Sam Smith is back and he's more dangerous than ever! On Friday, September 23, the hitmaker performed at the 2022 iHeartRadio Musical Festival at T-Mobile Arena. Smith, who are renowned for their beautiful vocals on heartfelt ballads, gave fans a preview of their upcoming album. Former RuPaul's Drag Race competitors Coco Montrese and Alexis Mateo, as well as fellow LGBTQ+ icons Lance Bass, gave the four-time Grammy winner a loving introduction.
Smith opened their set by playing "Stay" and "I'm Not The Only One" from their chart-topping 2014 debut album In the Lonely Hour, the solo songs that started it all. Smith was dressed in a sparkly mesh shirt and a black jacket. The two hymns were sung by the audience enthusiastically thanks to Smith. With their 2019 single "How Do You Sleep," Smith accelerated the tempo while maintaining the topic of heartbreak.
Smith paused to express gratitude to the audience and their band. They said, "This feels amazing!" in reference to the cancellation of live music performances brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak. The vocalist then performed their newest song, "Unholy," featuring Kim Petras, another pop princess, live at the festival. Smith released the song just one day before their performance at the event and said, "I've never had so much fun recording a record, so I hope you can all go crazy and UNHOLY to it. Petras herself unexpectedly made an appearance to play the sensual new song while surrounded by red lights.
Smith performed "Latch," one of Disclosure's very first mainstream singles, to keep the dance theme going. After taking off their jacket, Smith finished their act with "Dancing With A Stranger," another one of their hugely successful collaborations with Normani.