Sam Smith - Hazel Eyes arrives with Mexico City and UK residencies

Sam Smith enters a new chapter with the album Hazel Eyes and a run of intimate To Be Free shows in 2026. According to the official site and recent press coverage, the record arrives on August 21, 2026 via Capitol Records and is framed by residencies in Mexico City and the UK. Hazel Eyes announcement and tracklist

Hazel Eyes release and German chart context

Hazel Eyes is described as Sam Smith’s fifth studio album, following the 2023 release Gloria, and it is scheduled for August 21, 2026 through Capitol Records. The album features 12 tracks, including the singles My Guy, Love Is A Stillness and When He’s Gone, with collaborations such as a duet with Feist and choral contributions from The TwoCity Chorus. Variety album report

German listeners already see the advance singles in local pop metrics. The German pop single charts at mix1.de list My Guy currently at position 12 and When He’s Gone at position 30 in the Top 30 Pop Single Charts dated August 17, 2026, underlining that Sam Smith’s new material is registering in Germany before the full album drops. These chart positions provide a concrete indication that Hazel Eyes is entering the German market with visible traction rather than appearing only as an import release.

Awarded catalog and German certifications

The Hazel Eyes campaign lands on top of a catalog that already holds German certifications and chart history. In the Offizielle Deutsche Charts album listings, Gloria entered the German album charts on February 3, 2023 and peaked at number 6, spending four weeks on the chart, giving Smith a recent Top 10 album in the country. The singles search shows tracks like Desire with Calvin Harris and the global hit Unholy as prior German entries.

The Bundesverband Musikindustrie’s Gold and Platinum reports document that Sam Smith’s debut album In the Lonely Hour reached at least platinum status in Germany, with 200,000 certified units, and singles such as I’m Not The Only One and Too Good At Goodbyes earning gold and platinum awards. This means the new material arrives in a market where Smith is already established as a long-term seller, and the combination of legacy certifications and current pop chart positions creates a through-line from the early ballads to the upcoming fifth album.

Where the act stands now

As of August 20, 2026, Sam Smith is an active recording and touring artist with Hazel Eyes scheduled for release on August 21, 2026 and a To Be Free residency itinerary that next brings them to Mexico City’s Auditorio Nacional after the album drops. The act is not in hiatus, and their current plans center on promoting the new album through these focused live engagements.

The musical core of Hazel Eyes

Press descriptions and early coverage characterize Hazel Eyes as a move toward blues, folk and so?called outlaw country, inspired by Smith’s personal relationship with designer Christian Cowan. Spanish-language reporting notes that the record draws on their love story and marks the first time Smith appears as a co-producer on a full album, working closely with collaborators like Simon Aldred and David Odlum while still retaining pop structures.

The tracklist published in British radio coverage places songs such as Everlasting Love, Hazel Eyes, My Guy and To Be Free alongside collaborations with Feist and The TwoCity Chorus. This sequence suggests a narrative arc that moves from long-term affection to questions of freedom and self-determination, aligning with Smith’s tendency to anchor albums around a coherent emotional theme rather than a mere collection of singles.

This article was assisted by AI and edited by our music desk. Sources are linked in the text. Dates, chart positions and certifications may change at short notice; correction notes can be sent via the editorial contact on our imprint/contact page.