# Payton Smith > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Payton_Smith > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Payton_Smith.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payton_Smith > Source revision: 1312175608 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Payton Smith** (born January 26, 2000) is an American singer-songwriter. ## Early life The eldest of four boys, Payton Smith was born in [Beaumont, Texas](/source/Beaumont,_Texas) and raised in [Houma, Louisiana](/source/Houma,_Louisiana).[1] He cites growing up so close to [New Orleans](/source/New_Orleans) and its music [scene](/source/Music_of_New_Orleans)[2] and his mother's love of 90s [country music](/source/Country_music) as key influences on his songwriting style.[3] With an intrinsic passion for music, Smith describes being 5 years old and watching [Keith Urban](/source/Keith_Urban)'s performance on the [CMA Awards](/source/Country_Music_Association_Awards) as being the moment he knew he wanted to be a performer with his own unique style of country music.[4] At the age of 10, he received his first guitar from his father, and over the next four years, Smith taught himself to play[5] and began to write his own songs.[4] By the time he was 14, his skills had progressed so much that when his family took a vacation to [Nashville](/source/Nashville,_Tennessee), he had his sights set on the [Bluebird Cafe](/source/Bluebird_Caf%C3%A9)'s open mic night, only to find it was closed for a holiday.[4] Undeterred, Smith took his guitar to the lobby of the hotel they were staying and played an impromptu set that was heard by a [session player](/source/Session_musician) who introduced the young songwriter to producer [Buddy Cannon](/source/Buddy_Cannon).[6] Cannon instantly saw the potential in Smith, and Smith's family soon relocated to Nashville where he pursued his dream while finishing high school.[6] ## Career After Smith moved to Nashville, Cannon began to introduce him to many accomplished Nashville-based songwriters, including [Jim McCormick](/source/Jim_McCormick_(songwriter)), [Ronnie Bowman](/source/Ronnie_Bowman), Marla Cannon-Goodman, and Larry McCoy. Through learning from and working with these writers, Smith cultivated a catalogue of more than 500 songs. Cannon also connected him with Clay Bradley, then a Vice President at [BMI](/source/Broadcast_Music,_Inc.), who in 2017 would co-found the artist development and music publishing company, Eclipse Music Group, where Smith would eventually sign his first publishing agreement in 2018.[7] Shortly after signing with Eclipse, he was invited to play at the BMI stage at [Hard Rock Cafe](/source/Hard_Rock_Cafe) at CMA Fest.[8] The performance caught the attention of [Big Machine Label Group](/source/Big_Machine_Records) CEO, [Scott Borchetta](/source/Scott_Borchetta), who was walking by but was struck by Smith's talent and "stopped in his tracks" to watch the set."[9] Borchetta requested that Smith send him a few demos, and was so impressed by them that he offered Smith a [record deal.](/source/Recording_contract)[9] Smith released his self-titled debut EP with Nashville Harbor (formerly BMLG) on October 4, 2019, and charted in the top 20 on [Apple Music](/source/Apple_Music) in the first day.[10] On March 9, 2020, his single "Like I Knew You Would" was released to country radio. In January 2020, [CMT](/source/CMT_(American_TV_channel))'s annual Listen Up campaign selected Smith as one of 17 promising new artists to watch.[11] At 20, Smith has shared the stage with acts such as [Brad Paisley](/source/Brad_Paisley), [Florida Georgia Line](/source/Florida_Georgia_Line) and [Lady Antebellum](/source/Lady_Antebellum).[12] He made his [Grand Ole Opry](/source/Grand_Ole_Opry) debut on February 23, 2020.[13] Until restrictions on public gatherings were put in place due to COVID-19, Smith was slated to join [Scotty McCreery](/source/Scotty_McCreery) on [Chris Young's](/source/Chris_Young_(singer)) 2020 Town Ain't Big Enough tour.[14] Smith has been sheltering-in-place in Nashville, writing new music and participating in various live-streams.[15] ## Artistry Smith's goal is to create a unique brand of country music that draws from a multitude of styles from 90s country to classic rock to the music scene of New Orleans.[5] By blending these styles and infusing traditional country themes with contemporary sensibilities, Smith hopes to bring a new audience to country music.[1] Calling himself part of the "[Spotify](/source/Spotify) generation", he believes his peers have musical tastes that are eclectic and varied due to being able to easily access a large portfolio of diverse sounds.[16] Smith has expressed the belief that making a human connection through music transcends genre.[4] Smith approaches songwriting as though he's telling a story,[2] and writes with the narrative of a music video in mind.[17] Drawing from his own life experience and blending honesty with a sense of humor he describes as "quirky",[17] Smith's lyricism is often praised for conveying a maturity beyond his years.[10] A self taught musician, Smith often plays every guitar on his tracks. In addition to acoustic and electric guitar, Smith's self-titled EP features him on the [banjo](/source/Banjo) and [mandolin](/source/Mandolin).[10] Inspirations for Smith include [Pearl Jam](/source/Pearl_Jam), [John Mayer](/source/John_Mayer), [Clint Black](/source/Clint_Black), and [George Strait](/source/George_Strait). [Billboard](/source/Billboard_200) has compared Smith to a mid-2000s era [Keith Urban](/source/Keith_Urban). ## Discography ### Extended plays Title Details Payton Smith Release Date: October 4, 2019[10] Label: Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment ### Singles Year Single Peak chart positions Album US Country Airplay [18] 2020 "Like I Knew You Would" 57 Payton Smith ## References 1. ["Payton Smith"](https://www.paytonsmithmusic.com/). *Payton Smith*. Retrieved May 7, 2020. 1. ["Makin' Tracks: Payton Smith"](https://www.billboard.com/music/country/makin-tracks-payton-smith-like-i-knew-you-would-9336865/). *Billboard*. March 17, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2020. 1. ["On The Row: Payton Smith"](https://musicrow.com/2020/01/on-the-row-payton-smith/). January 31, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2020. 1. ["Talent | Eclipse Music Group"](http://www.eclipsemusicgrp.com/talent/payton-smith). *www.eclipsemusicgrp.com*. Retrieved May 7, 2020. 1. ["MEET PAYTON SMITH"](https://www.bigmachinelabelgroup.com/news/meet-payton-smith). *Big Machine Label Group*. October 4, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2020. 1. ["Payton Smith and Friends"](https://www.nowplayingnashville.com/event/payton-smith-friends/). *NowPlayingNashville.com*. Retrieved May 8, 2020. 1. ["Clay Bradley Talks Developing Artists With New Venture Eclipse Music Group"](https://musicrow.com/2019/10/clay-bradley-talks-developing-artists-with-new-venture-eclipse-music-group/). October 17, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2020. 1. ["CMA Fest Reveals Additional Free Daytime Performances On Multiple Stages"](https://www.cmaworld.com/cma-fest-reveals-additional-free-daytime-performances-on-multiple-stages/). *CMA World*. April 26, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2020. 1. Mason, Michael (March 3, 2020). ["New Artist Payton Smith Plays Live in the New Country 99.1 Studio"](https://newcountry991.com/new-artist-payton-smith-plays-live-in-the-new-country-99-1-studio/). *New Country 99.1*. Retrieved May 8, 2020. 1. ["5 minutes with... Payton Smith"](https://www.songwritingmagazine.co.uk/interviews/five-minutes-with-payton-smith). *Songwriting Magazine*. November 3, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2020. 1. Staff January 24, 2020, CMT com. ["CMT Reveals Artists for 2020 Listen Up"](https://web.archive.org/web/20200124210529/http://www.cmt.com/news/1817044/cmt-reveals-artists-for-2020-listen-up/). *CMT News*. Archived from [the original](http://www.cmt.com/news/1817044/cmt-reveals-artists-for-2020-listen-up/) on January 24, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020. 1. ["CRS lady antebellum payton smith – Google Search"](https://www.google.com/search?q=CRS+lady+antebellum+payton+smith). *www.google.com*. Retrieved May 8, 2020. 1. Opry, Grand Ole (February 22, 2020). ["Congratulations on your #Opry debut, @ThePaytonSmith!pic.twitter.com/Rn6AuwpNap"](https://twitter.com/opry/status/1231453611298885632). *@opry*. Retrieved May 8, 2020. 1. ["Chris Young's "Town Ain't Big Enough World Tour 2020" Heats Up This Summer"](https://www.livenationentertainment.com/2020/01/chris-youngs-town-aint-big-enough-world-tour-2020-heats-up-this-summer/). *Live Nation Entertainment*. January 14, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020. 1. ["Payton Smith (@ThePaytonSmith) | Twitter"](https://twitter.com/ThePaytonSmith). *twitter.com*. Retrieved May 8, 2020. 1. ["Payton Smith"](https://open.spotify.com/artist/4ZLKYFbf4KJWJR0MeQWLEt). *Spotify*. Retrieved May 8, 2020. 1. ["Let Payton Smith Help You With That"](https://teenplicity.com/let-payton-smith-help-you-with-that/). *TEENPLICITY*. November 2, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2020. 1. Peaks on the Country Airplay chart: * "Like I Knew You Would": ["Billboard Country Update: May 11, 2020"](https://web.archive.org/web/20200607161755/https://bulletins.billboard.com/country/country_update_0511.pdf). *Billboard*. Archived from [the original](https://bulletins.billboard.com/country/country_update_0511.pdf) on June 7, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2021. ## External links - [Official website](https://www.paytonsmithmusic.com/) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Payton Smith](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payton_Smith) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payton_Smith?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.