Conner Smith

By the time he released his debut single at the age of 20, Conner Smith was already an established Nashville songwriter with a decade of experience under his belt. The Music City native found his calling at a young age and emerged with a wise-beyond-his-years perspective that informed breezy country singles like 2021's "Learn from It" and "College Town," both of which appeared on his 2022 debut EP, Didn't Go Too Far.

As a child growing up in Nashville, Smith was captivated by songwriting and gained early insight into the trade from his mother, who often interviewed industry songwriters as part of her job. He learned guitar and began crafting his own songs at the age of six, then signed up as a writer with BMI a few years later. During high school, Smith balanced schoolwork and baseball with writing sessions with Nashville professionals such as Ashley Gorley and Zach Crowell. As a touring country singer/songwriter, he logged support gigs for big names like Kip Moore, Sam Hunt, and Kane Brown, then signed a deal with Big Machine's Valory Music imprint in 2020. Smith made his official debut in 2021 with the punchy country-pop single "Learn from It," followed a few months later by the road trip-ready "Somewhere in a Small Town." Both tracks were featured on his 2022 debut EP, Didn't Go Too Far. ~ Timothy Monger