NATE SMITH SOARS AT GRAND OLE OPRY DEBUT (AUDIO & VIDEO)
“So playing the Grand Ole Opry. That to me was, I would honestly say that was the greatest night of my entire life for so many reasons. One of the biggest reasons was my family was there. And I saw them as soon as I walked out of there, I saw my mom and my dad. And to be totally honest, before I went up on stage, I’d never been more scared in my entire life, I was freaking out. And as soon as I walked on that stage, Mom and Dad was over here, I saw my good friends over here and, and it really helped me through and it was such an honor to be a part of that. And before I went on stage, they asked if I wanted to step in the circle, and I thought about for a minute, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. And I decided I was gonna go ahead and step in it before I got out there because I feel like The Opry is not something to be scared of. It’s a friend and I just want to shake hands with the history of the place. And I’m glad I did that because there’s too much going through my mind already going out there to perform. So just so grateful for the opportunity and everybody that showed up.”
Knowing that I’ve stepped in the circle at The Opry is absolutely mind blowing. I honestly didn’t process it for the whole night. I was like, I’m not going to process this. I’m going to just get through this and then I’m gonna go home and I’m gonna think and I’ve been doing that over the last couple of days and it just brings me to tears to know that I’ve been a part of this big family of country music and that they’re willing to let me share that with them.
“The fact that my family came all the way out to see me at The Opry, that was really what got me through it. Because it was scary enough to do the performance and all that but just as soon as I saw them, I knew everything was gonna be okay. We had a big party afterwards and honestly, it was some of the most joy I think I’ve ever felt in my life. So just grateful for friends and family.”
“When Tenille asked me to come out on stage and sing our song, I Don’t Want To Go To Heaven together. I was over the moon about it. She’s a very good friend and has such a good heart. And it was really special because I was already nervous to do the whole thing anyways, but she just kind of looked at me and said, you got this, and we did it together. And it just felt like we were just an awesome team. And it was very, very special to do that with her. She didn’t have to ask me. She only got three songs and that’s kind of usually what we get at The Opry, but she used one of those songs to do the one with us. So thank you Tenille.”
About Nate Smith:
Featuring a mix of gritty backwoods soul, rock ‘n’ roll swagger and velvet-thunder vocals, Nate Smith is Sony Music Nashville’s latest signing whose personal journey inspired him to be a beacon of country-music hope, an inspirational mission he puts front-and-center. A California native, former worship leader, and lifelong music lover, Smith approaches that mission with a background as eclectic as it gets. Learning guitar at 13, Garth Brooks, Elvis Presley and Bob Seger were among those informing his powerful, fire-from-within vocals, while Michael Jackson made him crave the spotlight and Nirvana gave his sound a jagged edge. He first chased his neon dreams to Nashville in his early 20s – but it didn’t stick. The disheartened Smith returned home and thought he was “100-percent done” with his artistic journey…until a crucible of change burned away the past.
In 2018, Smith lost everything he owned in the devastating Camp Fire which tore through Paradise, California, now known as the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in the state’s history. Although his family was safe, he struggled to cope and turned back to music, hoping that it would help comfort himself and others. Help it did, inspiring a month-long road trip across the U.S. to Music City, writing music and playing dive bars along the way. Soon after his arrival to Nashville, Nate released his biggest song to date, “Wildfire,” and landed a publishing deal with Sony ATV. Since then, he’s released new music including “Sleeve” and “Under My Skin,” which has amassed over 45 million on-demand streams to date. The singer was named a Spotify Hot Country Artist to Watch for 2021 – an accurate prediction as he rounded out the year with a record deal and two brand new songs: “Raised Up” and the viral TikTok hit “I Don’t Wanna Go To Heaven.” Nate is managed by Kevin “Chief” Zaruk and Simon Tikhman with The Core Entertainment.
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Media Contacts:
Emmie Reitzug
Sony Music Nashville
[email protected]