Sam Smith says Hazel Eyes title came from hazelnut mix-up
Sam Smith spent months dressing for the wrong eye colour.
The singer told The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that the title of their fifth album, Hazel Eyes, came from a simple mix-up. Smith thought hazel meant brown, like a hazelnut, and only realised the mistake about four months ago, when the campaign was already in motion, according to Billboard.
“All my clothes were brown for the whole album campaign. It’s a nightmare,” Smith said on the show. They joked the record should have been called Hazelnut Eyes.
Hazel Eyes was released in late August via Capitol Records. It follows Gloria from 2023 and was three years in the making while Smith moved from London to New York.
The move shapes the record. Smith’s official store describes the album as a heartfelt ode to New York, the city Smith now calls home, built around themes of emotional vulnerability, artistic freedom and self-reflection.
It is also a first behind the desk. Smith co-produced the album with Simon Aldred and David Odlum, a first co-production credit for the singer. Collaborators on the record include Feist, Shahzad Ismaily, Moose and TwoCity Chorus.
The singles rollout has centred on two tracks. “When He’s Gone” arrived as the third single from Hazel Eyes. “Oh Mother,” listed as track nine, is billed on Smith’s official website as a 2026 single collaboration with The TwoCity Chorus, with a Listen Now link for streaming.
The choir got the late-night slot. The 28-member TwoCity Chorus appears on the recording of “Oh Mother” and joined Smith to perform it on the Wednesday episode of The Tonight Show broadcast on 7 October.
There are several physical editions for buyers. The official store offers Hazel Eyes on CD and vinyl, alongside a store-exclusive vinyl edition, a store-exclusive picture disc, a vinyl record printed with artwork, and an alt-art signed CD with different cover art.
The performance feeds into live plans. Smith is continuing the To Be Free global residency, a run of shows staged in one place rather than a city-to-city tour. It began last autumn at Warsaw in Brooklyn, and has since included dates at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
