Sam Smith Says He’s “My Guy”
Today, GRAMMY®-, BRIT-, Golden Globe-, and Oscar-winning artist and songwriter Sam Smith announces the upcoming release of their fifth studio album Hazel Eyes. Set for release on August 21, the emotionally intimate and sonically daring LP will feature their euphoric new single “My Guy,” out now via Capitol Records and accompanied by an official music video.
“This album is an incredibly special record to me,” says Sam. “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, through being a producer on the record, to walking alongside this record from the start to the finish and pushing myself at every single turn. 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 is a modern fairytale of requited love, capturing themes of emotional vulnerability, artistic freedom, and self-reflection. Co-produced by Sam, Simon Aldred (Liam Gallagher, Avicii), and David Odlum (Glen Hansard, Josh Ritter) the album paints a rich sonic landscape, blending intimacy with expansive storytelling. Most of the 12-song LP took shape in New York, where Sam joined forces with a close-knit circle of collaborators including indie-pop luminary Feist, visionary multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily (Yoko Ono, Damien Rice), and in-demand string arranger Rob Moose (Bon Iver, The National). Partly recorded at the legendary Electric Lady Studios, the album is a heartfelt ode to the city of New York which Sam now calls home, and draws from an eclectic constellation of genres (baroque pop, British folk, outlaw country, left-field R&B)—all while foregrounding their incandescent voice and soul-baring storytelling. See below for the full tracklist.
A triumphant introduction to Hazel Eyes, “My Guy” (co-written by Sam, Feist, and Shahzad Ismaily,) arrives as a blissed-out portrait of fully requited love as Sam proclaims their all-out affection for the one they adore. In an especially charming grace note to the track, Feist and singer/songwriter Moses Sumney join in on girl-group-esque harmonies, adding a lovely dose of playful possessiveness (e.g., “You can dream it all that you want, but you can’t have my boy”). Earlier this week Sam performed “My Guy” on Later…with Jools Holland, watch HERE.
Said Sam of “My Guy,” ”This is a song that I feel I have been waiting a lifetime to write and sing. 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, it makes me cry, maybe it will make you feel a little love too.”
In a spectacular kickoff to NYC Pride Weekend, Sam will deliver a historic, intimate performance on Friday, June 26 at The Booking.com Theater at the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center (SNMVC). The first LGBTQ+ visitor center within the National Park Service, the SNMVC honors the legacy of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising and serves as a vital physical sanctuary dedicated to protecting and preserving LGBTQ+ history. Friday’s performance will unite Sam’s generation-defining voice with one of the movement’s most sacred sites, celebrating the enduring power of queer history, community, and resilience.
The follow-up to Gloria (a 2023 LP featuring their global smash single “Unholy” with Kim Petras), Hazel Eyes also includes the previously released “Love Is A Stillness” and “To Be Free.” Hailed by Stereogum as a “heart string-pulling single” spotlighting Sam’s “immensely powerful voice,” “To Be Free” serves as the namesake for their widely celebrated run of global residencies which debuted at Brooklyn’s historic Warsaw before continuing to San Francisco, where Sam became one of the first artists to perform on the newly refurbished stage of the iconic Castro Theatre. These shows blended beloved hits with unreleased tracks from the new album alongside surprise appearances from artists including Hozier, Ed Sheeran, Brandi Carlile, SIENNA SPIRO, and Kim Petras. Sam’s residency series continues this summer at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, building anticipation ahead of the album’s official release, with more global live dates to be announced soon.