Their fifth studio album, Hazel Eyes, is due Aug. 21. Smith calls the project a love letter to fiancé Christian Cowan and admits the record wrestles with how much of their private life to reveal.
Speaking in interviews — including a Guardian piece published Aug. 14 and appearances on The New Yorker Radio Hour and BBC Radio 2 — Smith reflected that early fame and coming out publicly, plus adopting they/them pronouns in 2019, made navigating life harder in their twenties.