The wait is over: Conner Smith‘s debut album, Smoky Mountains, has finally arrived.
Out now via The Valory Music Co., the 12-track project boasts a collection of life-inspired songs that chronicle Conner’s Tennessee roots, upbringing, longtime singer/songwriter dream and more.
“That’s kind of been the story I wanted to tell: kid from Nashville, kid [whose] whole life has been about [figuring out] how to become a great songwriter. That’s the process I’m still learning,” Conner shares. “I think this record is really just a look into where I’m at now and [the] success [we’ve had].”
“It’s also broader Nashville, really a Tennessee kid, right?” he adds. “We [were] just up in Boston [on January 18] and there were 20 Tennessee jerseys in the crowd, you know? Because people really bought into like, ‘He’s a Tennessee guy,’ and I love that.”
Despite being a Nashville native, Conner named his album after the Smokies because of its larger symbolism: dwelling and rest.
“To me, [the] Smoky Mountains symbolized the icon of home for me of Tennessee,” explains the 23-year-old. “Over the last couple years of really chasing down this dream and playing hundreds of shows and sometimes selling out and sometimes selling 100 tickets and just the chase of it, the Smoky Mountains symbolized the rest.”
“It symbolized home and the beauty of this place I’m from,” the “Creek Will Rise” singer adds.
Conner will celebrate his album release with a sold-out hometown show in Music City on Friday, January 26. If you weren’t able to get tickets, you can watch it via livestream on Conner’s YouTube and Facebook page.
Upcoming dates for his Creek Will Rise tour can be found at connersmithmusic.com.
Here’s the Smoky Mountains track list:
“Smoky Mountains”
“Creek Will Rise”
“Roulette on the Heart” (featuring Hailey Whitters)
“Heatin’ Up”
“Baby, I”
“Meanwhile in Carolina”
“Boots in the Bleachers”
“Take It Slow”
“Trouble”
“I Hate Alabama”
“Regret in the Morning”
“God Moments”
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.