Nate Smith: The Song That Opened ‘So Many Doors’
Nate Smith is making a name for himself in country music, and it all began when his debut radio single “Whiskey On You” hit the airwaves. The song shot straight to the number-one spot on the country charts.
We talked with Nate today (10/13). He will open for Cole Swindell tonight in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Smith talked about that breakout song that put him on the country music map. He said, “That song really came out of a breakup. Just the frustrations of that, but really, of all my songs, that one has a sense of overcoming in it. I think that’s what people really like about it because it’s not just a rock anthem song. It has this thing about it where you are like, ‘Yeah, I think everything’s gonna be okay. I think I’m gonna get through this.’ It just feels good.”
The song’s music video gets fans laughing. He said, “The music video, we just wanted to have fun. All we did was laugh the whole time. There’s a scene where we’re coming out of a van, and it looks like all this smoke piles out. It was burnt baby oil; that’s how they were doing that, and it was the worst smell we ever smelled in our lives, and we were literally gaging. I love how it came out; it’s so fun.”
The girl Smith broke up with who inspired the song has heard the song and has seen the video, and she’s a fan. He offered, “Honestly, we talked, and she supports it, which is really cool. I thought she would hate my guts, but no, we’re all good. She’s happy about the success and everything.”
The native Californian added, “That song has opened up so many doors for me.”
RELATED: Morgan Wallen Announces 10 New Stadium Tour Dates
Nate scored an opening slot on the Morgan Wallen “One Night At A Time Tour” next month (November), and he admits it’s hard to comprehend. He said, “You don’t wrap your head around it; you just kinda go, ‘Oh my God.’ I’m still in shock about it. We did the one show with Morgan this year when he lost his voice. We opened up, so we still got a little taste of what that might be like, and it was surreal. Just like the Cole Swindell tour and Thomas Rhett, my job is just to learn from everybody and watch how they interact with the crowd and watch management, watch leadership how it trickles down and how it affects every part of that tour.”
He added, “Yeah, I’m just there to learn and completely grateful. I am second of four on the bill, which is unbelievable, so we’re getting a little longer set than we did this summer, and I am really looking forward to connecting with his fans. I think it’s gonna be really great.”
Smith spent the summer in an opening slot on the Thomas Rhett tour along with Cole Swindell. On that tour, he realized what a good guy Rhett is. He told us, “Not only is he one of the nicest guys, he’s one of the most generous people I’ve ever met. He will literally give you the shirt off his back. Everything about that tour has been absolutely incredible. I feel like everybody’s got their mentor and their teachers. For me, it’s been Thomas Rhett and Cole. We would talk and stuff, and I would ask questions like, ‘Hey, what can I do to improve my set?’ they watched my set every night. Then my manager would link up with TR’s manager, and everybody had someone that they were learning from.”
Nate concluded, “I feel like because of that tour, we are not even the same band anymore. It has grown us so much in such a good way.”
Top Five Country Music Friendships
