Sam Smith is back and badder than ever! The hitmaker graced the stage at the 2022 iHeartRadio Musical Festival at T-Mobile Arena on Friday, September 23rd. While known for their stunning vocals on emotional ballads, Smith gave fans a taste of what's to come for their next musical project. The four-time Grammy winner got a glowing introduction from fellow LGBTQ+ icons Lance Bass, and former RuPaul's Drag Race contestants Coco Montrese, and Alexis Mateo.
Decked out in a glittery mesh shirt and black jacket, Smith kicked off their set by taking it back to the solo songs that started it all, "Stay" and "I'm Not The Only One" from their chart-topping 2014 debut album In the Lonely Hour. Smith got the crowd singing along passionately to the two anthems. Smith stayed on the theme of heartbreak while ramping up the bpm with their 2019 single "How Do You Sleep?"
Smith took a moment to thank the crowd and their band. "This feels incredible!" they said, referring to the halt of live music events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The singer then gave their newest track its live festival debut, "Unholy" featuring a fellow pop princess Kim Petras. "I've never had so much fun making a record, so I hope you can all get weird and UNHOLY to it," Smith said after dropping the song just one day prior to their appearance at the festival. Bathed in red lights, Petras herself made a surprise appearance to perform the sultry new track.
Continuing with the dance vibe, Smith performed one of their very first mainstream hits with Disclosure, "Latch." Shedding their jacket, Smith closed out their set with another one of their smash hit collaborations, "Dancing With A Stranger" featuring Normani.
In case you missed Sam Smith's angelic voice, or just want to re-live all of the amazing performances, The CW will air a two-night television special on October 7th and October 8th from 8:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. ET.