Lady Gaga Praises Sam Smith: 'Sam Is Rich In Substance, Life, & Authenticity'

Lady Gaga flashes a smile and bundles up in her faux fur while making her way out of her apartment on Monday (February 2) in New York City.

The 28-year-old entertainer recently praised Sam Smith after he opened up about idolizing her in his Rolling Stone cover story.

“Watching Sam become a star, and then later finding out the influence and inspiration my work has had on him has been one of the most powerful experiences I’ve had as a growing artist,” Gaga told the mag. “Just as Sam hopes, I can only hope the deepest parts of my vision will touch anyone. But to touch someone as profoundly talented as he is, and be part of the building of his confidence, his dreaming, his will to survive the industry – I couldn’t be more proud and honored. I was Sam. I still am Sam in a lot of ways.”

“I can really relate to his experiences of loneliness, as well as his interpretation: soulful, painful, helpless,” Gaga continued. “I remember thinking how unique it was to have such a visceral reaction to a modern artist. So much new music is lacking in honesty, but where many artists are poor Sam is rich – rich in substance, life, and authenticity.”