Conner Smith Discusses "Take It Slow" and Touring with Thomas Rhett

Although in the early stages of his already electrifying country music career, 22-year-old Conner Smith has already come full circle. Just this past summer, he was out on the road, opening up for Thomas Rhett on his ‘Bring the Bar to You Tour’ in cities across the country. Not too long ago, when he was only 16, he took a girl on a date to Ascend Ampitheatre for a Thomas Rhett show. The day after the show, she broke up with him. “Which is hilarious now,” he shares, “It’s like five or six years later and I get to open up for Thomas Rhett on this entire tour. It’s hard to believe the dream I’m getting to live.”

The singer-songwriter was born and raised in Nashville and at a young age, had the chance to watch his mom interview songwriters for a living. When he was only nine years old, he was signed to BMI as a writer. While most up-and-comers find inspiration from people like Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney, Smith was infatuated with and took inspiration from the people behind the biggest hits: people like Rivers Rutherford, Craig Wiseman, Neil Thrasher, and Kelley Lovelace. “I spent a decade of my life writing songs every day by myself,” Smith says. “I wanted to gain my respect in Nashville in the writing room first. I think that lays such a foundation. Every time I walk into a write and I feel like I don’t have a great idea, I feel like I’m coming into class without homework. So I always try to be mindful of that.”

His latest release, "Orange and White," was inspired by College Football Season; the track almost acts like the follow-up to his breakout hit "I Hate Alabama" which also touches on themes of America's favorite game. "[It] just continues the story that I’m trying to tell of who I am - just turned 22, college-aged, I do love college sports," he exclaims. "It’s so fun to see people’s game day videos. All of my friends always send me videos on game day in Knoxville or Tuscaloosa, or Auburn where they’re walking to the game and they hear one of my songs playing from the tailgate. That’s the dream right there.” He also notes that he continuously sees fans at his shows who sport Tennessee Vols jerseys as well as Atlanta Braves hats in playful support of the "I Hate Alabama" notion despite Smith being a St. Louis Cardinals fan himself.

His new push at radio, the track "Take It Slow," also shows a part of himself that he wants his listeners to be aware of. Written alongside Ryan Hurd and Mark Trussell, "Take It Slow" is sweet and romantic while also staying true to Smith's youthfulness. The penmanship features a detailed, specific nature that fuels its nostalgic, blissful aura. It opens with lines, "You came down your stairs with that sundress and those Chuck Taylors on / And your pops said, 'Don't keep me up all night long' / We pulled out your drive about the time the sky went pink / I said, 'Baby, what ya think?'"

“The more specific you get, the more relatable it gets. Because whether the girl on the date is in a sundress and Chuck Taylors or she’s in blue jeans and boots, you get to paint that picture,” Smith states passionately. “What I love about this song is it’s so intimate but it’s so innocent at the same time. I think there’s a cool balance of that.” Smith also got to team up with one of his co-writers Ryan Hurd for a just-released acoustic version that only deepens the track's warmth and closeness.

As Smith speaks, he clearly puts an emphasis on intimacy. It's something he seems to not only want to create with the people in his life but with his followers who don't know him. This can be seen in its truest form with his Didn't Go Too Far episodes on YouTube that tell Smith's story and show his life on the road. "I want to help fans of country music understand who I am both musically and personally as well,” he says as he points out his brother Cooper Smith, who is his photographer and videographer. “I want people to know who I am as a man and what I stand for and I want that to coincide with the music I release. I think that’s what social media has done is kind of taking away the veil between the fans and the artists in such a cool way.”

Despite the enjoyment that can come with social media, interacting with fans, and going on the road, there's a price for being young and in entertainment; Smith understands that."As an artist, you’re living in a world that revolves around you, and you have to understand that." He continues, "Everyone is looking to you to write the next song, to sell more tickets, to post something on Instagram, to make the next TikTok, to curate the story of your music video, it’s like everything is pointed at you and that can get really overwhelming.” In order to find normalcy, Smith is discovering the importance of peaceful alone time between the chaotic schedule.

“The pace of life that you put yourself in is definitely unnatural and so those moments of rest become so pivotal and I’m learning that right now," he says. "It’s just finding those moments those spaces where I can be alone: just me, a guitar, and a journal.”

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