Album Overview:
Conner Smith ‘Smoky Mountains’
This record comes from a very genuine place. I really tried to make a record that said something, that meant something. It’s 12 songs, 9 brand-new songs, and I wanted every song to kind of have a place, and to say something different. I think every song on this record is one that I’m really proud of as a songwriter. I think they all show different sides of me and of the live show and of who I am as a songwriter. I do feel like this record has a lot of heart to it. We named this record ‘Smoky Mountains’ because I think those words to me, Smoky Mountains, kind of brings me back to home, growing up in Tennessee, and as I’ve started to chase this dream over the last three years it’s been more nights on the road than I have in my hometown. There’s often this kind of longing to get back home, back to the stillness of kind of what the Smoky Mountains represent for me, and so, this record opens up with that song ‘Smoky Mountains,’ which is kind of that symbolic story of this longing for home, this longing for a stillness in the middle of all the craziness. My goal for this record is that it would begin to peel back another layer to the fans of who I am, as an artist, as a songwriter, and as a man, and I think this record does that.
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Q Debut Featured Songs:
Monday – Smoky Mountains
“The first track on the record is a song called ‘Smoky Mountains’, which is where we are today. That song to me symbolizes home. I wrote that song while I was out on the road- we were actually in Ohio somewhere and I was in a hotel and I started singing that chorus, and that was where it began because I think, to me, ‘Smoky Mountains’ the song really symbolizes this longing for home, and not only home as in Tennessee, to me, the Smoky Mountains symbolize a place of rest, a place of peace, you know you get out here, you look at the view and see the beauty of creation and there’s something in your heart that slows down- and so, that was really the inspiration behind ‘Smoky Mountains’, and it feels like the perfect way to start off my debut record.”
Tuesday – God Moments
“So, ‘God Moments’ is a song that needed to be on the record. I think this record would feel empty without it almost. And for this song to close out the record I think is really symbolic because over the course of, you know my life, but really the last five years of growing up – I signed a record deal you know five years ago and now to get to the point of putting out this debut album and in the midst of just growing up and maturing throughout the course of those years. The one thing that I really learned is that the Lord’s in control and that He will always have His way and He will provide and His timing is perfect. ‘God Moments’ was a song that said that and told that story in an honest way but also in a way that made sense for me as an artist so every line of this song is true – the three stories we told were all just how they happened and this song really kind of says at the end of the day whatever happens, I know the Lord is in control and I’ve learned to trust Him through all things because all things work together for good.”
Wednesday – Heatin’ Up
“Yeah, ‘Heatin’ Up’ is a song that’s been a blast because every night live, even without the song being out yet has been an absolute blast. The energy of this song really takes the live show to the next level. I wrote, kinda, had this idea and the melodies came to me one night in a green room after a show in Kentucky and I brought in with writers and we finished it up and we immediately put it in the set and it immediately made the live show better. I love this song, this song carries a sort of energy that’s really rare to capture in a country song and so, but it fires me up every night.”
Thursday – Meanwhile in Carolina
“You know the song ‘Meanwhile In Carolina’ is a song for me that really stands out on this record for obvious reasons. This song is as personal as a song has ever been and as honest and real. The idea came for me as I began to think about how so much as I was growing up I thought about and I wondered about who the person was that I would end up with one day and I think a lot of people do that and so I thought about the idea that at some point there comes a day that you meet that person and the prayer you have for them shifts to a name. That was the idea behind it and obviously over the last year, falling in love with Leah and her being from North Carolina, me being from Tennessee, and just the way that our stories connected and the Lord kind of brought our relationship together, it was so special and so I began to just think about all the times in my life that I had no idea who she was or where she was or what she was doing or what she was like and then at a certain point I meet her and learn her story and I realize that the whole time, they were coming to a place where they would intersect and so that was the idea that I came in with that title. It was a song that I knew I couldn’t mess up and I was really really protective over it and so we really worked hard to write this song the right way and as a songwriter I’ve never been more proud of a song than this one.”
Friday – Roulette On My Heart ft. Hailey Whitters
Conner: I’m going to start with ‘Roulette On The Heart,’ that’s one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written. I just love the classic country storytelling of it, and I knew right away that it would feel even more special if we could have a female vocal on it and the first person I thought of was Ms. Hailey Whitters and we called her and she said yes. Hailey: I think the first time I heard you play this song was on a show we were playing together in Kansas and instantly like the first time I ever heard it too I was like, I think I even told you, I was like“dang”
Conner: No, I remember you leaned over and you were like “that song’s really special,” and in the back of my mind I was like well good I’m about to ask you in a week to be on it, and so a year later here we are.
Hailey: Ahhh look at you! That’s sweet. Meant to be.
About Conner Smith:
Just 23 years old and already a seasoned veteran of Nashville’s elite songwriting community, Conner Smith has emerged as one of Country’s most hotly-anticipated artists – one knows the past can still inspire the present, and good things come to those who wait. An uncommon talent mixing prime-of-life passion with old-soul perspective, the rising singer/songwriter has spent 15 years matching a honeyed vocal to propulsive hints of bluegrass and the warmth of ‘90s Country, an instant-classic sound infused with riveting modern appeal. Moving Country forward while remembering its all-natural roots, Smith’s long-anticipated full-length debut album SMOKY MOUNTAINS (The Valory Music Co.), arriving January 26, is meant to stand the test of time. Featuring GOLD-certified “Take It Slow,” viral hit “I Hate Alabama” and current Top-15-and-climbing single “Creek Will Rise,” his deeply personal 12-song project is one of classic style and contemporary spirit, and a reflection of the artist himself. These songs, among others, laid an artistic foundation that earned Smith Artist to Watch status from Spotify, Amazon Music and Opry NextStage, while also making him the only Country artist on Pandora’s Ten List 2022 and secured 2023 recognition from MusicRow Next Big Thing and CMT Listen Up as well as joining the CRS New Faces Class of 2024. Deemed “an unstoppable force to be reckoned with” by CMT, Smith’s authentic storytelling and rich, soulful voice has resonated with audiences nationwide, earning him a dedicated and passionate following. Recently touring alongside some of Country’s biggest artists including Luke Bryan, Cole Swindell, Chase Rice and Jordan Davis, the “future entertainer of the year” (Morning Hangover) continues to put on his signature “high energy fan forward show” (All Country News) while headlining his CREEK WILL RISE TOUR through February 24 in the US before traveling across the pond for C2C Festival in March, joining CMA’s Introducing Nashville lineup for performances throughout the U.K. and Europe.
Visit Conner’s website HERE!
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