Sam Smith song Unholy controversy: What are the lyrics about and why are netizens calling it 'satanic'?

Sam Smith and Kim Petras' song Unholy and their performance of it at the Grammys sparked controversy as people labeled it 'satanic' and 'demonic'

By Meenal Chathli

Updated on Apr 17, 2023 | 03:26 PM IST | 1.8M

Unholy Sam Smith Kim Petras Satanic Controversy

Unholy went viral on social media and gained millions of views ever since it was released (Twitter)

English singer Sam Smith and German singer Kim Petras have received backlash from a certain part of the Internet who claim to find their song Unholy as well as their Grammy Awards performance to be "disgusting" and "satanic" among other words. Keep reading to know what the song is about and what the controversy exactly is.

What is the 'satanic' Sam Smith controversy?

Smith and Petras performed their viral hit song Unholy at the Grammy Awards 2023 which were held on February 6, 2023. The duo, who won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo for the same song, sparked controversy when a particular section of netizens claimed that their performance was "demonic" and "satanic" and that it promoted devil worship.

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During the show, Smith and Petras wore all-red ensembles while the stage was lit with fire and sharp red lights. Performers wore devil costumes, and held whips, while Smith even wore a hat with devil horns. One user wrote, "Sam Smith Satanic Ritual Performance at the Grammys The entertainment industry continues to push Satanism on the youth. They want a world without Christianity- where people worship false idols like Sam Smith! #samsmith."

Another said, "Sam Smith has a SATANIC Grammys performance & it's sponsored by Pfizer You can’t make this stuff up." A third felt, "Sam Smith and Kim Petras performing their disgusting song titled 'Unholy' at the 2023 Grammys. I didn't want to post this video but I have to expose how satanic the music industry is. This is so demonic. Stop listening to this GARBAGE. It's witchcraft! Seek Jesus."

While one user felt, "Grammys is just pure devil worship. Just flipped over to it, and Sam Smith was basically doing satanic crap on stage and then the show went to a commercial and said 'Grammys is sponsored by Pfizer.' It's all so effin gross and disgusting," another said, "Turned on the Grammys last night for a few minutes. It looked like Satan worship was on full display. You can't unsee this once you know how evil, sick, and twisted the music industry and Hollywood is. #grammys #devilworship #satanic #samsmith #disgusting #evil."

**What is Unholy about?**

Unholy, sung by Sam Smith and Kim Petras, was released in September 2022 and instantly went viral on social media, trending every day and gaining millions of views. The song talks about infidelity and cheating being "unholy" using the example of a "dirty" man who is cheating on his wife. "Mummy don't know daddy's getting hot / At the body shop, doing something unholy," the song lyrics start.

"A lucky, lucky girl / She got married to a boy like you / She'd kick you out if she ever, ever knew / 'Bout all the - you tell me that you do," the lyrics talk about the wife being unaware about her husband's cheating and how she would kick him out if she knew. "Dirty, dirty boy / You know everyone is talking on the scene / I hear them whispering 'bout the places that you've been / And how you don't know how to keep your business clean," the song says.

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It labels the cheating husband "dirty" for not keeping his personal life "clean" and indulging in a marital affair. The song adds, "Daddy, daddy, if you want it, drop the add'y / Give me love, give me Fendi, my Balenciaga daddy / You gon' need to bag it up, 'cause I'm spending on Rodeo / You can watch me back it up, I'll be gone in the a.m." It refers to the woman the husband is cheating on his wife with and states that she is with him for gifts and luxury.

Previously, Smith has talked about the song and said, "It was so cathartic and freeing to experiment like this and throw out the rule book. It has also been an honor to work with Kim and get to witness her brilliance. This song is about liberating oneself from the clutches of others' secrets." His tour performances havealso been called "vulgar" and "satanic."