Emerging singer, songwriter and musician Kevin Smiley released a new acoustic performance video for his song, “Sunshine State.” Watch/share “Sunshine State (Live From The Studio)”. “Sunshine State” is from Smiley’s debut EP, Hurts Worse, which was released last month via Rebel Music/gamma. (stream/purchase HERE). The EP consists of eight tracks that showcase Smiley’s unique creative voice, as he combines traditional country sounds with fresh and powerful songwriting.
Ahead of the release, Smiley unveiled four singles: “Matador” feat. special guest YoungBoy Never Broke Again, “Broke As My Heart,” “Heart to Break” and “Paralyzed,” which Rolling Stone selected as a “Song You Need to Know.” Additionally, All Country News praises, “as Smiley continues to carve his own path in the music industry, one thing remains clear: his voice is one that demands to be heard,” while Music Rowdeclared, “This newcomer is batting a thousand so far” and Country Swag proclaims, “Smiley is an artist that transcends genres with his production, while keeping with the country story-telling that the genre is arguably the best at.”
Reflecting on the project, Smiley shares, “These songs at their core are really just stories of heartbreak and love. We all spend quite a bit of time wrestling with these two emotions. Personally, for me it’s therapeutic to write about them.”
Poised for a breakout year, the 20-year-old artist also continues to receive widespread attention across platforms (garnering more than 20 million cumulative views to date) and has collaborated with respected artists and songwriters such as Jahaan Sweet (Taylor Swift, Drake, Jon Batiste), Jacob Durrett (Morgan Wallen, Hardy, Ernest), Jordan Dozzi (Morgan Wallen, Eric Church), Mikky Ekko (Rihanna, Teddy Swims), Dallas Wilson (Lainey Wilson, Teddy Swims) and more.
Raised in the small town of Okeechobee, FL, Smiley is the youngest of six children and has been homeschooled by his mother his whole life. Learning to sing and play guitar at church (where his father was a pastor and his mother played piano), Smiley’s musical interests shifted in 2020 when he began listening to country music after his parents forbid him from listening to rap while playing video games during the pandemic. It was then that Smiley heard George Strait’s classic hit, “Amarillo By Morning,” which led him to discover 80s and 90s country music and legendary artists such as Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney and Brad Paisley. These influences can be heard throughout Smiley’s work, both sonically and in his storytelling-focused songwriting.
