Sam Smith cancels shows to undergo vocal chord surgery

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a pink background.

Singer Sam Smith will undergo surgery on his vocal chords and has called off a number of shows.

Writing on Instagram, the singer said he was going to the US, but that he was “really nervous” about the operation with a specialist doctor.

Shows were cancelled for six to eight weeks, but Smith said despite being “gutted” to miss the shows, he was hopeful that he would be back to singing soon.

SamSmith

The Instagram message from Smith

The singer recently addressed his increasing shift towards gay advocacy, after initially indicating he would steer away from the issue.

He said: “I can speak about this from a position of power, compared to two years ago where it would have been pissing in the wind. It wouldn’t have gone anywhere.”

At the beginning of last year I wasn’t talking about my sexuality as much. But I’ve sold loads of records now and I have a voice.”

Research released today by the National Aids Trust (NAT) finds that more than a quarter of gay and bi young men don’t know how HIV is transmitted, and over a third of those who had been bullied said they had been by a teacher or adult.