Sam Smith Reveals New Single ‘To Be Free,’ Announces 12-Date New York Residency
The track, which features The TwoCity Chorus, was originally written during the sessions for Smith’s 2023 album ‘Gloria.’
Sam Smith has shared a new single, “To Be Free.” Featuring The TwoCity Chorus, a collective of recording artists from Philadelphia and New York City curated by Brandon Pain and Ant Clemons, the track was co-written and produced by Smith with longtime collaborator Simon Aldred.
Recorded in a single take accompanied by only an acoustic guitar, “To Be Free” was originally written by Smith five years ago, during sessions for their 2023 album Gloria—the artist ultimately shelved the song ahead of the record’s release, as they felt it did not fit the project’s direction. According to Smith: “It was created during a time in my life where I became free within myself.”
The single accompanies the announcement of “To Be Free: New York City,” a 12-night residency at Brooklyn venue Warsaw. The residency runs from October 8th through 31st this year—artist presale kicks off on July 29th at 10 AM local time, and general sales will begin on August 1st. Buy tickets here.
“To Be Free” also lands alongside an official video that was filmed at Warsaw, and directed by the French contemporary dance collective(LA)HORDE, who Smith previously collaborated with on the video for Gloria single “Unholy” with Kim Petras. The single spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023, and earned Smith and Petras Grammys for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
“Over the last five years, Simon [Aldred] and I started to create music that fit into this world of ‘To Be Free’ and during this time, I’ve continued to turn to this song in happy moments, sad moments, lonely moments and angry moments,” Smith further shared of the new single. “It’s become my sister, my family member and ultimately calms me. Now, I’m ready to let it go and hopefully it can do the same for someone else.”
