Sam Smith shares a sense of honesty with the music of Amy Winehouse and Ed Sheeran.

The 'Stay With Me' hitmaker explained he tries to portray himself as genuinely as possible in his songwriting, and compared himself to the two stars when it comes to not caring what people think.

He told The Observer newspaper: ''With my record - and when you think about Adele, and Amy Winehouse and Ed Sheeran - we're not worried about the way we're looking, the way we're coming across in our music.

''We're just saying what's in our minds and in our hearts. Some people think when you are singing about heartbreak, or how lonely you are, or how sad, that you are admitting to weakness. But I don't see that as weakness.

''I see that as strength - to be able to face your issues and your sadness head-on. That's what I've tried to do in my music.''

The singer recently admitted his fame has actually helped with his ''sadness'', because he has been connected with so many fans who also like to share their problems and ''wear their hearts of their sleeves''.

He said: ''They contact me on Twitter, Instagram, they write letters, they tell me their problems when they meet me.

''Recently I did a signing in New York and a girl came up to me. She was crying. She said I'd inspired her to come out to her family. Then, I started crying my eyes out too.

''Calling the album 'In The Lonely Hour' has definitely attracted other people who wear their hearts on their sleeves. It's nice. I don't feel so alone in my sadness anymore.''