Inspiring the next generationpublished at 14:35 BST
14:35 BST
Image source, Kian Boyle/BBC
Paul Jeboda, part of Smith’s management team, first met him more than a decade ago when the singer was at university.
He says Smith’s return to Luton shows young people in the town that “anything is possible”.
“He comes from these same places that everyone here comes from today, and the fact that he’s gone on to do what he’s done – hopefully we can inspire at least one person to see that it’s possible.”
Jeboda credits the star’s success to discipline and self-belief.
He says: “He’s always had his head down.
“He’s always been very disciplined, he’s always like believed in himself, he’s always been true to himself.
“Someone who carries that in literally everything that they do, as long as they never give up, success could only be inevitable.”