Charli XCX addresses hateful comments aimed at Sam Smith collaboration: ‘It’s been really disheartening’

Singers’ new song ‘In the City’ releases on 19 October

Charli XCX has addressed hateful comments she’s received over her collaboration with Sam Smith on her forthcoming song, “In the City”.

The British musicians announced their new track together last week on Instagram.

“I’m about to release a song with Sam Smith, and the experience so far has been really interesting because never in my life have I seen somebody receive so many hateful comments online,” Charli (real name Charlotte Emma Aitchison), 35, said in a TikTok video shared Tuesday (17 October).

“It’s been really disheartening, but at the same time, I’m so proud of Sam’s ability to withstand that, because I know that I certainly couldn’t withstand it.”

Praising Smith, 31, for their strength, the “Speed Drive” artist added: “So I just want to say, Sam, I love you, I love our song together.”

It’s unknown exactly where the public hate for Smith stems from, although it seems to have taken off after they came out as nonbinary in 2019.

Reflecting on the backlash they received for coming out in a 2020 interview with James Corden, Smith said it had been a “struggle”.

“It’s been amazing but it’s also really, really hard to see all the backlash and the amount of people that are still so unsupportive of gender non-conforming people and trans people all around the world,” the “I’m Not the Only One” singer said at the time.

“It’s definitely more of a struggle than I was expecting, but I feel good in my skin which is the prize and the wonderful thing.”

Earlier this year, Smith’s performance of “Unholy” at the Brit Awards received more than 100 Ofcom complaints.

It came after Smith and Kim Petras’s Grammys performance came under fire from a host of US conservatives.

Conspiracy theorists and conservative commentators expressed fears that the pairs’ performance was a part of a “Satanic ritual”.

Elon Musk also commented on Smith and Petras’s performance, calling it “end of days vibes”.

“If that’s Satan, we have nothing to worry about,” he wrote in a tweet.

“In the City” is out on 19 October.