Sam Smith: British soul sensation crowned king of the Grammys

Sam Smith, a 22-year-old soul singer from London, was last night crowned king of the Grammys, sweeping the board to win a clutch of the much-coveted awards.

Nominated for six Grammys, he won four: Best New Artist, Record of the Year for Stay with Me, Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for his debut album Best Pop Vocal.

His debut album, In the Lonely Hour, was released in May 2014 and by the end of last year had sold one million copies in both the UK and the US.

His biggest hit so far has been Stay With Me, the profits of which he shares with Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, who receive a 12.4% cut due to the resemblance between the song and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' I Won't Back Down. A spokesman for the singer told the Guardian:

Accepting his record of the year trophy, he said:

Earlier in the night he credited his success with staying true to himself. Collecting his award for pop vocal album, he said:

Originally from Cambridgeshire, Smith's parents hired performer and songwriter Joanna Eden to help hone his talent when he was a teenager. The pair wrote together for a decade, during which Smith's self belief was clearly evident, Eden told Radio 4's Today programme.

Speaking to ITV News at lunchtime, she revealed more about how she first got to know Sam.