Sam Smith has announced their engagement to fashion designer Christian Cowan, whose relationship with the singer inspired the upcoming album ‘Hazel Eyes’. AdvertisementTheir relationship influenced much of Smith’s forthcoming fifth studio album ‘Hazel Eyes’, which takes its title from Cowan’s eye colour. Smith describes it as the first song they have written about “requited love”, having established their career with songs exploring heartbreak and unreturned affection. The singer also spoke about the significance of releasing openly queer love songs amid continuing attacks on LGBTQ+ rights. “For me, there’s something radical about being queer in this time, in this world and singing love songs,” they said.