Myles Smith welcomed home at surprise Luton show

As Myles Smith stepped out of a blacked‑out van onto the streets of his home town, he was greeted by an excited roar from the gathered crowd.

A few years ago, he could walk this same Luton street without anyone batting an eyelid, but a Brit Award and a handful of top‑ten singles have changed things.

Hours earlier, he had posted on Instagram telling his followers to meet him in Luton outside the Hat Factory, a venue he had performed at long before his track Stargazing had more than a billion streams on Spotify.

Hundreds of fans blocked his path, phones raised, trying to catch a glimpse of the local star.

As he made his way through the crowd toward a small raised platform, he shook hands with fans and was asked what his home town means to him.

"It's the best. I was born here, it's full of the greatest people, I love it," he said.

Watching everything unfold was Smith's proud mother, Deborah Smith, who described their relationship as "best friends".

She admitted she has still not come to terms with the reality of her son's worldwide fame, touring with stars such as Ed Sheeran, but was moved by the strong local support.

She said: "I'm overwhelmed, deeply appreciative... Eternally grateful, incredibly proud."

Deborah explains that early support for her son came from local radio stations and the Luton community, and without it, "he wouldn't be where he is today".

She added: "They were raised Lutonians, with that comes an eclectic mix of nationalities, of cultures, of socioeconomic differences, but those differences actually make us one.

"Coming from a background of unity, with collaboration of all of these different cultures, it enables Miles to keep his feet firmly on the ground because he knows who he is, he knows where he's come from- Miles is a Lutonian."

Standing among the singing and cheering crowd were Annie Beyrle and Kane Withers, who had travelled from nearby Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire.

The couple, who are getting married in August, planned Smith's Stargazing for their wedding song.

"It just resonates with both of us... It holds a special place," explained Withers.

After seeing his Instagram post, they decided to jump in the car to try and catch the star performing the song in the flesh.

Beyrle added: "If he can come to Germany, where we're going to get married in a vineyard... he has a ticket, he has a room there, we have a castle, that's all sorted, he just needs to show up."

Standing a few feet away is another couple from the same town: Kayleigh Horner-Hughes-Seed and James Seed.

Years ago, they had been driving home from the neonatal intensive care unit with their son, listening to BBC Radio 1, when they played a live version of Stargazing from Big Weekend in Luton.

The singer unknowingly provided the soundtrack for that "first drive home that every parent cherishes".

They brought their toddler with them to watch the impromptu gig.

Horner-Hughes-Seed said: "We sing the song to him all the time, and he's a big fan of guitars, so he's just waiting for that guitar."

The audience member with the best view of the show was nine-year-old Shawn from Luton, he was in the front row when the star invited him on stage.

"I just couldn't believe I was up there with Myles singing," he beams afterwards.

Shawn is determined to be a popular singer himself when he grows up.

He has already amassed about 5,000 followers on TikTok where he shares videos of his singing.

With the lyrics of Stargazing on his phone, the boy was encouraged by the singer to join him in front of the crowd to start the song.

The nine-year-old's mum, Shannon, added that Shawn has been "singing since he could talk".

Reflecting on his hero, the boy added: "He's cool and fun... Thank you so much for letting me up on stage."

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