Multi-platinum, Grammy, and Oscar-winning powerhouse Sam Smith has officially announced their highly anticipated fifth studio album, Hazel Eyes, set for global release on 21 August 2026 via Capitol Records UK. The massive announcement arrives hand-in-hand with the project’s lead single, ‘My Guy’, a tender ballad out across all streaming platforms now.
Described by Smith as a heartfelt, romantic ode to their newly adopted hometown of New York City, ‘My Guy’ captures a modern fairytale of requited love, emotional vulnerability, and deep self-reflection.
“This is a song that I feel I have been waiting a lifetime to write and sing,” Smith shared. “Written with beautiful friends on a summer’s day in New York, this one fell out of the sky. In this sometimes cold and distant world, I hope you can feel the love and the closeness of this recording. I tried to capture the glow and the warmth of love in this one.”
The upcoming 12-track LP was largely recorded at the legendary Electric Lady Studios in Manhattan. To map out the album’s rich, intimate sonic landscape, Smith teamed up with a tight-knit circle of trusted creators, including longtime collaborator Simon Aldred, indie-pop icon Feist, and left-field multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily. The resulting tracklist promises a gorgeous blending of genres, pulling from baroque pop, British folk, outlaw country, and left-field R&B while keeping Smith’s generational, soul-baring vocals right at the forefront.
Fans were treated to a surprise early preview of the era through a series of ultra-exclusive global residencies under the banner To Be Free. Kicking off at Brooklyn’s historic Warsaw before moving to San Francisco’s iconic Castro Theatre, the intimate, stripped-back sets saw Smith premiere new material alongside unexpected acoustic duets with the likes of Hozier, Ed Sheeran, Brandi Carlile, and Kim Petras.
The promotional run has already seen the live debut of ‘My Guy’ at the inaugural MAJ Awards in Japan, alongside a striking UK television debut on BBC Two’s Later… with Jools Holland. To kick off NYC Pride Weekend, Smith will deliver a historic, intimate live set tonight at The Booking.com Theatre at the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Centre (SNMVC), celebrating the legacy of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising at one of the LGBTQ+ movement’s most sacred sanctuary sites.
Reflecting on the emotional journey behind the new record, on which they step up as both writer and producer, Smith added:
“This album is an incredibly special record to me. I have been writing it for over three years with a very small group of beautiful, dear friends of mine. This album is very personal, and I feel I have deepened myself as an artist through the making of it. This record and this music is incredibly romantic. I’ve learned so many life lessons through making this album, and I’ve documented it all through the music.”
Hazel Eyes follows Smith’s critically acclaimed 2023 studio album Gloria and their showstopping BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall live release last summer. Pre-orders for the new album are open now ahead of further global tour date announcements.
Hazel Eyes Tracklist
- Everlasting Love
- Hazel Eyes
- Moondance (feat. Feist)
- My Guy
- When He’s Gone
- Thief
- Love Is A Stillness
- Sugar Rush
- Oh Mother (feat. The TwoCity Chorus)
- Constant Companion
- Hold On
- To Be Free
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