Sam Smith explains how they were able to accept their gender identity

Sam Smith says they have "always" identified as non-binary, but explained how they were finally able to come to terms with their gender identity.

"For me, what triggered everything was the work I was doing with my body issues," the non-binary singer tells U.K.’s The Sunday Times. "I always had body dysmorphia. As I started to address that, I started to address my gender and realized that I was holding myself to these ideals of how a man should look."

"As I looked into it, I did therapy, I realized there was more to it," they continued. "I have girl’s thighs and I have girl breasts, too. It started to awaken this conversation that had always been in the back of my mind."

Now, Smith says, they’re much more accepting of who they are and what they look like.

"In the words of Rihanna, I have been gifted with a 'fluctuating body,'" Smith shared, referencing a Rihanna quote from three years ago. "I can lose weight, I can put weight on quickly, I am a shapeshifter. When I read Rihanna, I felt very seen."

Smith first came out as non-binary in May 2019. Six months later, the singer changed their pronouns to they/them, announcing the change in an Instagram post.

The singer is set to drop their new album "Love Goes" on Oct. 30.