At Greenwich Village’s much-beloved homosexual bar Julius’, a humble crowd of patrons milled across the decades-old institution, having fun with refreshments and tune stylings starting from late ’70s disco hits to Lizzo and Dua Lipa. Telephone numbers have been exchanged, flirtations made, jokes laughed at. All in all, it’s a reasonably typical night time on the native pub.
That’s, till Sam Smith strutted by means of the bar.
Wearing a Julius’ T-shirt with a studded belt, plaid skirt and a pair of platform heels, Smith graciously greeted their friends on Thursday night (June 13), thanking them for becoming a member of in on this big day — a celebration of their debut studio album, Within the Lonely Hour.
Launched in late Might 2014, Lonely Hour grew to become a cultural phenomenon, boosting Smith from relative obscurity to near-instant star standing in a matter of months. The album dominated the Billboard 200 (it debuted at No. 2 and remained on the itemizing for 372 weeks), spawned three Sizzling 100 high 10 singles (“Keep With Me,” “I’m Not the Solely One” and “Lay Me Down”) and earned Smith 4 Grammys (for greatest new artist, document of the yr, tune of the yr and greatest pop vocal album).
To commemorate their breakthrough’s newest milestone, Smith threw a full-blown karaoke get together at Julius’ in honor of their inaugural LP. With performances starting from Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” to Carrie Underwood’s “Earlier than He Cheats,” to Beyoncé’s “Texas Maintain ‘Em,” individuals labored the entrance of the bar, whereas drag icon Girl Bunny served because the night’s emcee. “To date we’ve solely acquired one entrant, and I know y’all don’t need me to stand up there and sing,” Bunny chastised early on within the night. “I don’t sing in the identical room the place Sam Smith sings!”
Bunny additionally served because the night’s DJ, although she underestimated her personal skills after a patron’s rendition of “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. “I’m about nearly as good at DJing as they’re at singing,” she cracked with fun. However the New York icon proved herself fallacious all through a wide-ranging set, seamlessly weaving between fashionable hits and traditional disco gems, fastidiously curating her efficiency to maintain spirits excessive.
“I’m obsessive about Girl Bunny,” Smith gushed to a party-goer at one level as they danced alongside to TLC’s “No Scrubs.”
By 11 p.m., Julius’ was jam-packed with simply over 100 fabulously dressed patrons. Stars comparable to Dylan Mulvaney and Kim Petras have been noticed coming into the bar and gleefully greeting Smith, whereas different patrons sipped on specialty cocktails such because the “Life Assist” margarita or the “Good Factor” cosmopolitan.
Then, Bunny introduced the night’s performer, as Sam Smith made their approach onto a makeshift stage in the back of the bar alongside R&B icon Alicia Keys. As the gang screamed for the pair, Smith humbly thanked them for attending earlier than turning to his duet companion. “Thanks to Alicia Keys. It is a dream come true,” they mentioned.
“That is superb,” she mentioned again, smiling. “Are you able to imagine we by no means did this earlier than? Apart from proper now? That’s loopy!”
Launching into Smith’s heartbreak anthem “I’m Not the Solely One,” the pair traded verses again in forth because the keen crowd chanted alongside to the tune’s soulful refrain. By the point they reached the monitor’s tender finale, the 2 had mixed forces with some otherworldly harmonization on the ultimate “and I do know, and I do know, and I do know, and I do know” run, a lot to the viewers’s delight.
Bunny put it greatest because the efficiency got here to an in depth. “Have a look at this, the queens of New York,” she declared. “Give it up for them each!”
Watch a clip of Sam Smith and Alicia Keys performing “I’m Not the Solely One” under: