Nate Smith Talks Tying Morgan Wallen’s Record & Making New Album: ‘I Trust My Gut More’

Ask Nate Smith what keeps him up at night and the list tumbles out of the rising country star’s mouth.

“Are we gonna get a No. 1 album debut? I slipped up on my diet today; let’s get back at it tomorrow. I think about my family [and] missing everybody. I think about am I calling my mom enough? I think about a lot of things at night.”

One thing he doesn’t have to worry about is making the record books. Smith’s first two singles, the high-octane kiss-off  “Whiskey on You” and the searing, rock-edged “World on Fire,” both hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, with the latter tying Morgan Wallen’s “You Proof” for the most weeks at No. 1 (10) in the chart’s 34-year history this February.  

His success has helped him achieve a milestone: “I just bought a house in Nashville,” the California native tells Billboard. “I’ve got some acres, and I’ve got a nice private entry. It’s gonna be really good. I’m looking forward to the peace and quiet.”

There likely won’t be any peace and quiet any time soon. His new album, California Gold, out today on Sony Nashville, is a wide-ranging 18-song effort that makes great use of his husky, emotion-filled voice.

There are stylistic nods to ‘90s bands like Lifehouse and Goo Goo Dolls on the set, acts that he says are “ingrained in my DNA,” especially on songs like  the driving “Want Me Back” and percolating “Perfect,” while first single, “Bulletproof,” recalls Tom Petty.

Smith co-wrote six of the 18 songs — his road schedule kept him from writing more, but, as the Nashville dictum goes, the best song always wins. “I’m looking for the best song always, whether I write it or somebody else does,” he says. “But with that said, I would have loved to have been in the studio a little bit more writing with people and stuff, [but] I was way too busy this year and I was lucky enough to get songs that I loved just as much as if I had written them.”

The road to success has had a few bumps, as Smith expressed on Instagram in mid-September when he posted about the relentless pressure artists face to produce strong social media numbers and streams. “I don’t think people realize the amount of pressure us artists face,” he wrote. “Why isn’t my reel viral? Why didn’t my last release get 7.5 million streams…It’s a constant grind of feeding the machine. It shouldn’t be about any of this. It should be about the music. I am absolutely exhausting trying to be cool.”

The post resonated mightily with his fellow artists, triggering responses from HARDY, Breland, Carly Pearce and Bailey Zimmerman. “That was a really vulnerable moment,” Smith says, who adds he’s talking to his team about managing social media content better. “It was extremely relatable to the community, but it made me feel like, ‘Man, I’m not alone in this.’”

 Smith, who is managed by The Core Entertainment and booked by The Neal Agency, talked to Billboard about creating California Gold, allowing himself to be vulnerable and why he may rock out on his next album.

How did the confidence from the success of songs like “Whiskey on You” and “World on Fire”  fuel you going into making this album?

It made me trust my gut more. Here’s a perfect example: We didn’t know exactly what song we were gonna put out before, but it wasn’t gonna be “Whiskey on You,” but my gut was like, it’s gotta be “Whiskey on You.” And so, I went to the team. They trusted me. It went No. 1. And then “World on Fire” wasn’t even [initially] on the album. I was like, “Guys, you gotta put this one on the album.” And [they were like] ‘It’s too late. We already have a plan. We can’t put it on there.’” I had multiple meetings with the label. I was like, “Guys, we have to do this. There’s no way around it. We will fail.” They got on there, and then that one became the biggest song of my career.

Your instincts were right again with “Bulletproof,” the first single from California Gold, which went to No. 3.

I knew “Bulletproof” was the one. I’ve learned to trust my gut. And if it doesn’t feel right at all, I don’t do it. It’s got to be like this is an undeniable smash that people are going to connect with on a mass level.

If there’s anything I’m scared of it’s putting a song out on radio. I want to make sure there’s zero doubt in my mind whatsoever before I put it out. I’m not going to take a gamble on radio.

Was there something for sure that you knew you wanted to do differently this time from your first album?

Oh yeah. “Name Storms After” on the first album, love that song so much, doesn’t rock hard enough. I listen to it every single time, I’m like, “F—k, we should have added more guitar.” It needed to have more umph underneath it and it didn’t have it. And it bothers me every time I hear it. So, I swore to myself I will make sure that everything that’s on this album, I’m obsessed with every part of the songs in every single way.

Though it’s not an official single, last week you released your duet with Avril Lavigne, “Can You Die From a Broken Heart.”

We just filmed the music video for it in Toronto and it was really fun. I actually got to be a zombie. I’ve got in white contacts, and I got to freak everybody out. It’s really emotional. It was my highest- budget video we’ve ever been a part of. It was probably six figures to do it,

You’ve called the track the saddest song you’ve ever been a part of.

I’ve been in that place before during the heartbreak [when] it feels like nothing’s gonna fix it, nothing can make you feel better, nothing can take you out of that mindset. I remember feeling so desperate. That song is so desperate. It’s like begging to have that person back, I think the song could be life changing. It feels like “I’m With You” that was my favorite one of Avril’s, like a nod to that.

Is it hard to be that vulnerable in a song?  

It’s not. It’s really freeing to be yourself completely all the time like that. That’s the most powerful thing that I’ve noticed in my life — getting to this place where I’m fully embracing who I am in every way is the most freeing thing and that’s the good, the bad and the ugly. And then no one can ever call you out on your shit because you’re yourself all the time. I love that that’s the place that I’ve gotten to in my life. I’m so thankful for that as an as an artist.

Were you scared to do that when you started?

It’s been a slow burn because that happened to me in my personal life, where I’ve gotten more unapologetic about who I am and not afraid to speak up or set boundaries with people or tell somebody, “Hey, I really love you, but that really hurt my feelings, man.” I would have been scared to do that before because I cared so much about what people thought about me, but I think that has bled into my artistry over time.

“World on Fire” was No. 1 for 10 weeks, which is thrilling. Was there any part of you that was bummed you didn’t break the tie?

Oh gosh, man, I think it’s funny because I don’t think people realize that ours was consecutive, Morgan’s was not consecutive. So technically, I know and he knows how it really went down (laughs). I’m really thrilled. I can’t even believe that it beat  songs, like “Amazed” by Lone Star. That  feels wrong, but I’m just grateful for what it did. It means so much.

We’re seeing your dad pop up on your social media where you’re hanging with him on the porch or he’s riding with you in your car. Is your dad getting recognized as shows?

A little bit. It’s funny. My mom’s getting really jealous, too. She’s getting super, super jelly. I’m like, “Mom, take some time off from work and come out!” She’s like, “I can’t, I can’t take it off.” My mom is a hoot, she’s the funniest person you’ll ever meet in your life, but dad’s retired, so he’s got a lot of free time. I’m like, “Come out for a week or two.” He’s like “cool dude, will do.”

You’re now headlining your own tour, after being out with acts like Morgan Wallen, Thomas Rhett and Cole Swindell. What did you learn from them about holding on to an audience?

It is really thinking about the flow of the set, like if you’re going to do a piano song, make it a moment. Don’t do four in a row. You got to pace it right? I kind of look at it like a roller coaster, so you’ve got, , a high energy song, then you kind of bring them down a little bit, but you got to come right back up. I think the other thing was always telling my story on stage.

How hard has it been to learn to be a boss of your band and crew?

Heavy is the crown (laughs). My managers, from the get-go, they made me always have the tough conversations with people, and I kind of hated that at first like “Aren’t you guys supposed to do that or something?” And they were like, “nope.” I feel like I do a good job of having a conversation in respect and love and never, ever, ever making somebody feel bad, but I can still get the truth out. That was scary at first because you’re like, “I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings. I want everybody to like me.”

You play Foo Fighters’ “My Hero” in your shows but haven’t recorded it. Is that next?

I’ve tossed around doing an EP where I do all my favorite rock songs, like “Heart-Shaped Box” [and] “My Hero,” but I’ve also thought about my next album just being a full rock album.

It feels like we’re at a time when no artist has to limit themselves, when you look at HARDY topping both the country and rock charts, Post Malone and Beyoncé coming into country.

I don’t ever want to depart country; country is what I’m here for. I’m here for authentic, heartbreaking songs and storytelling. That’s why I’m in country music. It’s the best fans in the world. I love country radio. I love everything that is country music, but, yes, I want to dabble in all the things that I like and whether that takes it into a direction, and we get on pop radio  or rock radio, I’m good with all that, but I’m always going to stay true to myself.