The run will take place this fall in Brooklyn
Sam Smith unveils “To Be Free” via Capitol Records. Carried by Sam’s signature soaring vocals and buoyed by the accompaniment of the TwoCity Chorus, the soulful acoustic song explores how vulnerability can unlock bravery and freedom. Smith co-wrote and produced the track with longtime collaborator, Simon Aldred.
“I’ve never had a recording experience like I did making this song. It’s one vocal and guitar take from start to finish – one live performance of me and my friend Simon Aldred in a pure state of music and expression,” Smith explains. “I wrote it five years ago while writing my last album, Gloria, and then parked it because I knew it was not a song for that album. It was created during a time in my life when I became free within myself.”
Sam adds, “With this song, the visual of rivers kept coming into my mind and into my heart. I grew up next to a little river in Cambridgeshire in the countryside of England. Then I moved to London and lived by the Thames, and now I live by the Hudson River. Rivers have been in my life a lot. So I found it interesting to think of my music and my expression as an artist as a river. Over the last five years, Simon 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. 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.”
Taking the song’s fearless intimacy one step further, Smith announces To Be Free: New York City, a 12-night residency at Warsaw, a historic Brooklyn venue that will give fans a rare chance to see Smith perform in an up-close and intimate setting.
Presales start on Tuesday, July 29th, ahead of the general sale on Friday, August 1st at 10 am local time.
Filmed at Warsaw, where the residency will take place, the official video for “To Be Free” bristles with an electric energy and a contagious sense of joy as The TwoCity Chorus, heard on the single, pour into the venue to join Sam for a powerful performance of “To Be Free.” The TwoCityChorus is a collective of recording artists from Philadelphia and New York City. With the help of Sam’s frequent collaborator Ant Clemons, the chorus was curated by Brandon Pain. (LA)HORDE – the French contemporary dance collective and artistic directors of the Ballet National de Marseille – directed, after previously choreographing the video for Sam’s global smash single, “Unholy,” featuring Kim Petras. Sam has once again collaborated with Andreas Kronthaler with custom looks from Vivienne Westwood that reflect the music’s return to classicism and timelessness, with its narrative of love, acceptance and, ultimately, inner peace and joy.
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
