"It feels like emotional, sexual and spiritual liberation,” declares the most confident and creatively fulfilled version of Sam Smith the world has yet encountered. “So, it was beautiful, with this album, to sing freely again, for me. It feels like a coming of age.” Gloria, Sam Smith’s fourth album, is not only a creative revelation but something of a personal revolution for the celebrated virtuoso soul singer/songwriter. Since their No.1 debut album In The Lonely Hour (2014), Smith has amassed a constellation of glittering achievements: 35 million albums sold, 250 million singles, 45 billion multi-platform streams, four Grammys, three BRITs, six MOBOs, a Golden Globe, one Oscar, two No.1 albums, five No.1 singles, two No.1 singles as featured vocalist on club bangers from Naughty Boy (‘La La La’, 2013) and Calvin Harris (‘Promises’, alongside Jessie Reyez, 2018).

But Gloria is a different kind of achievement, which isn’t playing the numbers game. It’s the dazzling, sumptuous, sophisticated, unexpected and at times thrillingly edgy sound of Sam Smith’s creative heart today. The sound of constricting shackles crashing to the floor, of boundaries joyfully breached, of a still-searching talent discovering what it means to be truly free. It’s the sound of now, a diverse, multi-genre mosaic album featuring a trio of female voices from across the globe.