The pandemic completely changed the way I listen to music, and in particular, the artists that I listen to. One duo who kept making their way time and time again onto my 'pandemic playlists' (and many more since) were the incredible SmithField. I was delighted to sit down with them to chat what they got up to in London, how that special C2C invite came about, how things have changed since the start of SmithField, and more - enjoy!
Ciara’s Country (CC): I have some very special guests joining me today - a duo really making their mark on Nashville and beyond, SmithField! Jennifer and Trey, it’s such a pleasure to meet you.
SmithField (SF): Thanks for having us!
CC: You’re joining me at the 10th anniversary of C2C Country 2 Country music festival in London - is this your first time in the UK?
SF: It's our first time in UK and Europe, period!
CC: Is there anything particularly British that you want to do while you're here?
SF: I'm pretty sure we've already covered a few of those – we’ve had our afternoon tea at the Wolseley, which of course everyone told us we had to do. We got some good Indian food, English breakfast, fish and chips. We've covered a lot of the bases! And some of the cultural things too – the British Museum, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben.
CC: I’m impressed, you’ve managed to do so much! Will you be bringing back any traditions back home?
SF: Absolutely! I don’t think I’m going to be able to drink normal tea again, only British tea.
CC: So, first time in Europe, first time at C2C – how does that feel?
SF: It feels amazing. We've been wanting to do this festival for probably five years now, and we never got the offer, so to finally be invited is really cool. We're so glad to be here.
CC: How does that invite happen – do you get an email in your inbox saying ‘you’re in’?
SF: We actually heard from our booking agent. He was like ‘you got it!’ and we were freaking out. It was definitely a bucket list item for us. We found out right before Christmas and I can't believe we’re here now, coming to Europe to play our music.
CC: Well, we’re so happy to have you here! How was your first time performing in front of a UK crowd?
SF: It was honestly amazing. We had an early slot on the Big Entrance stage outside and we didn't know if anybody was going to show up! But they showed up here and it was an awesome crowd. Hearing people singing our songs was just amazing.
CC: This is of course the 10th anniversary of C2C, but I believe SmithField has been around for even longer.
SF: That’s true, we actually go way, way back to when we were little kids! We met when we were 10 and 12 and we've been a band for 11 years now. We got together in college when Trey's rock band broke up, and I (Jennifer) was doing country music. Trey’s cousin was like ‘I've watched you both your whole life, seen you perform and I think you'd be amazing together’. Both of us were like ‘oh, okay, we'll try this out to be nice’. We didn’t think much of it, but then we discovered we had these amazing harmonies! So we moved to Nashville a year after we became a band and have just been putting out music and growing every year. It's been a crazy cool ride.
CC: How have things changed since you began?
SF: Oh my gosh, the whole music industry has changed. This makes us sound kind of old, but streaming wasn't even a thing when we started. When we put out our first EP, Spotify was just starting to be a thing, TikTok wasn’t around – so much has changed now. It’s a lot of digital efforts now, but we've always adapted. We've always survived lots of ups and downs, different record deals and labels, and we continue to make the music that we love and believe in and focus on fans. That's what we've been doing the last few years and it seems to be working out so far!
CC: Do you think it's easier or harder to make your mark in country music nowadays with the rise of digital media?
SF: Honestly, I think it's harder in some ways because the market is so saturated - there's just so many artists now. I will say however I do think there are more opportunities to get your music heard than ever before, so it's like a double edged sword - there's a lot of competition but there's also so many ways to get the music out there. So in answer to your question, yes and no!
CC: Speaking of competition, I’d read that it’s really important for you both that there’s no competition between the two of you, and that there’s no ‘lead singer’, but instead a focus on balance. How do you make sure that happens?
SF: A lot of arguments (laughs) No, I think it just came naturally to us. We have to navigate the waters a bit on that, but in general we usually end up landing right where we want to and being a true duo. It's like family - you always love your family, you respect them, but you don't always like them, right? (laughs) We always work it out.
We care about each other, we care about the art, we care about the music we write and what we're saying. We’re individual people and we're always going to have different opinions, but we respect each other. I think that's what makes a great duo - respecting each other and the art and opinions and always coming together and compromising to do the best that we can.
CC: What’s the weirdest place that you've ever had an idea for a song?
SF: Cleaning the bathtub probably? Actually, it’s not weird for me to have a song idea in the shower, because that's usually where I have my song ideas.
We had some driving our old van back in the day. I'd be driving and I’d have an idea and literally have to pull the van over the gas station, get my phone out and start singing! Not a good idea, by the way, singing into your phone with people walking by thinking ‘what is that guy doing?’ There's probably something weirder that I can't think of right now.
Our conversation isn't over just yet! Stay tuned to @CiarasCountry to be the first to know when Part 2 is posted - coming soon!
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