"Worship to the devil": Sam Smith Balenciaga lyrics in Unholy comes under fire online

Sam Smith and Kim Petra’s song Unholy has been subjected to controversy since being performed at this year’s Grammys. In light of the song going viral in recent months, some netizens noted that Smith refers to luxury fashion house Balenciaga in the song, which has seemingly been canceled online for its p*edophilic advertising campaigns.

Twitter user @TheFabBookLover slammed Hollywood for not condemning Balenciaga for their concerning advertisement that featured children. The Twitter user went on to add:

“Now Sam Smith is giving worship to the devil for millions/ children to see. If you believe this is just an expression of art then I don’t know what to tell you except WAKE UP.”

During Sunday night’s awards ceremony, Sam Smith and Kim Petras gave a live rendition of their Unholy song which featured red lighting, pyrotechnics and dancers performing in metal cages. The Stay With Me singer also sported a horned hat.

Netizens were quick to denounce the song and call the performance “satanic.” A few reactions regarding the same read:

The singing duo, Smith and Petras also won an award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, making the latter the first transgender woman to ever win a Grammy award.

As the song continues to trend online, netizens have noted that the song seems to celebrate the fashion label that has been associated with child abuse and trafficking.

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Netizens slam Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ Unholy song

Twitter user @stillgray was one of the many who noted that the singing duo praised Balenciaga in their Unholy song. The lyrics read:

“Give me love, give me Fendi, my Balenciaga daddy/ You gon’ need to bag it up, ‘cause I’m spending on Rodeo”

Another Twitter user @Shawn_Farash also noted the same and wrote in a tweet:

“There are NO COINCIDENCES… Sam Smith “Unholy” lyrics include a reference to BALENCIAGA… This was the song used in the SATANIC RITUAL performed at the #Grammys”

Several internet users vehemently slammed the song and its concerning lyrics. A few tweets read:

It is important to note that Sam Smith and Kim Petras' song was released much ahead of the recent Balenciaga scandal.

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What is the song Unholy about?

The singing duo released the song in September 2022 after teasing it on TikTok, where the song would go viral. In an interview with Billboard, Sam Smith explained that they wanted to stray away from their signature ballads and sad songs to explore queer joy in their latest album. They said:

“I think joy for me, and for a lot of queer people, is quite a dangerous place. We’re all masters of pain, and I think it’s… courageous to step into the queer joy of it all.”

In another interview with NME, Smith explained that they wanted to “throw out the rule book.” They went on to add:

“This song is about liberating oneself from the clutches of others’ secrets.”

Unholy is a song about infidelity. The music video of the hit track shows Petras and Smith at a fiery cabaret show that features RuPaul’s Drag Show albums Gottmik and Violet Chachki.