Sam Smith says it was “a true honour” to perform at the White House to help celebrate the signing of a federal law protecting the rights of same-sex and interracial couples.
The Oscar-winning singer revealed they had changed the lyrics of their hit song Stay With Me to mark the “historic occasion”.
It comes after President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act, which recognises the validity of same-sex and interracial marriages in the US.
Smith gave the performance at a ceremony on the South Lawn of the US presidential residence on Tuesday.
They said that being present for the signing of the Act had been a “landmark moment for freedom of love” and “hopefully just the beginning of the important work ahead”.
“My deepest thanks to President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden for inviting me to perform at the White House, it was a true honor,” Smith wrote on Instagram.
“I felt inspired to change the lyrics of “Stay With Me” from, “this ain’t love, it’s clear to see” to “this is love, it’s clear to see” to mark the historic occasion.”
They continued: “Watching President Biden sign the Respect for Marriage Act was a landmark moment for freedom of love and hopefully just the beginning of the important work ahead to continue to expand the protections of the LGBTQ+, non-binary and transgender communities; and build towards a world where love is celebrated regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or sexuality.”
Smith was joined at the White House event by US musician Cyndi Lauper who performed her own hit song True Colours.
Lauper later appeared in the White House briefing room and delivered a short speech at the top of the briefing, telling reporters that she could “rest easy tonight”.
“I came here because I wanted to say thank you to President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, Vice President (Kamala) Harris and all the advocates in his team,” she said.
“For once, our families, mine and a lot of my friends, people you know, sometimes your neighbours, we can rest easy tonight because our families are validated.
“Because now we are allowed to love who we love, which sounds odd to say, but Americans can now love who we love.
“Bless Joe Biden and all the people who worked on this for allowing people and their children not to worry about their future.”