Sam Smith to Bring Their ‘Gloria’ Tour to Manila

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Multi-awarded British star Sam Smith is set to return to Manila for their “Gloria” tour.

The event will be held on October 21, 2023, Saturday, at the Mall of Asia Arena, a venue that they also conquered back in 2018 for their “The Thrill of it All” concert. The upcoming show, promoted by Live Nation Philippines, will have ticket prices ranging from Php2,750 to Php16,250.

Apart from Manila, the Asia leg of the already-ongoing tour will see the “Stay With Me” act perform in Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. The tour is in promotion of their newest studio album of the same name, released earlier in January this year under Capitol Records.

A press release describes “Gloria” as Smith’s “most confident and creatively fulfilled version of themselves to date” — with the bold musical act’s “courageous spirit [overflowing] throughout the album, expressive and exuberant in equal measure.”

The album has spawned the billion streams-racking “Unholy,” which earned Smith and collaborator Kim Petras a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and their first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit. The pop track, which exposes the extramarital affairs of a man, also made history as it was the first time that non-binary and transgender acts dominated the said chart.

In the 13-track album, Smith recorded three more collaborative songs.

“Perfect,” a duet with Jessie Reyez, meshes the Colombian-Canadian musician’s mature, velvety trills with Smith’s subdued-then-soaring singing to produce an anthem about flaws and acceptance.

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Reyez returns in the second half of the album to lend her voice in the provocative “Gimme,” which also features Jamaican singer Koffee.  

Enlisting fellow British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, Smith ends their album with “Who We Love.” The ballad, which harks back to the chorale-assisted musicality of the hits that put them on the musical map, is an intricate look at love and freedom. “We love who we love,” they emphasize throughout the song.

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Behind the album’s sonic diversity — with cuts set on melodies that range from glitterball electro-pop and Jamaican dancehall freak-pop to piano-driven ballad — is a team of long-time collaborators. It includes record-producing duo Stargate, hitmaker ILYA, and songwriter-producer Jimmy Napes, who has worked with Smith since their debut EP “Nirvana.”

The Manila stop of Sam Smith’s “Gloria” tour is presented by Live Nation Philippines. Buy your tickets here.

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Written by Emmy Borromeo

Editing by Pauline Bolaños

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