"Even the greatest creators in the world don't know what they're doing."

Sam Smith refused to share the secret recipe for the perfect song, because that recipe, he admitted, doesn't actually exist.

In a new episode of Spotify's 'Song Start' series, Sam Smith talked about the seeming deification of some songwriters and explained why – as much as some people try to pretend that every song they write will be an instant hit – there's no clear path to the success of an artist.

"Absolutely nobody knows what he's doing," said the British singer.

“Even the greatest writers in the world, who have written so many hits, may pretend to know, but they don't. They don't know magic," he added.

As for his own success, Sam Smith stated that his unwavering determination played a catalytic role and stressed to up-and-coming artists that they should "never lower their standards".

“You know what you need. And if you don't know what you need, you need to ask yourself what you need. And then don't stop until you get that," he said.

Meanwhile, Sam Smith is gearing up to release his fourth album, 'Gloria', on January 27th.

The album will include 'Love Me More' and the smash hit 'Unholy' featuring Kim Petras, which made Sam Smith the first openly non-binary artist to top the US Billboard Hot 100.

'Gloria' will also feature Sam Smith collaborations with artists such as Ed Sheeran, Jessie Reyez and Koffee.

Shortly after the release of 'Gloria', Sam Smith will embark on a new UK and European tour.

His tour is scheduled to kick off on April 12th in Sheffield, England and will continue to London, Glasgow, Copenhagen, Berlin, Stockholm, Oslo, Cologne, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Zurich, Vienna, Bologna and Turin before concluding in Manchester on May 24.