Caitlyn Smith. Photo: Courtesy of Monument Records
On a rainy Tuesday night in Nashville, Caitlyn Smith brought a small group of Nashville’s music industry professionals together to give a special preview of her upcoming album, High.
Taking over the Blue Room at Third Man Records, the room dimmed to display a stunning black and white, one-take video of Smith singing a vulnerable track from the record entitled “Maybe In Another Life.” Eventually fading to color, the video displayed intense emotions, signaling some of what is to be expected from her third album, all behind Smith’s signature shining vocals.
The video then went on to share a montage of clips from the recording of High, fit with footage of Smith in the studio and writing up a storm for the project. Over the video, Smith shared her heart behind the record, saying: “My whole life of music has been mystified, like it was a special language that only a few could truly speak. But the truth about music is that it’s a playground. It’s meant to be fun. Mistakes are meant to be made because from mistakes, we learn, and from mistakes, we discover who we are, what works, and what doesn’t.
“In this process I gave myself the space to be messy, to not know what I was doing, to make the mistakes, to be unsure, and just feel my way through it. Through this process, I’ve grown,” she explained. “It felt like I was jumping off a mountain and I didn’t know if I was going to crash and burn, pull a parachute, or if I was going to grow wings and actually fly. I made a record that I’m really, really proud of. This record is all mine. I took the jump and I’m flying… High.”
Taking the stage with Tiffany Kearns, Executive Director, CMA Foundation and CMA Vice President, Community Outreach, the pair caught up on the last year, Smith’s her first jab at self-producing, her journey thus far as an artist, and more.
“I got this little earworm that said, ‘What if you tried to produce a record?’ I started writing songs [when I was a kid] and have been in the studio since I was 15 so I’m not a stranger to it, but I was so scared of it. It wouldn’t leave my brain and I started telling people and they said I should try it, so I did. I was like, ‘This is disgustingly terrifying, I love it!’ It was a beautiful process,” Smith gushed.
Tiffany Kearns & Caitlyn Smith. Photo: Courtesy of Monument Records
Smith originally came to Nashville as a songwriter, finding a pocket of success with cuts by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton (“You Can’t Make Old Friends”), Garth Brooks (“Tacoma”), Meghan Trainor and John Legend (“Like I’m Gonna Lose You”), and more. When it came to becoming an artist, Smith says that her first record, Starfire, was very discovery-oriented as she tried to figure out what to say and sing. With the release of her sophomore album, Supernova, she leaned further into what she thought people would want to hear from her, rather than what she wanted.
“This new record is [getting back to me]. When I listen to this record, I hear all of my favorite albums smushed together into one. The songs feel like me. I don’t feel like I’m trying to do anything except put another chapter of my heart out there,” Smith shared. “On the other records I played songs for every other person in town [to see if they liked them]. I feel like there was so much of a need for other people to be involved in the process. Collaboration is fun, but on this record I wanted to know what the hell would happen if I just asked, ‘Do I like this? Do I think this sounds good?’”
The Monument Recording artist, who recently earned her first ACM nomination for New Female Artist of the Year, gave solo acoustic performances of a handful of the tracks to come on High, including the record’s awe-inspiring title track. Written alongside Jennifer Erin Decilveo and Miley Cyrus, who cut the song for her 2020 album Plastic Hearts, Smith knew from the moment she heard the song that she wanted to sing it.
Smith also shared a pitch perfect performance of her smoldering “Nothing Against You,” which dons the sexy hook: “Don’t wanna be mad at you, baby / Don’t wanna be acting all crazy / Just want your loving / Don’t wanna hold nothing against you but me.”
“My journey as an artist has been long and winding,” Smith recalled. “I remember when I first signed with Monument and I was looking at the radio charts and there were only two girls–Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert. I didn’t think there was a place for me in country music. Even though that’s what I wanted, I didn’t feel like there was a space.”
Pictured (L-R): Steve Pleshe (Monument Records), Luke Jensen (Monument Records), Hoss Michaels (KXKT), Katie McCartney (Monument Records), Caitlyn Smith, Paul Williams (WKDF), Marci Braun (WUSN), Katelyn Lester (Monument Records), Cameron Moore (WSOC). Photo: Courtesy of Monument Records
She continued, “I feel very grateful, now five years later, that there’s been this beautiful wave of females at country radio. Maren Morris has flung the door open for incredible artists like Ingrid Andress, Gabby Barrett, and more who are taking over the airwaves. I feel very grateful because I’ve just been over here making music, and I had the chance to finally send a song to country radio last year with my friends Old Dominion… I feel like I have a place in country music. I feel like all the work that the ladies before me have done has allowed it. It’s been a long and winding road but I finally feel like I’m at home and where I’ve always wanted to be.”
Smith capped the night with the announcement that she’ll be shipping her new single, “Downtown Baby,” to country radio on March 4. The up-beat, breezy track will lead up to High‘s release on April 8.
The 8-track project is just the beginning of new music for Smith who teased the release of a full album later this year.
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