'Exhausted' Sam Smith cancels Australian tour dates

Sam Smith needs surgery to correct damaged vocal cords. Photo/AP

He's only just performed in New Zealand, but it turns out we were lucky to see him - Sam Smith has just cancelled the rest of his Australian tour.

In a heartfelt Instagram post, the British sensation told fans he had a small haemorrhage on his vocal cords and needed to rest.

Smith said he was "deeply saddened" to cancel the shows, but said he had been "vocally exhausted for a while now".

"The doctors have told me I need to fully rest until my vocal chords have healed, otherwise this could become a huge long-term issue."

He finished the post by writing: "This kills me."

He promised to reschedule the shows as soon as he could.

Smith, the singer of smash hit Stay With Me, has just performed two well-received shows in Auckland.

The cancellation affects four shows in Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth.

- nzherald.co.nz