'My album had the word 'die' in the title, which I just felt really uncomfortable with, with what's happening (coronavirus).'
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Sam Smith is changing the name of their third studio album, along with its release date.
The 27-year-old singer revealed via Twitter on March 30 that the new title and release date for the album, originally titled To Die For and due out June 5, would be announced at a later date.
"To my wonderful fans, firstly I want to send love and strength to everyone who has been affected by this situation. I hope you are all alright during this incredibly weird, upsetting and unprecedented time," Smith's post began. "I have done a lot of thinking the last few weeks and feel that the title of my album and imminent release doesn't feel right, so I have come to the decision to continue working on the album and make some important changes and additions."
"I will be renaming my album and pushing back the release date - both of which are to be confirmed at this time," they continued. "Don't worry though, there will be an album this year, I promise! But until then I am still going to bring out some new music over the new few months, which I'm incredibly excited about."
Smith concluded the post by thanking fans for "always being by my side and for your understanding and patience."
"I always want to right by you. Always," they added.
The news came one day after Smith sang an a cappella version of their hit, "How Do You Sleep?," during the iHeart Living Room Concert for America. Others who participated in the event, which was hosted by Elton John and aired Sunday on Fox, included Alicia Keys, Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello, Demi Lovato, Lizzo, H.E.R., the Backstreet Boys, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day and Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters.
A few weeks following their announcement, Smith elaborated about their decision to change the album name and release date during an interview on Zoe Ball's BBC Radio 2 show.
"My album had the word 'die' in the title, which I just felt really uncomfortable with, with what's happening (coronavirus) and it's so important for me to be sensitive to my fans and to people listening to my music," the non-binary singer told Ball. "This has been a really sad and awful time for us, so I've changed the album title, I'm going to change the album cover."
As for when Smith will share more with their fans, they said, "When I know everyone's safe and everyone's good, then I can think about releasing the album."
In the meantime, Smith released their collaboration with Demi Lovato titled "I'm Ready."
Hear more on how other stars in Hollywood are coping with the coronavirus quarantine in the video below.
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