On their new album, Smith is subverting their singer-songwriter roots to tell a queer love story. They talk about their shifting fanbase, the nasty undercurrents of fame \u2013 and finding sanctuary in New York City<\/p>\n
Sam Smith logs on to our video call with the username \u201cLily of the Valley\u201d, the May-born singer\u2019s birth flower. It sets a serene tone. They\u2019re in Guadalajara, Mexico, for the latest stop of a residency tour, titled To Be Free, in support of their fifth studio album. Instead of Smith\u2019s usual jet-lagged arena itinerary, this lower-key excursion stops at smaller venues in only six cities and sheds the ostentatious theatricality of their last outing.<\/p>\n
On stage on their last tour, \u201cI was flailing around on a massive gold bum and had, like, seven costume changes,\u201d Smith says with a chuckle. It\u2019s intimacy they\u2019re after now, the ability to satisfy their \u201ccraving to look at people again\u201d, which matches the romantic feeling of their fifth album, Hazel Eyes. But for Smith, whose genre-shifting stardom has been accompanied by harsh controversies, it\u2019s also a chance to observe who\u2019s still in their corner: \u201cThere\u2019s some wonderful people that have stayed, but it\u2019s a completely different room than it was with In the Lonely Hour,\u201d their 2014 debut.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/c5d51818987f7b3c85ad9d1d315fe53edb74ce67\/0_1089_3066_2453\/master\/3066.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9b893189471bb025bf53e0be2b8419c7\" "\\"\u2018It")
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