Sam Smith doesn't seem to be in a serious relationship at the moment, but when the time is right, the singer says they want to get married in an unusual location: a place in New Zealand that was used as a set for both The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy.
Speaking to the New Zealand Herald, the "Stay With Me" singer said that when they return to New Zealand in November on their Gloria tour, they can't wait to go back to to Hobbiton. Hobbiton is one of the sets that director Peter Jackson had his team build for his Lord of the Rings trilogy to represent The Shire, the part of Middle Earth where hobbits live.
The set was partially demolished in 2002, but in 2009, Jackson returned to film The Hobbit trilogy and restored it. It's now a popular tourist attraction: You can see 44 permanently reconstructed hobbit holes, just like they were in the film, as well as the hobbits' favorite tavern, The Green Dragon Inn.
“I need to go to Hobbiton again because I go every time. It’s a pilgrimage,” Sam said of the location. They added, “I want to get married in Hobbiton,” and laughed, "I’ve just gotta find the marriage.”
Gloria, which arrives January 27, focuses on "emotional, sexual and spiritual liberation," Sam says.
“I always like to be a little bit scared when I make music and when I release music and for me, the scariest thing was to move into a joyful place," they explain. "The heartbreak and, like, sadness and misery in a way became this safe place of writing — and so to create an album that felt more joyful and just hopeful was the challenge.”