Sam Smith Brings Out Surprise Guests Ed Sheeran and Brandi Carlile at 22nd Warsaw Show—And Gives One Duet Its Live Debut

There are few places in New York City like Warsaw. The event space-turned-rock venue in Brooklyn’s Polish-centric neighborhood Greenpoint still serves up pierogies, kielbasa and Zywiek while offering audiences excellent sound and sightlines in an intimate space. While it’s hosted everyone from Jack White to Kesha over the years, Sam Smith’s Warsaw residency is something special. After all, it’s not often you can see a Grammy and Oscar winner who could fill stadiums play a 1,000-capacity room a couple dozen times over the course of three months. “I wanted to get back into rooms where I can see your faces,” Smith told the audience on Wednesday (Dec. 10). “It’s been such a beautiful experience, so thank you to the Warsaw.”

For the 22nd show in Smith’s 24-concert To Be Free residency, the English singer-songwriter pulled out all the stops. For a star-studded audience (Anna Wintour, Anne Hathaway, JD Samson), Smith brought out not one but two special guests over the course of 90 mesmerizing minutes on a chilly, drizzly night (“I come from England—and this is cold!” Smith quipped).

Brandi Carlile—whom Smith met through the War Child charity—joined them for “Party of One,” which the two originally recorded back in 2018 to raise money for children caught in warzones. Carlile can seemingly do no wrong when she steps up to a mic, and her voice blended gorgeously with Smith’s on the somber, plaintive song.

Not long after, Ed Sheeran—who had been chilling in the VIP area with his wife throughout the show—joined Smith, eliciting screams of surprise. Planting a kiss on Ed’s head, Smith announced this would mark the live duet debut of “Who We Love,” a song from Smith’s 2023 album Gloria which featured Sheeran. Guitar in hand, Sheeran traded dulcet lines with Smith while strumming along on his acoustic guitar and shuffling around the stage. Befitting the venue’s vibe, it felt casual and homey yet musically top tier at the same time.

Those two duets (one that had never been performed live before) would have made the night legendary right there, but Smith wasn’t done making the Dec. 10 show one for the history books. They brought out Carlile and Sheeran for the finale, a venue-sized sing-along to their Billboard Hot 100 top 5 hit “I’m Not the Only One,” which was surprisingly well-suited to their voices (though let’s be honest, no one holds a candle to Smith when it comes to rich, nuanced vocals).

The Warsaw residency is coming to a close soon, but it’s quite possible we’ll be seeing more of Smith in 2026. They’ve been testing out new material over the course of their To Be Free: New York City residency, including a “new song I wrote in Brooklyn on a summer day, stoned,” they shared. “Recently it’s been nice to sing happy love songs,” Smith continued. “It feels like a long time I’ve waited to sing a song like this.” The song, called “My Guy,” is presumably about fashion designer Christian Cowan, whom has been linked to Smith since 2022 and was in attendance at the show (in VIP near Hathaway and Wintour, naturally). And while “My Guy” is about a relationship, it’s giving lead single energy—so here’s hoping it isn’t too long until we get another record from the English chart-topper.