Sam Smith says heartbreak after falling in love with a straight man inspired hit album The Lonely Hour

BRITISH soul sensation Sam Smith has revealed his unrequited love for a straight man was the inspiration behind his smash album The Lonely Hour.

Sam Smith is taking the world by storm.

BRITISH soul sensation Sam Smith has long spoken about how his hit album In The Lonely Hour was inspired by his unrequited love for another man.

Now, the 22-year-old singer-songwriter has revealed that the object of his affection was, in fact, straight.

Speaking to The Sun, Smith — who opened up about his sexuality earlier this year — said, “It’s really tough to explain. But no, he’s not gay.

“Nothing ever happened between us. I know he loved me too, but not in that way.”

Smith said that after realising that his feelings would not be reciprocated he channelled his heartbreak into his music.

Sam Smith at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards.

“When I wrote the record I was just really heartbroken — all I wanted to do was go to the studio and write about this guy who I fell in love with.”

In interviews earlier this year, Smith said that he had told the man about the content of the album before it was released in May.

“I told him before it came out. And it gave me a lot of closure actually. It put a book end at the end of the record,” Smith said.

“It was amazing, I’m so happy I did it. What I wrote the songs about doesn’t affect me anymore.”

Closure ... Smith says writing the album helped him move on from his heartbreak. Picture: Getty

The album has since been a hit around the world, including the US, where Smith has become something of a celeb favourite. (At the recent MTV VMAs, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry and the Kardashians all clamoured to meet the unassuming Brit.)

Despite his massive success, Smith said that he still can’t believe that other stars are interested in having a chat with him.

“Beyonce asked to meet me, so I went in and said ‘Hi’. It was amazing, she took my breath away,” he told The Daily Mirror.

“She said my voice is like butter, so I am done for life now. I don’t need to do anything else.”

Originally published as Sam Smith says heartbreak after falling in love with a straight man inspired hit album The Lonely Hour