Get to know the Martin Showcase class of 2024: Nate Smith
Ad feature with Martin
Nate Smith is part of Martin’s Showcase class of 2024: find out more about the Showcase programme at martinguitar.com, and in this year’s Martin Journal.
Nate Smith’s self-described “anthem country” offers uplifting and catchy tunes, through the lens of an organic, rock-influenced sound. Nate’s songs represent the side of Nashville that’s perfect for singing along too, ideally with a beer or whiskey in hand.
Having initially moved to Music City at 23, Smith later returned to his home town of Paradise, California. But in 2018, his house would burn down in the Butte County Camp Fire – one of the worst wildfires the state has seen. This tragedy, though, inspired Nate to write his breakthrough track, One Of These Days, which paid tribute to Paradise. The response to the song inspired Nate to return to Nashville and start playing music professionally.
His next song, Wildfire, went viral on TikTok in 2021. Not long afterwards, Nate found himself signed to Sony Music. Since then he’s honed his “anthem country” with singles like Whiskey On You and Bulletproof, as well as his debut self-titled album.
Where did music all start for you?
I started singing when I was 9 years old to Elvis and Garth Brooks. My parents were always listening to them. My mom would always put Garth concerts on tv. He was my hero then and still is. And my grandma was a huge Elvis fan – she always had his music playing when I would go visit in the summer. I loved the rasp in his voice and the songs were so memorable – I would try to mimic them.
My dad bought me my first electric guitar when I was 13. Shortly after that, I started playing acoustic guitar. I was a worship leader at youth group so I got really comfortable performing with an acoustic guitar. I spent a lot of time writing songs with just me and an acoustic. I still do to this day. Sometimes all you need is just you and a guitar. I think that’s also why I love country music so much: it’s honest.
When I was learning, I was drawn to Blink 182 and other pop punk acts. As I continued to write songs and perform, it was always with a guitar. Usually an acoustic. I am very much a rhythm guitar player, partly because the music I listen to – the rhythm drives the songs. Some of the bands I grew up on, like Blink 182 and Nirvana, have very simple chords and strumming patterns. So my approach to playing guitar is very similar: simple. I have not been an overly technical player, but for me the sound of a Martin acoustic lends itself very well to big chords!
What’s your history with Martin guitars specifically?
I’ve always loved Martin guitars but growing up, I couldn’t afford one – so the fact that I get to team up with my favourite guitar company in the world is a dream come true. I got my first Martin guitar almost 10 years ago and it was just a cut above all the other acoustics I’ve owned throughout my life. Martin has always been my absolute favourite. They stay in tune, they aren’t chasing trends, they’re just tried and true! It’s the only acoustic guitar I will ever need again. I have put it through hell and it still never fails me. I now have five of them. It might be becoming a problem!
Your debut single Whiskey On You has been certified double platinum – what has it been like watching that song get so huge?
It’s amazing to see the fans sing Whiskey On You night after night at all of the shows with such passion. I always thank them if they sent the song to their toxic ex! And with Whiskey On You going number one it gave me the confidence that I could do it again. I am so thankful to country radio for giving that song a chance. It set us up so perfectly for World On Fire.
That song World On Fire has seen similar success – what about it do you think resonated with people?
I think it’s just a super relatable song. Some of us go straight to the bar after a break up and it usually never ends well. It seems like time is the only thing that really helps us get through things. The song also draws from my own personal experience with hardship that came from the fire in 2018 in Paradise. We had lost our whole hometown. I thought to myself, a relationship can feel like this in some way – you have to start all over again at square one. I think a lot of people can certainly understand that.
You’ve cited a wide variety of influences on your sound. With that in mind, how do you keep your sound and your songwriting focused?
I think elements from all of these artists and genres are implemented into my music now, whether it’s sonically or lyrically. I think country music is really in a unique position right now where leaning into your influences and the sounds you like is accepted and radio is really supporting that now. It’s funny that there is a wide variety outside of country that goes into me, but country is what comes out.
Does your time spent as a worship musician still influence your music?
Absolutely, it does. I will always have my faith. Leading worship prepared me and taught me how to play for a crowd, create a set list, make mistakes onstage and connect with humans on a deeper level. Some people got their chops on Broadway. I did it in churches.
Since your music has taken off, has your approach to songwriting changed at all, and what has moving to Nashville taught you?
I don’t consider myself a songwriter. I consider myself a song finder. Rusty Gaston at Sony Music Publishing told me to find the greatest song in Nashville whether I wrote it or someone else did. I take great pride in mining great songs and that will never change!
When I’m looking for a song, I first listen to the melody before the lyrics because I feel like melody is what makes a song catchy. If I want people to sing along to my songs, it needs to be memorable. Moving to Nashville, I have learned that if you love this town, it will love you back. I think you have to make a lot of friends here, and they have to be genuine connections.
After the 2018 wildfire, you wrote the track One Of These Days in tribute to the town of Paradise, CA. How did you approach responding to such devastation with a song?
If you haven’t found hope in the answer, you have to keep looking. Everything you do has to have hope in it. Without it, we are just reactive to all of the bad things that happen to us. You also have to be willing to say yes to the call when it comes. You have to be resilient and when opportunity comes, you have to go. I would not have a record deal if I did not move to Nashville. I also realise that country music is like no other genre on the planet. It truly has the opportunity to heal and relate to our happiest days and our darkest days.
About Martin’s Spotlight programme
Artists are the lifeblood of Martin Guitar. From Johnny Cash to Joan Baez, countless influential musicians helped make Martin what it is today. Now, Martin has set its sights on the next generation of musicians with the new Artist Showcase. The program aims to celebrate artists who are making waves in the industry, and serves as a platform to connect the artists with Martin’s global audience.
Six artists are kicking off the Spotlight for 2024. They are Drayton Farley, Devon Gilfillian, Ian Munsick, Joy Oldakun, Nate Smith and Hailey Whitters, and together they represent the wide span of music being made on Martin guitars: from soulful vintage R&B to eclectically-influenced pop, and from uplifting country rock to raw, unflinching Americana. In this series of interviews, Guitar.com sits down with the six artists that make up the class of 2024.
The post Get to know the Martin Showcase class of 2024: Nate Smith appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
