Sam Smith dreamed one day of being a pop star by 22, selling millions of albums and having the world adore his music. But he never thought that it would happen exactly that way.

In the new issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Smith strikes a sultry cover pose for a story in which he opens up about the bullying he endured from gay-bashing teens, his crazy pre-Grammy diet and how he'll be perfectly fine with losing out at next week's Grammys to his all-time top diva, Beyoncé.

Considering that Adele has been in full mommy mode for a few years after the birth of her son, it's a given that the press would look for someone to fill that gap. But Smith tells the magazine it's not him. Okay? Though he considers the "Chasing Pavements" singer his personal Michael Jackson and has been a fan since he was 16, Smith feels the comparisons are not really fair, or accurate.

"We're very different, and I feel like the constant comparisons might piss her off," he said. "It just annoys me that people can't digest two pop stars singing really personal songs who don't look like normal pop stars."

And with the Grammys less than two weeks away, Smith is like anyone else, he just wants to look his best for the big show. "I just want to lose weight for the Grammys, if I'm honest," said the singer, who is on a cayenne-pepper juice diet in the lead-up. "I'm just very body-conscious. Sometimes I'm really proud that I don't look like other pop stars. But there's also moments where I'm like, 'Ugh, I wish I had abs like Bieber.'"

Smith, who will also be performing during the Feb. 8 Grammy broadcast, told the magazine he's already begun recordings songs for his next album, which he would like to be "more raw and more honest than my first."

That seems like a tall order considering the love hits such as "Stay With Me" have gotten. In fact, Sam will be facing off against his pop crush Bey in the Album of the Year category for his debut and he's fine with taking second place. "She deserves it way more than I do," he said. "I'd be embarrassed if I got it over her. If I got it, I'd give it to her."

The interview, which also features some words of support from fellow singers and friends Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga, also finds Smith reliving some painful childhood moments, such as the time he bared his soul to an older classmate in high school who turned out to be straight, but responded with his own thoughtful letter asking to just be friends.

Check out this behind-the-scenes video tour of New York with Sam in which he recalls his first-ever New York show, gets his teeth cleaned, sniffs his coat's fur collar and waxes philosophical about his love of cheese and avocado.

It's been a hectic ride to 5 million albums sold, six Grammy nominations and going from playing small clubs in New York less than two years ago to headlining Madison Square Garden. But Smith said he has a strategy to handle the rush of fame. "The way I stay normal is by letting my feelings take over," he said. "Letting my feelings lead, not my mind."