Nate Smith Backstage with Razz at TidalWave Music Festival 2023
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00:00Philly's Country Station 92.5 XTU. It is Raz on the radio. We are here on the backstage area for Tidal Wave Festival starting today here on the beach in Atlantic City.
00:11And our first guest this afternoon is Nate Smith.
00:14What is happening?
00:16So welcome to the right coast.
00:19Oh boy.
00:20Well, I mean, you know, I don't think you get a chance to see the Atlantic Ocean, right? Being from California.
00:25You really don't. You don't get to experience it. And there's a lot of beauty here.
00:28So where do you normally go to the beach when you're in California?
00:32I'm in California. We go to Fort Bragg. It's like it's central coast and it's cold and there's a lot of sea lions.
00:40We're very rocky. High chance of getting eaten by a shark.
00:44High chance. High chance. Lots of them over there.
00:46So been a few shark sightings of not too in the past here along the Jersey Shore beaches.
00:52Got to be careful.
00:53Well, it's crazy. So let's start from the beginning.
00:56I was shocked to read you were in your mid-30s when you started as with your first song.
01:01And I know you didn't start in your mid-30s.
01:03Right.
01:03But to have your first hit, that's dedication, right?
01:07Yeah. And it's also just weird timing and stuff.
01:11Not only was I in my mid-30s, but I was in my mid-30s with no money.
01:14And like, hey, dad, can you lend a fellow a little check here and help me out?
01:18He gave me 500 bucks when I got to town.
01:20Wow.
01:20And that ran out pretty quick.
01:22So what did you do beforehand?
01:24What was your work?
01:24Certified nurse assistant.
01:26So I was a CNA, as they call it, since I was 18 years old.
01:30Anywhere you go, I had a job.
01:31You're the one that did the video from your last day when your song came out, right?
01:35You did it from the floor of the hospital, right?
01:39And you were going to Nashville.
01:40Was that you that did that video?
01:41Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:41I remember that.
01:43Man, that was a while ago.
01:44That's crazy.
01:442017, maybe?
01:49Well, 2018 is when the fire happened.
01:51I actually got to Nashville July 1st of 2020.
01:54Right.
01:54So made the trip.
01:56I was driving in my car for about a month and a half, two months, and sleeping in my car,
02:01stopping at rest stops.
02:02I went camping.
02:03My dad met me out in Colorado, and we had like a three-day father and son camp out,
02:09and that was pretty special.
02:10So you've absorbed every minute of this in the best way possible.
02:13Yeah, man.
02:14And is that different than, you know, you see some kids go at 18?
02:17Like, is it a different experience for you?
02:18Do you think you had a different way to look at music then?
02:21Man, I can't speak for them, but I think for me, like, I didn't have a very solid vision
02:26for what I wanted to do and why I even wanted to make music.
02:29I just liked it.
02:30You know, and I like that it helped me out and stuff.
02:32But I think if I was younger and I would have made it or something, I probably would have
02:37just like made it about myself, and I wouldn't have really had any bigger vision other
02:41than what my immediate needs were and stuff.
02:42So now it's like older, you understand that music can really touch lives, especially country
02:47music, and it's a special, special thing.
02:49And so I'm just happy to be a part of a genre that can really make a difference.
02:52So that's kind of where I'm at with it, man.
02:54So you started, I think one of the first things that exposed you to masses was TikTok.
02:59Was that important to you as you started out?
03:01Yes.
03:02And it still is very important, you know?
03:03So I guess I never really see myself as like a, whatever a TikToker is.
03:07I'm not like that, but like I 100% use it because it's an incredible platform that gets
03:13your music out there and it helps you connect with fans in a really good way.
03:16And it starts the story of the song, you know?
03:18People start sharing the sound and then eventually, you know, we record it, we put it out, pre-saves,
03:22then we're on Spotify and iTunes and all that.
03:24And then hopefully, hopefully, fingers crossed, we get to you guys, you know?
03:27So Wildfire was the first song, right?
03:30That was TikTok?
03:31Or were you doing wildfire, like stuff from back home when the fire hit California?
03:35No, so a buddy of mine had a TikTok account that did sports and stuff.
03:39He's like, you need to try TikTok out for music.
03:41I'm like, I don't know.
03:41I don't really dance or I don't know.
03:43I don't really have a, I don't know how to do this.
03:45People think you have to dance on TikTok.
03:46They think you got to dance.
03:47And I'm like, this just doesn't seem country.
03:49Like TikTok doesn't feel country, you know?
03:50Right, right.
03:51But I was like, all right, man, well, I'll try it.
03:53And I just, you know, there wasn't a lot of people doing it.
03:55And I just did like a, like I sang, lip synced my song, you know,
03:58and put the sound on there and check it out, everybody.
04:01And it hit a couple million views.
04:03And I was like, whoa, is that even real, though?
04:04Is it real?
04:05Do you make money on that right away?
04:07Well, I noticed that my streaming started going up.
04:09So then I was like, whoa, that's going to pay
04:11because this is what you get per million streams and stuff.
04:13And it just really kind of set everything on the course.
04:15It was crazy, man.
04:17And then you're, now, let me make sure I got the time right.
04:20Whiskey on You was your first single, correct?
04:22Yep, first radio single.
04:23And then it hits number one for you.
04:25Yeah, man.
04:25Tell me about that day when you find that out.
04:27Well, thank you for helping me with that.
04:28Wow, listen, it was a hit.
04:29We play the hits.
04:30Man, right?
04:31It was pretty unreal, man.
04:33My team let me know about that.
04:35And we were watching the chart really carefully.
04:36But again, like, you can't make that happen.
04:39Like, people just have to ask for it.
04:40And you guys have to decide this is a song that you guys believe in
04:43and champion it and stuff.
04:44So, like, it's been amazing, man.
04:47So now, it's a whiskey song now.
04:50Whiskey on You is the next song.
04:53And I have to tell you, I'm starting to see the same metrics as the first
04:57single.
04:57So, congratulations.
04:59Yeah, Whirl on Fire is a thing where it, like, it's, like,
05:02it's definitely, like, another kind of breakup-y kind of song.
05:04But, like, it does touch on the fire that I went through in California
05:08where I lost my house and everything like that.
05:10But it touches base on some of that, the visualizations of that.
05:15Do you still think about the fire?
05:17Like, is that impactful to your family even to this day?
05:20Yeah, I do.
05:21I mean, because it caused us to do so many different things in life.
05:24It really dispersed us.
05:25And then seeing the Maui stuff going on right now, definitely, like,
05:28it breaks my heart.
05:29And it just, like, it just reminds me of what I went through in a different
05:32way, you know.
05:34But, I mean, their whole island.
05:36I mean, it's just crazy, huh?
05:38It's brutal.
05:39Is that fire out, by the way?
05:41I don't know.
05:42I haven't heard.
05:43Yeah, I haven't heard.
05:44It's crazy.
05:44Yeah.
05:45So the first thing I hear about you when everybody talks about meeting you
05:48is what a down-to-earth, really nice guy you are.
05:52And to hear that come back, and everybody say everybody in the country is nice,
05:56but I've heard gushing about how great you are to work for.
06:02You're not demanding.
06:03Like, you don't need, like, little snacks.
06:05You know?
06:06You don't need special sushi.
06:08They need things sometimes?
06:09Yeah, like, you're a good dude.
06:11I love that.
06:12I love that.
06:13Dude, I think I'm, I mean, I don't know.
06:15I just, I'm just not like that.
06:16Yeah.
06:17I don't know.
06:17Never been like that.
06:18Well, stay true to who you are.
06:20Nate, it's working.
06:22God bless you.
06:23Thank you for being here.
06:24Enjoy the beach today.
06:26This is the, all of country music and tri-state area,
06:30and even more states than that are coming down here to have a great time this weekend,
06:33and it's going to be great to see you out there.
06:35Man, I'm so excited, and tonight also, just a little sneak peek,
06:39we're going to be, I'm going to be jumping up on the stage with TR tonight.
06:41Oh, really?
06:42It's a surprise, so I'm going to be out there during Beer Camp Fix,
06:44so he asked me today, I was like, no way.
06:46Like, that's going to be a huge, huge moment.
06:49Wow.
06:49I can't believe that.
06:50I'm like, I've been doing it during the tour with him,
06:53and it's been, like, insane every night.
06:55Yeah, but I think Riley Green takes his shirt off, though.
06:58Yeah, I'm not going to do that.
06:59I'm not going to do that.
07:00So I look like a blimp, dude.
07:02Me too.
07:03Like a pure white blimp.
07:04Probably pink blimp tonight, you know?
07:07Well, thanks for a couple minutes, Nate.
07:08It's great to see you.
07:09Finally meet you in person.
07:10Hey, cheers, cheers.
07:11It's great to see you.
07:12Cheers.
07:12All right.
07:13We're live back here at Tidal Wave on 92.5 XTU.