Sam Smith - Hazel Eyes and the To Be Free residency continue into September
Published on 08/22/2026 at 08:50 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Sam Smith is closing out summer 2026 with a twin focus on the new studio album Hazel Eyes and an intimate run of residency shows. According to a Universal Music Canada announcement dated August 21, 2026, the album arrived worldwide the same day as a new leg of their To Be Free live series in Mexico and the United Kingdom, including nights at Manchester’s Albert Hall and London’s Coliseum.Label statement for Hazel Eyes and live dates
Hazel Eyes release and residency dates
Hazel Eyes is Sam Smith’s fifth studio album and was released globally on August 21, 2026 via Capitol Records and Universal Music partners. The label describes it as a collection that turns a real-time love story into a meditation on living with an open heart, positioning it as the follow-up to the 2023 album Gloria.Hazel Eyes album release coverage
The new album lands while Smith’s To Be Free residency tour is already underway. The residency concept began in late 2025 at Brooklyn’s Warsaw and continued earlier this year with a run of 16 shows at San Francisco’s Castro Theatre, before moving to Latin America and Europe. Listings for 2026 show a total of 55 residency dates across all legs, with the final shows scheduled for London Coliseum in mid and late September 2026.Overview of the To Be Free residency tour
Upcoming To Be Free dates in Mexico and the UK
The residency’s current leg brings Sam Smith first to Mexico. Universal Music Canada lists a show at Mexico City’s National Auditorium on August 21, 2026, while tour overviews add Guadalajara’s Auditorio Telmex on August 14 plus three additional dates in Mexico City between August 17 and August 21. These performances mark Smith’s return to major Mexican venues ahead of the album’s European run.
From early September, the residency concludes with a concentrated series of UK dates. The official Sam Smith site and UK ticket portals show two nights at Manchester’s Albert Hall on September 3 and 4, 2026, followed by eight shows at the London Coliseum between September 8 and September 19. That means a total of ten UK concerts in September 2026, all within venues that emphasize intimacy over arena scale.Sam Smith official live dates
Sam Smith’s tour, charts and albums in one place
Fans who want to follow Sam Smith’s residency dates and chart moves can find more coverage and background pieces in our Sam Smith archive.
How Hazel Eyes connects to Sam Smith’s sound
Hazel Eyes extends Sam Smith’s blend of pop and soul with a strong focus on ballads and midtempo songs built around piano, strings and subtle electronic textures. Early coverage notes tracks such as Constant Companion, released alongside the album, and the single My Guy as anchors of the record’s narrative about queer love and vulnerability.
Placed next to previous albums like In the Lonely Hour (2014) and Gloria (2023), the new record deepens Smith’s move from purely heartbreak-themed material towards a balance of resilience and joy. Where In the Lonely Hour largely documented one-sided love, Hazel Eyes works with the emotional range of a committed relationship and uses warm, analog textures to underline that shift.
Where Sam Smith stands now
Sam Smith’s next confirmed live date after the release of Hazel Eyes is September 3, 2026 at Albert Hall in Manchester, followed by further residency shows at Albert Hall and London Coliseum through September 19, 2026.
Sam Smith at a glance
- Act: Sam Smith
- Genre: Pop, soul
- Origin: London, United Kingdom
- Active since: 2012
- Lineup: Solo
- Label: Capitol Records
- Key works: In the Lonely Hour (2014), The Thrill of It All (2017), Gloria (2023), Hazel Eyes (2026)
- Current album/single: Hazel Eyes, released August 21, 2026
- Charts / certifications: Previous album Gloria reached the Top 10 in the German album charts in February 2023, underlining Smith’s established audience in Germany.
- Next live date: September 3, 2026 – Manchester, Albert Hall
Frequently asked questions about Sam Smith
When was Sam Smith’s album Hazel Eyes released?
Hazel Eyes was released worldwide on August 21, 2026 via Capitol Records and associated labels, as confirmed by label and radio announcements.
Where will Sam Smith perform after the Hazel Eyes release?
Following the Mexico City shows in August 2026, Sam Smith’s residency moves to the UK with two concerts at Manchester’s Albert Hall on September 3 and 4, followed by eight nights at London Coliseum between September 8 and September 19.
How does Hazel Eyes relate to earlier Sam Smith albums?
Sonically and thematically, Hazel Eyes builds on the emotional pop-soul foundation of In the Lonely Hour and Gloria, but shifts the focus from unrequited love toward the complexities of an ongoing relationship, adding warmer production and more relaxed tempos.
This article was created with AI assistance and checked by our editors. Sources are linked in the text. Dates, chart positions and certifications may change at short notice; correction notices are welcomed via the editorial contact on our imprint/contact page.
