country

Nate Smith

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California-raised country singer with a rasp built for volume, broken through on the strength of 'Whiskey On You' — heartbreak sung at arena scale.

Nate Smith was born in 1985 and grew up in Paradise, California, where a church youth leader first introduced him to performing. His early influences included Garth Brooks, Tom Petty and Fleetwood Mac, and he moved to Nashville at 23 to pursue music, signing with Word Records and a publishing deal with Centricity Music.

In 2018 he returned to Paradise, where his home was destroyed by the Camp Fire, an event he has cited as the turning point that pushed him to pursue music full time. The experience produced his breakout song "One of These Days," which drew national press attention and encouraged him back to Nashville.

His follow-up single, "Wildfire," went viral on TikTok in 2020, gathering more than three million views and leading to a publishing deal with Sony/ATV. He signed with Sony Music Nashville in November 2021, releasing "Raised Up" as his major-label debut and following it with "I Don't Wanna Go to Heaven," which landed him on several industry watch lists.

His self-titled debut album followed in 2023, built on a gravelly, high-volume vocal and big, guitar-driven arrangements that lean toward the rock side of contemporary country. Alongside "Whiskey On You," he is known for "World on Fire," and his live sets draw on that same widescreen, radio-country approach.

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