Sam Smith is reportedly locked in a legal battle with his former label to prevent the release of music he recorded before he became famous.
According to editors at The Sun, the Stay with Me singer is suing Flipbook Music to stop it from releasing two albums which he recorded before he hit the big time.
In 2016, Flipbook reportedly announced the release of Sam’s unofficial debut album Diva Boy and released the first single Momentarily Mine, allegedly without seeking his consent, which prompted the star to call in his lawyers.
“Sam has worked tirelessly on his pop star image, pouring his heart and soul into two official albums he is proud of and honing his hunky new look," a source told the British newspaper. "Now he fears he will become a laughing stock if these tracks see the light of day."
The then-teenage singer recorded the "cheesy tunes" when he started out in the music business as an aspiring singer.
“But he had no artistic control and left on bad terms when he refused to let the tracks be released, realising they did not represent him as an artist," continued the source. "That was in 2008, but Flipbook isn’t backing down and Sam is doing everything in his power to block the release."
"It’s been tough – things have got very messy," the source added.
Sam has achieved huge success in the music business since the release of his debut album In the Lonely Hour and his 2017 release The Thrill of It All, which hit No.1 in the UK and topped the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart. He also won an Oscar for his James Bond theme tune Writing’s On The Wall, from the movie Spectre.
A section on his former label's website dedicated to the singer attributed his "overnight success" to "three pivotal years 2007-2010 Sam spent with Flipbook Music where his dreams were nurtured, his talents uncovered, developed and promoted... all of which allowed his current label, Capitol Records, to ‘spot him’."
