Sam Smith helped usher Saturday Night Live into 2023 with a pair of dramatic performances from their upcoming album.
For their third appearance as musical guest on the iconic NBC sketch comedy show, the U.K. singer-songwriter unleashed unforgettable live performances of chart-topper “Unholy” and the title track from their soon-to-be-released fourth album, Gloria, which is scheduled to arrive on Jan. 27 through Capitol.
Following an introduction from SNL host Aubrey Plaza, Smith opened with their smash hit “Unholy,” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2022. Donning an extravagant fluffy pink dress, Smith belted out the opening lines of the song before sneaking in Kim Petras, who is featured on the track, to assist with her verse.
Petras wasn’t the only unexpected guest during Smith’s SNL appearance. For their second performance, the singer surprised with a guest appearance from Oscar-nominated actress Sharon Stone, who lounged on a gold-covered couch while Smith delivered their recently dropped single “Gloria.” Surrounded by a group of darkly robed singers, Smith — who was draped in a gold sequin blazer — beautifully crooned the track while Stone slowly rose from her reclined position and gazed off into the distance.
Gloria, the followup to 2020’s Love Goes, features the previously-released singles “Love Me More,” “Gimme” and the Petras-assisted hit “Unholy,” which is nominated for best song at the 2023 Brit Awards.
Smith’s three studio albums all crashed the top five on the Billboard 200, with 2017’s The Thrill of It All hitting No. 1.
Watch Smith’s SNL performances below. For those without cable, the broadcast will also stream on NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans on demand access to previous SNL episodes as well.