The 31-year-old singer, who turned heads at this year’s BRIT Awards with their jaw dropping fetishcore-inspired outfit, left fans distraught, anxious, and disappointed after mysteriously disappearing from stage four songs into their show in Manchester last night on 24 May 2023.

Smith, who prior to the show had teased fans with the promise of a surprise appearance from Madonna, exited the stage due to “vocal issues.”

Fans weren’t clued in straight away, and anxiously awaited the pop star’s return, sparking rumours that there may have been a power cut at the stadium. However, after hanging around for some time, the news was broken to the fans that Smith would be unable to perform and everyone was asked to leave the arena.

Smith later took to Instagram to address what had happened and to apologise to the many disappointed fans.

Their heartfelt statement revealed: “During my third song, I noticed something wrong with my voice. I prayed it was just my voice waking up for the show but into the fourth song I could feel something was really wrong.”

The BRIT Award nominee finished by saying: “I came off stage and have tried everything to get my voice back in gear but it won’t. I am honestly heartbroken I couldn’t finish the show tonight for you all. I love you all. I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry.”

While vocal strain is often unpredictable and not something to be trifled with, fans were understandably frustrated with the cancellation, especially given the lack of transparency at a venue as significant as Manchester Arena.

Many Sam Smith-obsessed netizens expressed that the situation was triggering and anxiety-inducing, given that the anniversary of the Manchester Arena attack had only been three days prior. One user wrote: “Not fair to cause so much unnecessary worry and anxiety with such a significant week in Manchester.”

A singer’s voice is something precious to protect, and while Smith has described themselves as “heartbroken” over the fiasco, it definitely left fans sad and understandably anxious as they waited around in a dimmed arena for Smith to return to the stage. Surely Madonna could have come out and finished the show?