Sam Smith sues former record label

Sam Smith is reportedly locked in a legal battle with his former label to prevent the release of music he recorded before he became famous.

According to editors at The Sun, the Stay with Me singer is suing Flipbook Music to stop it from releasing two albums which he recorded before he hit fame.

In 2016, Flipbook reportedly announced the release of Sam’s unofficial debut album Diva Boy and released the first single, Momentarily Mine, allegedly without seeking his consent, which prompted the star to call on his lawyers.

“Sam has worked tirelessly on his pop star image, pouring his heart and soul into two ­official albums he is proud of and ­honing his hunky new look. Now he fears he will become a laughing stock if these tracks see the light of day.”

“But he had no artistic control and left on bad terms when he refused to let the tracks be released, realizing they did not ­represent him as an artist.”

“That was in 2008, but ­Flipbook isn’t backing down and Sam is doing everything in his power to block the release. It’s been tough – things have got very messy,” a source told the British newspaper.

Sam has achieved huge success in the music business since the release of his debut album In the Lonely Hour and his 2017 release The Thrill of It All, ­which hit No.1 in the UK and topped the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart.

He also won an Oscar for his James Bond theme tune, ­Writing’s On The Wall, from the movie Spectre.