Make sure to buy your tickets to see Sam Smith live! Credit to Collier Schorr.
Los Angeles, California (July 24, 2025)- Multi-platinum, GRAMMY®, BRIT, Golden Globe, and Oscar-winning artist and songwriter Sam Smith today unveiled their powerful new single, “To Be Free.” Featuring Sam’s characteristic vocal prowess alongside the stirring accompaniment of The TwoCity Chorus, this moving acoustic track delves into the profound connection between vulnerability, courage, and ultimate freedom. The song was co-written and produced by Sam with their long-time collaborator, Simon Aldred.
“I’ve never had a recording experience like I did making this song. It’s a one-take vocal and guitar from beginning to end, a live performance of me and my friend Simon Aldred in a pure state of music and expression,” Sam Smith explained. They added, “I wrote it five years ago while writing my last album, ‘Gloria,’ and then put it aside because I knew it wasn’t a song for that album. I created it at a time in my life where I freed myself within myself.”
Sam shared the profound imagery that inspired the track: “With this song, images of rivers just kept coming to mind and heart. I grew up by a small river in Cambridgeshire in the English countryside. Then I moved to London and lived by the Thames, and now I live by the Hudson River. Rivers have been so present in my life. So it felt interesting to think of my music and my expression as an artist as a river.” They continued, “Over the last five years, Simon and I started making music that fit the world of ‘To Be Free’ and, during this time, I’ve kept turning to this song in happy moments, sad moments, lonely moments, and angry moments. It’s become my sister, a member of my family, and it definitely brings me calm. I’m now ready to let it go and I hope it can do the same for someone else.”
Taking the song’s brave intimacy a step further, Sam has announced “To Be Free: New York City,” an exclusive 12-night residency at Warsaw, a historic Brooklyn venue. This unique series of performances will offer fans an unparalleled opportunity to experience Sam Smith’s artistry in a close, intimate setting.
Pre-sale tickets for “To Be Free: New York City” will begin on Tuesday, July 29 at 10:00 AM local time, with general on-sale commencing on Friday, August 1 at 10:00 AM local time. Tickets are available for purchase HERE.
Sam Smith – “To Be Free: New York City” 2025 Warsaw Residency Dates
- Wednesday – October 8
- Friday – October 10
- Saturday – October 11
- Wednesday – October 15
- Friday – October 17
- Saturday – October 18
- Tuesday – October 21
- Wednesday – October 22
- Friday – October 24
- Wednesday – October 29
- Thursday – October 30
- Friday – October 31
The official music video for “To Be Free,” filmed at Warsaw where the residency will take place, vibrates with electric energy and a contagious sense of joy. It features The TwoCity Chorus, prominently heard on the single, invading the venue to join Sam in a powerful performance of the song. The TwoCity Chorus is a collective of recording artists from Philadelphia and New York, curated by Brandon Pain with the assistance of frequent Sam Smith collaborator, Ant Clemons. The video was directed by (LA)HORDE, the acclaimed trio of Marine Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer, and Arthur Harel, known for their work at the intersection of choreography, film, installation, and performance, and who previously choreographed Sam’s global hit “Unholy” featuring Kim Petras.
Marine Brutti commented on the video’s essence: “Sam’s performance offers a return to essence: a voice, a presence and a reunion. Simplicity is striking and elemental. Nothing but what is needed. All focused, distilled. Sam sings at the center of everything. The room begins to rise: bodies float, carried by sound, surrender and trust. We end with Sam at the heart of the crowd. Eyes closed. An act of faith. A moment of freedom, fully lived.”
In a complementary creative collaboration, Sam has once again teamed up with Andreas Kronthaler for custom Vivienne Westwood looks. These designs perfectly reflect the music’s return to classicism and timelessness, echoing its narrative of love, acceptance, and ultimately, inner peace and joy.
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