Sam Smith finds peace in New York, love, and intimate songwriting on 'Hazel Eyes'

Sam Smith, the British non-binary artist who rose to global fame through songs of longing and heartbreak, has arrived at a quieter and more sovereign place — not through triumph, but through the slow, costly work of surviving public life as a queer person. Their fifth album, Hazel Eyes, recorded in New York City where they relocated for love and sanctuary, marks a return to intimate songwriting and a first claim to the title of co-producer. In choosing smaller venues, emotional honesty, and a relationship over chart ambition, Smith is asking what art is actually for — and answering it, at last