On The Row: Nate Smith Showcases His Soul, Sincerity & Story Of Hope

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Nate Smith. Photo: Haley Crow/MusicRow

One of Sony Music Nashville’s newest soulful singers, Nate Smith, has quite the story to tell as he’s gone from California to Nashville and back again… twice.

First coming to town in 2008 with a failed record deal and a marriage that went sour, Smith stayed in town for a few years before heading back to his hometown of Paradise, California, ultimately deciding to give up on his dreams of a music career for good. He spent his time post-Nashville rolling through a handful of odd jobs, including becoming a nursing assistant, driving Uber, landscaping, working at a dental office, and helping his brother build their childhood church’s youth group.

Nate Smith and MusicRow‘s Sherod Robertson. Photo: Haley Crow/MusicRow

However, out of nowhere disaster struck in November of 2018 as California’s deadliest fire took over Smith’s hometown.

After losing everything, one of his friends sent him a guitar and, before he knew it, music was once again a source of healing and passion for Smith as he began writing songs and sharing them to social media.

“I ended up writing a song about the fire and put it on Facebook to help me and other people heal. It was really cool to see what music can do for people, and it reignited my passion for writing songs,” Smith shared in a recent visit with MusicRow. “I did some benefit shows and got a band together, but eventually my friends were like, ‘You need to go back to Nashville.’ They even started a GoFundMe for me.”

Upon coming back to town, he was introduced to Kevin “Chief” Zaruk and Simon Tikhman with The Core Entertainment, who eventually signed him to a management deal. From there the pieces began falling into place, as he quickly inked a publishing deal with Sony Music Nashville and a booking deal with CAA before getting signed to Sony Music Nashville in November of 2021.

“I’m so thankful that I got a publishing deal before a record deal so that I could learn my voice and learn how to write what is authentic for me,” Smith explained. “[Signing with Sony] was a pretty emotional moment for me. It was something that I wanted my whole life, and I’m so glad that I’m at the age I’m at now [when it happened]. When I was 23, if I would have followed through with that record deal, I probably would have made it about myself. Now, I just have a stronger mission.”

Pictured (L-R): MusicRow‘s LB Cantrell, Haley Crow, and Lydia Farthing; Nate Smith; MusicRow‘s Sherod Robertson and Alex Parry

He adds, “Some of my songs are drinking songs, for sure, but a lot of my songs are hope-filled. I just have a heart for people and I realized the more that I make it about them, the more I’m aligned with what I’m supposed to do.”

With only nine released tracks under his belt, Smith delivers quite the punch with his booming range and honey-dipped vocals. As a writer on all of his songs, and always backed by Joel Bruyere on production, Smith has also written alongside Emily Weisband, Dan Fernandes, Seth Corbitt, Jonathan Smith, and more.

Among his discography are some of his most personal stories and experiences, including delving into his divorce and his everlasting hope for love in “Sleeve,” missing home and the enduring influence of his upbringing in “Raised Up,” and being in a platonic relationship where he’s fully accepted and understood in “Under My Skin,” which has collected over 45 million streams since its release.

Smith’s newest release, though, is his moving ballad “I Don’t Wanna Go To Heaven,” which has spawned a choir version and a brand new duet featuring labelmate Tenille Townes. The original solo track, which was released in November of 2021, garnered over 2 million streams in its first week and now boasts over 25 million streams worldwide.

“The title is a little confusing and I do want to go to heaven, but just not yet,” Smith quipped. “I wanna steward what I’ve got and just be appreciative of the things that are in my life. I wrote it with my buddy Dan [Fernandes] and we never thought that it would be the next single.”

He continued, “I don’t know how I got [Tenille] to agree to record the song with me. I was having lunch with Randy [Goodman] at Sony and I told him that I would love to have someone sing that song with me. He asked who I had in mind and I told him Tenille so he said, ‘Ask her.’ So I DMed her and she said yes. I was pretty excited because she was my first choice and I just love her voice so much because it’s so unique.”

Coming off a packed fall touring schedule alongside Brett Eldredge and Whiskey Myers, Smith will make his Opry debut on April 9 with more music expected to come later this year.

Lydia Farthing
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