Sam Smith recently spoke about his desire to be a prominent figure in the gay community.

The 23-year-old British singer opened up about his sexuality. He said he hopes his music might change some people's perceptions about homosexuality, according to NME.

"I want to be a spokesperson. I want to be a figure in the gay community, who speaks for gay men," Smith said. "I sell records in countries where gay men get killed and that's a big thing for me, because maybe one person in that country will pick up my album, realize it's by a gay artist, and it might change their opinion."

Smith previously sparked controversy in 2014, when he said he was "not trying to be a spokesperson" for the gay community after he released his "Lay Me Down" video.

Since then, the singer admitted that he was wrong in stating a desire to be known only for his music, and not for his sexual orientation.

"I'm a gay man who came out when I was 10 years old, and there's nothing in my life that I'm prouder of," Smith said. "What I was trying to say was that I didn't want the album to appeal to just one community, I wanted it to appeal to all of them. I wanted anyone, gay or straight, to be able to relate to me singing about men, like I was able to relate to Stevie Wonder or John Legend singing about girls."

Smith announced a new album edition, "In The Lonely Hour: The Drowning Shadows Edition," in early October. The deluxe edition of his debut album will include the new song "Drowning Shadows," plus cover tracks of songs like Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know?" and Amy Winehouse's "Love Is a Losing Game."

"In The Lonely Hour: Drowning Shadows Edition" is due out on Nov. 6.

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