Kevin Mazur/MTV1415/WireImage
Sam Smith fans were left in disarray on Wednesday (October 11) when the singer shared a snippet of a new song that appears to be a collaboration with pop singer Charli XCX.
In an Instagram post, Smith previewed the new song with a street lip-syncing video. Dressed in a structured black and white sweater and white skirt, Smith strolled down an alley in Osaka, Japan, singing along to the slick dance-pop track. “I knew the night I met you / Under the lights of New York,” he sang. “Baby, no matter what I do/There’s an angel standing next to me.”
Listeners quickly noticed the striking similarities between Smith’s verse and the track Charli XCX teased on October 6, to which Smith responded with a sideways glance and a skyline emoji. Charli’s upcoming song, titled “In the City,” has almost the same tempo and melody as Smith’s verse posted on Instagram. What’s more, Smith’s caption for the clip was simply three city skyline emojis, apparently referencing the title of Charli’s upcoming single.
Billboard reached out to reps for Smith and Charlie for confirmation.
Fans of the couple also pointed to Smith’s recent cameo in Charli XCX’s video for “Speed Drive.” Barbie soundtrack as a potential teaser for their collaboration. In the video, Smith interrupts Charli mid-verse with a video call, asking if she had a chance to “listen to the mix.” When Charlie replies that she’s on the set of a music video, Smith apologizes but reminds her to listen when she gets the chance. “We just need to submit it so we can publish it,” they say.
Check out Smith’s new teaser below: