DEBUT SINGLE – “Learn From It”
Conner Smith just released his debut single, “Learn from It,” and it’s a moment his been preparing for almost his entire life. As a rare Nashville native, with a mother who worked in the TV news industry, Conner says, “I had such an advantage because I learned at such an early age that people made money writing songs and that was a job you could do. And so, when I was six and seven I just started writing songs because I was around people who were professional songwriters.”
Conner, who turned 21 last month, spent his childhood watching interviews his mom did with the biggest songwriters of the day, like Craig Wiseman, Rivers Rutherford and Neil Thrasher, and would listen to them talk about how they crafted songs. “There’s something about it in my brain that it just clicked for me and it quickly became an obsession,” says Conner. “And I would just come home every day from school and I would just write songs. And then I’d go to baseball practice and I would just be writing songs while I’m playing centerfield.”
Plus, growing up in Nashville, Conner had access to songwriters who were neighbors or friends of his parents, and he says, “I was around people who could encourage me and could say, ‘Hey dude, you’re doing a good job and keep it up, and there’s some talent here.’”
There might have been a time when Conner didn’t realize just how lucky he was to have grown up in Nashville as an aspiring country music singer, but now he says, “I think the older I’m getting the more I’m realizing how much of a(n) advantage and blessing that was.”
Conner Smith – growing up in Nashville :56
“Yeah, so growing up in Nashville and being one of the lucky few who did, I had such an advantage because I learned at such an early age that people made money writing songs and that was a job you could do. And so, when I was six and seven I just started writing songs because I was around people who were professional songwriters. My mom worked as a reporter at the time and so she would interview professional songwriters – the Craig Wisemans and Rivers Rutherfords and Neil Thrashers of the day. And so, I would watch these interviews that she did and I was so fascinated with the way they would craft the songs and they would tell the stories. There’s something about it in my brain that it just clicked for me and it quickly became an obsession. And I would just come home every day from school and I would just write songs. And then I’d go to baseball practice and I would just be writing songs while I’m playing centerfield. And then also, growing up in Nashville, my neighbors were songwriters and my parents’ friends were songwriters and so, I was around people who could encourage me and could say, ‘Hey dude, you’re doing a good job and keep it up and there’s some talent here.’ And so, growing up in Nashville, I think the older I’m getting the more I’m realizing how much of a advantage and blessing that was.”