British singer Sam Smith says in a new interview that he's become “a gay man properly.”

Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex and the City) interviewed Smith for V Magazine.

Parker noted that Smith's recently-released sophomore album, The Thrill of it All, “feels sort of like an exorcism” in which Smith talks “about love in a very different way” from his first album.

“Did that coincide with things happening politically in your country, in our country, and to you maturity-wise?” Parker asked.

“Oh, completely,” Smith answered. “In the past few years, I became a gay man properly. When I wrote that first album, I was in love with a straight man, he didn’t love me back, and I was very comfortable in my longing. With this record, I became a gay man. I started having proper relationships with men. Sometimes they were in the wrong and treated me in a bad way, and sometimes I was in the wrong. Being gay also falls into politics and what’s happening in the world right now. In the time I [took a break], Trump became president. I also went to Iraq, to refugee camps 40 minutes from Mosul, with a charity called War Child [an NGO that works to assist children in conflict zones]. It was the most unbelievable experience of my life. I’m very ashamed that as a kid, I didn’t read the news that much. I was more bothered about going out with my friends than about what was going on [politically], because the news was just depressing to me. After that trip, I felt a huge amount of guilt. I feel like a grown-up, and I’ve opened my eyes to what’s going on in the world. Also, with what’s happening politically, as an artist and songwriter, I always go back to what Nina Simone said about writing about your times and using our voices. I feel like art in general can really save us all right now.”

Brandon Flynn, a 24-year-old actor best known for his portrayal of troubled high schooler Justin Foley in the Netflix teen drama series 13 Reasons Why, has recently appeared on Smith's Instagram. The pair were spotted ringing in the New Year in Sydney.

(Related: 13 Reasons Why star Brandon Flynn comes out; Condemns anti-gay equality campaign.)

“On a personal level,” Smith said, “I'm in a relationship right now and for the first time, I think I deserve to be happy. I'm actually asking myself if I'm going to be writing some happy love songs soon.”