Future EGOT winner? Sam Smith won his very first Oscar at the 88th Academy Awards at L.A.’s Dolby Theatre on Sunday, February 28.
The British singer and fellow songwriter Jimmy Napes won in the best original song category for their ballad, “Writing’s on the Wall,” which was written for the 2015 James Bond thriller, Spectre.
“I actually can’t breathe right now. Oh, my God. Thank you to this man right here, Jimmy Napes. To all the nominees, you’re incredible. Gaga, you’re incredible,” Smith, 23, said during his acceptance speech. “I read an article a few months ago by Sir Ian McKellen, which said that no openly gay man had ever won an Oscar. If this is the case, even if it isn’t the case, I want to dedicate this to the LGBT community all around the world.”
“I stand here tonight as a proud gay man, and I hope we can all stand together as equals one day,” the Grammy winner continued. “Thank you so much.”
The win was a bit of an upset, though. Lady Gaga and Diane Warren were also nominated for “Til It Happens to You.” The emotional song about rape is featured in the documentary The Hunting Ground.
Other nominees included Fifty Shades of Grey’s “Earned It,” Racing Extinction’s “Manta Ray” and Youth’s “Simple Song #3.”
Watch Smith’s speech in the video above!
