‘Unholy’ VS. ‘Gloria:’ A Look At Sam Smith’s Reflection On Dark And Light Feminine Energy 

Aside from Taylor Swift’s Midnights and Harry Styles taking his food obsession to an entirely new level by making ‘Music For a Sushi Restaurant,’ it’s more than likely Sam Smith was another voice helping you fill out your music rotation in 2022. With the addition of Kim Petras, the slinky ‘Unholy’ scandalized a Body Shop where cheating husbands could go, unaware of their submissive wives. However, gender never quite seemed to matter as the song carved itself into the dark feminine category on TikTok. The track gives girls the confidence to fall into that side of themselves as a trend was created, showing a visual makeover with ‘Unholy’ playing in the background.

With the release of the album Gloria in only a few short days, Sam has thrown in the term ‘feminine energy’ into their own speech, this time when talking about the title track.

My queer love hymn, saying life is a song to Gloria, the thing I can’t put a word to. I don’t know if it’s nature or a feminine energy inside me that I’m setting free.

Sam Smith

Energy Duality

What exactly is feminine energy, you may be asking? There’s masculine and feminine energy for those unaware of energy work, disregarding actual genders. The first leads while the other takes a step back to fall into their more naturing and creative side, creating that attractive dance of push and pull. However, there are two shades of both energy types: light and dark.

To continue on with the Swiftness of it all, reputation is our ‘dark’ feminine energy while say Lover falls into the ‘light.’ The former knows just how to draw boundaries. They know how to say no in situations and aren’t afraid to, instead always thinking of what’s going to benefit themselves because they’re their first priority. Of course, this also has the opportunity to become toxic as it can speak of manipulation and other troublesome habits. 

On the flip side, light feminine energy is typically the girl next door, someone of high values that naturally glows in crowds, magnetizing people towards her from every corner. Although the light feminine embraces unconditional love, if slipped into their shadow side, they can come across as overly naturing and a people pleaser. 

via GIPHY

‘Unholy’

Obviously, in relation to Sam’s music, ‘Unholy’ is the easy fit for dark feminine energy, as we’ve already agreed upon. Its lusty, hip-shaker beat perfectly encapsulates where it could go wrong if there’s a hyper amount of it. Although the man is cheating on his wife in this case, the roles could reverse as it’s simply just energy. Additionally, the music video is a gorgeous expression of this type of gluttony, speaking in red tones and tantalizing images – not exactly something you’d expect from someone who identifies with light feminine energy!

What’s also interesting is that in the beginning shots, the wife appears to be in the lighter shades, being none wiser and perhaps manipulated by her cheating husband until she stumbles upon a condom from the Body Shop. Toward the end of the music video, she comes across as a bit dazed. That is until she starts strutting towards the stage, bodies around her clapping as her soon-to-be ex lays on the bonnet of a car with the word ‘cheat’ in a ghastly white on the window shield. Stepping into her dark feminine energy, she takes off the trenchcoat to reveal a corset underneath, bowing with the other performers. 

‘Gloria’

In contrast, straight away, ‘Gloria’ speaks about battling with one’s shadow – “Demons on my shoulder // Monsters in my head” – before fully accepting themselves. While the lyrics are enough to get this across, the added cinematic harmony from the type of choir you’d most likely hear in a gospel session adds that further haunting effect. However, Sam does finally reach that point, loving themselves so thoroughly that even stars “sparkling like dynamite” hear them. Thus, Sam exhibits all of the qualities that the lighter side of feminine energy portrays: forgiveness, gentleness, and compassion. 

What’s complex here, though, is their performance for the track on Saturday Night Live this past Saturday, January 21st. In a sea of black, a female appears in front of Sam. She’s cloaked in a golden glow as she poses on a bed. It’s another sign, perhaps—one of balancing out these energies. We’d be right to presume so as details speak to it as the song nears its outro. Sam appears behind those in black to showcase themself in that same sequined gold, fully accepting their feminine energy. 

Which side of feminine energy has been calling you lately: your dark or light? Perhaps by hitting the loop button of both ‘Unholy’ and ‘Gloria,’ you’ll come into balance with the two which is the ultimate goal. We also wonder if there are more songs on the title track album Gloria that represent these shades, coming in only a few short days on January 27. 

After you go and pre-order Gloria, make sure to follow along on all of our socials, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, for the latest updates on not only the album itself but Sam’s tour as they venture out to Europe, America, and Australia. 

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