Sam Smith Embraces Intimacy on 'Hazel Eyes'
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- Sam Smith releases fifth studio album "Hazel Eyes" alongside a six-city "To Be Free" residency tour, ditching arena spectacle for smaller venues after their last tour's "seven costume changes" and "flailing around on a massive gold bum."
- Smith co-produced "Hazel Eyes" for the first time, co-writing primarily with Simon Aldred — a collaborator from their 2014 debut — in sessions including tequila-tinged 1am recordings with the Dap-Kings, Sharon Jones's late band.
- Smith relocated to New York three years ago to live with fiancé Christian Cowan, the "hazel-eyed" designer the album is named after, saying they found "sanctuary" as a queer person free from UK judgment.
- "Unholy" (Smith's 2023 duet with Kim Petras) became their first US No. 1 and won a Grammy, but prompted conservative backlash that preceded criticism of 2023's "Gloria" album videos for alleged transphobic oversexualization.
- Smith draws a sharp distinction between their legacy and predecessors like George Michael: "I am not like George Michael. I'm a femme queer and... it's a different type of lineage," citing Anohni as a closer peer.
- Smith — who came out as non-binary in 2017 and has been attacked by right-wing commentators ever since — focused "Hazel Eyes" on emotional truth over chart success, calling such competition unhealthy "as a queer artist."
Why it matters: Smith's pivot to intimacy and singer-songwriter craft on "Hazel Eyes" reflects a deliberate choice to prioritize emotional authenticity over commercial metrics after a period of intense public backlash. By explicitly staking out a queer femme lineage distinct from George Michael or Elton John, Smith is rewriting how UK pop star queer stardom is typically framed — with Anohni, not the canonical male pillars, as their touchstone.
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