Sam Smith covers Whitney Houston's 'How Will I Know'

Sam Smith covers Whitney Houston's 'How Will I Know'

On the heels of the release of his chart-climbing debut album, In The Lonely Hour, British singer Sam Smith delighted fans this weekend by covering Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know."

While Houston's version of the 1985 classic is peppy, Smith's version slows down the tempo, making the song more of a brooding ballad.

Smith gave Rolling Stone a list of his top 10 voices in R&B and cited Houston and "How Will I Know" as his top choice. "[It's] a Whitney Houston song that makes me happy — it's a feel-good song," Smith said. "I love the juxtaposition of a melancholy lyric with an upbeat sound. People forget that's how she rose to fame. The more mature Whitney, like 'I Will Always Love You,' came later."

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Watch Smith belt out the tune in the video below. --Meghan DeMaria

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Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.