Watch: Charli XCX Decries Hate Directed at Sam Smith after Collab

Charli XCX took to TikTok to call out the haters targeting Sam Smith (with whom she has collaborated on a new song) for abuse. The "Speed Drive" singer told her followers that it's "disheartening" to see her collaborator under such vicious attack, but that it's also inspiring to see Smith handle it so well.

The two teased their song titled "In the City," UK newspaper the Independent relayed. Commenting on her experience of working with Smith, the chanteuse remarked that she had never "seen somebody receive so many hateful comments online."

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♬ original sound - Charli XCX

The video, posted on Oct. 17, continues with the "Boom Clap" singer calling the torrent of hate from trolls "really disheartening," and adding, "but at the same time, I'm so proud of Sam's ability to withstand that, because I know that I certainly couldn't withstand it."

Added Charli XCX: "So I just want to say, Sam, I love you, I love our song together."

Fans of the singers were excited when both Charli XCX and Sam Smith dropped teasers on Instagram for what sounded like the same song.

Billboard reported that Charli XCX dropped her clip on Instagram on Oct. 6.

The magazine also reported on Smith's Oct. 11 Instagram post, relaying that the singer was wearing "a structured black-and-white sweater and a white skirt" in their teaser as they "strutted down an alleyway in Osaka, Japan, singing over a glittering dance-pop track."

"I knew the night that I met you/ Underneath the New York City lights," Smith sings. "Baby, don't matter what I do/ There's an angel standing by my side."

"Fans of the pair also pointed to a recent cameo Smith made in Charli XCX's video for 'Speed Drive' off the 'Barbie' soundtrack as a potential teaser for their work together," Billboard added. "In the video, Smith interrupts Charli mid-verse with a video call, asking if she'd had a chance to 'listen to the mix.' When Charli responds that she's on set for a music video, Smith apologizes, but reminds her to take a listen when she gets a chance. 'It's just, we've got to submit it so we can get it out,' they say."

"It's unknown exactly where the public hate for Smith stems from, although it seems to have taken off after they came out as nonbinary in 2019," the Independent noted, before recalling that Smith told James Corden in 2020 that being openly nonbinary was "amazing but it's also really, really hard to see all the backlash and the amount of people that are still so unsupportive of gender non-conforming people and trans people all around the world."

That said, Smith added: "It's definitely more of a struggle than I was expecting, but I feel good in my skin which is the prize and the wonderful thing."

More recently, American religious conservatives were quick to read a Satanic message into a collaboration between Smith and openly transgender German recording artist Kim Petras, slamming their performance of the song "Unholy" at this year's Brit Awards.

"In the City" is due to be released Oct. 19.