"Full Satan worship on national television": Sam Smith Grammy satanic performance of Unholy sparks backlash

English songwriter Sam Smith was slammed online for their Unholy routine at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards with German singer Kim Petras on Sunday, February 5, 2023.

After bagging the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance award for their smash-hit Unholy, the pair took to the stage to recreate the magic of the song in a firey horror-inspired act. Smith was seen donning a red leather ensemble with a horned top hat and was enveloped in red lighting. Petras, on the other hand, was inside a cage dancing along with dominatrices in satanic headgear.

However, onlookers were left upset and unimpressed, with many calling it "satan worship." Twitter user Alan Jacoby, @AlanJAcoby1776, called everyone to "protect their children," stating:

"The Grammys and Hollywood have gone full Satan worship on national television. Full circle, no hiding it. Protect your children."

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Sam Smith's performance at 65th Grammy's leave netizens fuming as they tweet that "it's not art"

Sam Smith and Kim Petras' unorthodox dance routine for Unholy left internet users fuming, with many taking to social media to express their shock and outrage. They called out the artists for "normalizing" devil worship, commenting that the performance was "gory" and "blatantly disgusting."

Twitter user @hottamali02 even called out the ironic reasoning behind calling the performance "art," stating that it is rather a "satanic ritual." They further hinted at the fact that Pfizer, who was one of the sponsors for the event, might have encouraged such an act.

Meanwhile, user @symonelyfy pointed out that the performance brought negative attention to the LQBTQ community represented by the two artists stating that:

"Grammys basically associated Trans folks with Satan &Demons...I'm just trying to understand how doing that moves the conversation forward?"

Note: Smith famously came out as a non-binary in 2019 and goes by gender-neutral pronouns, whereas Petras is a transgender artist.

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Sam Smith's Unholy feat. Kim Petras becomes chart toppers across several global music charts

Unholy was released in September 2022 as the second single from Smith's fourth studio album, Gloria (2023). The track has topped the charts in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, to name a few. Moreover, the song has peaked within the top ten for many international music charts, including those in Germany, Belgium, Norway, and Sweden.

Alongside the Grammys, the song is also nominated for the Brit Award for Song of the Year at the 2023 Brit Awards.

When Petras was asked about her now infamous routine at the 65th Grammys backstage, she explained that it was based on feeling "not accepted" by religion. She explained that many have labeled what the pair stands for as "religiously not cool," stating:

"I personally grew up wondering about religion and wanting to be a part of it but slowly realizing it didn’t want me to be a part of it."

Sam Smith and Petras with their award (Image via Getty Images)

She further remarked that it was a take on "not being able to choose religion" and not being able to live up to the norms set by society.

Sam Smith and Kim Petras' Grammy win was historic as this was the first time a transgender woman and a non-binary artist have bagged the win.