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Gloria is the fourth studio album by English singer and songwriter Sam Smith, released on 27 January 2023 through Capitol Records. It is Smith's first album since Love Goes (2020). It was preceded by the singles "Love Me More", "Unholy", a collaboration with Kim Petras, and "Gimme", a collaboration with Koffee and Jessie Reyez. "Unholy" was promoted as the lead single and topped the charts in Australia, Austria, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, becoming both Smith and Petras' first chart-topper in the latter. Upon release, the album received generally favourable reviews from music critics.
Background and recording
The album was recorded between Los Angeles, London and Jamaica, with Smith working with regular collaborators Jimmy Napes, Stargate and Ilya Salmanzadeh, as well as expecting further contributions from Los Hendrix, Max Martin and Calvin Harris. Smith stated that the album "feels like a coming of age" and got them "through some dark times", and expressed a hope that it could also be a "beacon" for listeners. A press release called it a "personal revolution" for Smith, containing the "dazzling, sumptuous, sophisticated, unexpected and at times thrilling, edgy sound of Sam's creative heart today", as well as lyrics about "sex, lies, passion, self-expression, and imperfection".
Promotion
Smith announced the album on their social media accounts on 17 October 2022, writing a note to their "dearest sailors", Smith's name for their fans, and sharing the cover art, a portrait of Smith with bleached hair wearing a golden earring of an anchor and pearl.
Singles
The first track to be released from the album was the single "Love Me More" on 28 April 2022. "Unholy", a collaboration with German singer Kim Petras, followed on 22 September 2022 and was promoted as the lead single. It reached number one in several countries, including Australia, Canada, the UK and the US, as well as number one on the Billboard Global 200.
The track "Gimme" was released as the album's third single on 11 January 2023. It is a collaboration with Canadian singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez and Jamaican musician Koffee.
On 27 January 2023, the same day of the album's release, "I'm Not Here to Make Friends" was released as the fourth single.
Promotional singles
"Gloria" was released on 20 January 2023, one week before Gloria, as a promotional single.
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