]

I know. Best compliment anyone's ever given you.

[Miles Smith]

You're a beautiful person. I love that one. That one feels really genuine when it's said in, like, a really nice tone.

[Elise Hu]

When was the last time you cried?

[Miles Smith]

I mean emotionally? When my brother came out Hammersmith Apollo and gave a speech. Physically? When I was puking on myself from food poisoning in Toronto about a few weeks ago.

[Elise Hu]

Same.

[Miles Smith]

Not both of those.

[Elise Hu]

Something you can't let go of.

[Miles Smith]

Oh.

[Elise Hu]

Ooh.

[Miles Smith]

Something I can't let go of. Pretty much everything my mum's told me in life. Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

Guilty pleasure.

[Miles Smith]

Oh, I got a lot. I got way too many. Do you know what it's like, really? It's One Direction and it's not really Guilty Pleasure, but, like, they're fucking sick, man.

[Elise Hu]

Unbelievable.

[Miles Smith]

Pisses me off how good they are.

[Elise Hu]

What makes you beautiful is unbelievable.

[Miles Smith]

Song brav. It's annoying.

[Elise Hu]

It's unbelievable.

[Miles Smith]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

What turns you off?

[Miles Smith]

Like toes. I hate gammy toes.

[Elise Hu]

What? What turns you on?

[Miles Smith]

Good to joking. I'm joking. Good food. Good food. I'm a big foodie.

[Elise Hu]

Favorite cuisine? What is it? Then? Quickly.

[Miles Smith]

Seafood. Anything seafood.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, my God. What do you like most about yourself?

[Miles Smith]

Oh. Oh, I don't actually know. Hopefully I'm a nice guy.

[Elise Hu]

And bonus for me, your favorite lyric you've ever written.

[Miles Smith]

Oh, you don't have to be so strong when you're with me.

[Elise Hu]

Let's go. Masterp, everybody. Let's go. Amazing. That was so great. Amazing. What a guy. Everything we wanted and more. He's an amazing, amazing guy. He's so interesting. I can honestly listen to him talk for hours. Super interesting. Just a great guy in so many different ways. And his music's good. He's thoughtful.

[Miles Smith]

Better than good, Jamie.

[Elise Hu]

Better than good. It's great. Fuck. He knows how to write a melody. But also just his idea on social politics and humans and diversity and, you know, equality. It's just amazing. Yeah, it really is. Myles, if you're listening to this, you're incredible. And I really appreciate us, you giving us your time. I really appreciate us and you and you guys. If you want to subscribe to the show, please do. I cannot tell you how much it does for us. It means we can keep continuing to make the show and keep getting the guests that you love. Also, let us know what you think of the show. Write us an email greatcompanyamproductions.co.uk or you can sign to our DMS@GreatCompany podcast. Let us know what guests you want, what you like and don't like about the show. We want to hear it all. Okay and we're going to see you next week for another episode of Great Company.

[Miles Smith]

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