Sam Smith and BBC Introducing are on the hunt for up-and-coming artists to open for the singer’s UK residency shows in Manchester and London. Smith, 34, made the announcement on Radio 1’s New Music Show with Jack Saunders and said they were looking for 10 artists for the gigs.
Residency dates and album release
Sam Smith will play two nights at Manchester’s Albert Hall on September 3 and 4, followed by eight nights at London’s Coliseum from September 8 to 19. The shows will follow the release of Smith’s latest album, Hazel Eyes, on August 21.
How to apply
Artists can upload their music to the BBC Introducing Uploader from Wednesday July 29 until Wednesday August 5 and select the “Sam Smith” tag to be considered for the opportunity. Shortlisted artists will be selected by a BBC Introducing panel, with Smith choosing the final 10 artists to open for their shows. The winners will be announced later this summer.
Alongside performing at one of Smith’s residency shows, winning artists will get the opportunity to be featured across BBC Introducing, the broadcaster’s platform for finding new, undiscovered talent.
Smith's statement
Smith said: “It’s exciting to be part of this amazing new initiative. The discovery process for artists and audiences is so important and being able to play a part in that is fantastic.”
Career highlights
Smith, who goes by they/them pronouns, shot to fame in 2012 when they appeared on Disclosure's hit single, "Latch". Smith's stardom reached stellar heights in 2014 with the release of the debut album, "In the Lonely Hour", which featured the massive hits "Stay With Me" and "I'm Not The Only One". The album sold over a million copies in both the UK and the US within a single year. Since then, Smith has become a global pop superstar with 49 million album sales and 300 million singles sales, with the hits "Too Good At Goodbyes", "Dancing With A Stranger", "Unholy" and "Promises" all achieving over a billion streams on Spotify, as well as the critically-acclaimed theme "Writing's On The Wall" from the 2016 James Bond movie, "Spectre".
Ticket details
Tickets went on general sale at 10am on Friday, July 10 and can be purchased here. A fan pre-sale was launched on Thursday, July 9, and can still be accessed here.
About Hazel Eyes
Speaking about the release of "Hazel Eyes", Smith said: "This album is an incredibly special record to me. I have been writing it for over three years with a very small group of beautiful, dear friends of mine. This album is very personal, and I feel I have deepened myself as an artist through the making of it, through being a producer on the record, to walking alongside this record from the start to the finish and pushing myself at every single turn. This record and this music is incredibly romantic. I’ve learned so many life lessons through making this album, and I’ve documented it all through the music."
