Fans of Sam Smith were left scrambling on Wednesday (Oct. 11) when the singer shared a snippet of a new song that seems to be a collaboration with fellow pop singer Charli XCX.
In a post to their Instagram, Smith teased a new song with a street-side lip-synch video. Dressed in a structured black-and-white sweater and a white skirt, Smith strutted down an alleyway in Osaka, Japan, singing over a glittering dance-pop track. “I knew the night that I met you/ Underneath the New York City lights,” he sang. “Baby, don’t matter what I do/ There’s an angel standing by my side.”
Listeners quickly noticed the striking similarity between Smith’s verse and a track that Charli XCX teased on Oct. 6, which Smith responded to with a side-eye and skyline emojis. Titled “In the City,” Charli’s upcoming song bears a near-identical tempo and melody as Smith’s verse shared via Instagram. Moreover, Smith’s caption for the clip was simply three emojis of a city skyline, apparently pointing to the title of Charli’s upcoming single.
Billboard has reached out to reps for both Smith and Charli for confirmation.
Fans of the pair also pointed to a recent cameo Smith made in Charli XCX’s video for “Speed Drive” off the Barbie soundtrack as a potential teaser for their work together. In the video, Smith interrupts Charli mid-verse with a video call, asking if she’d had a chance to “listen to the mix.” When Charli responds that she’s on set for a music video, Smith apologizes, but reminds her to take a listen when she gets a chance. “It’s just, we’ve got to submit it so we can get it out,” they say.
Check out Smith’s new teaser below:
