Life & Work with Elisa Smith of East Nashville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elisa Smith

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
When Garth Brooks invites you on stage to play a song, you play a song! I met Garth when I attended a talk he and Trisha Yearwood were giving at Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I was a student at the time studying the neurological effects music has on the brain. During the talk, Garth mentioned that he still gets nervous before he performs and this resonated with me – I loved to perform, but struggled with stage fright. During the Q&A portion at the end, I raised my hand and asked him how he overcomes his nerves when he’s on stage. After asking my name, and what kind of music I play, he said “well, this is what we call being baptized by fire. Get on up here and play us a song!” and he invited me on stage to play a song! After the performance, Garth gave me his guitar (the one I play with now) and told me to sing my heart out. And that’s what I’ve been doing ever since.

I grew up in a small town in Illinois. I loved music from an early age – my earliest memory is gathering my stuffed animals and cuddling in my dad’s guitar case while he practiced gospel tunes for church. As a child, I was enraptured by my grandmother’s stories of Nashville and the Opry in the 50’s and 60’s. I also shared my father’s love of classic rock from the 70’s. And I fell asleep to my mother’s lullabies (which, as an adult, I learned were the dust-worn ballads of Woody Guthrie). Rock n roll and vintage country run in my blood.

I moved from my small town to the big city to attend Berklee College of Music. While at Berklee, I studied music business and music production. It was during this time that I unearthed my passion for education. Fascinated by the science of music and fueled by my desire to increase access to music education, I enrolled at Harvard to receive my Masters degree in Arts Education. It was here that I met Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, and it was here that my life changed forever.

After I was “baptized by fire” by Garth Brooks, I returned to my roots. I began writing and performing with an unquenchable ferocity. Reviews have said my songs elicit feelings of nostalgia, pride, wanderlust, heartbreak, and good ol’ fashioned boot-stompin’ mischief and my sound has been likened to Loretta Lynn meets The Rolling Stones. In 2018, I released my debut EP, “Hitch A Ride.” Featuring Grammy-winning and platinum-status talent, the 6-song EP was produced by Johnny Duke (Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert, and Chris Stapleton).

In 2022, I released my first full length album “Baptized By Fire.” Produced by Caleb Gilbreath (Brett Eldredge, Mandi Sagal) and Garth Brooks’s drummer, Eddie Bayers (The Opry, Alan Jackson), the album tells the story of redemption through love, family, and faith. The album was released one song at a time with the full release (plus a special bonus track) released in February of 2022.

In 2024, I released my most recent EP titled “Spirit On The Run” produced by Caleb Gilbreath. I focused these 5-song EP on feelings of wandering and wanting. I’m currently working on my next full length album titled “Perfume” and will be launching a kickstarter campaign this spring to raise the funds for the project.

Nominated for three BMAs for Country Artist of the Year, two New England Music Awards for Country Artist of the Year, and referred to as “Boston’s Honky Tonk Country Queen” and “one of the best original country acts in New England,” I have been featured on The Bull, Country 102.5, and indie radio stations across the country. I’ve headlined and performed at festivals throughout New England, performed internationally, on television, and radio, and she has been featured in WBUR’s the ARTery, HarvardEd Magazine, and countless music blogs from around the world.

It’s been a wild ride, but I’m just warming up!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not!

Being a music artist is FULL of ups and downs. In the same minute, you can hear news that puts you over the moon and news that makes you want to throw in the towel. I think you have to be extremely stubborn and strong-willed to be an artist. You also have to be incredibly shrewd – everyone wants to take a piece of what you have, and you have to know how much you’re willing to gain and at what cost.

Being an artist can also be lonely and full of self-doubt. It can be hard to keep the faith that you have a strong creative vision and identity. I think establishing and trusting in those things can be the hardest part of the whole thing. I’ve found the way to pull through is to surround yourself with people you trust to tell you the truth, not just what you want to hear.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I love telling stories through my songwriting. Country has a long history of storytelling through song and I think that’s what draws me and so many others to the genre. I love using the emotions that I’m feeling at any given time to imagine a character that might feel those same emotions in a different context.

Very few of my songs are autobiographical – although that’s changing a bit as I get older and have more experiences to sing about! But I view my songwriting as a musical exploration of great songwriters before me. I’m very inspired by Loretta Lynn, for one, and so for example, when I sit down to write a song, I might have an idea and try to think how Loretta Lynn might write the idea.

I’m proud of all of my releases. Are there things looking back that I wish I could do differently? Sure – and I don’t think that will ever change but that to me is what artistry is. It’s a constantly evolving, changing, learning, growing kind of thing. As long as I’m doing that, then I think I’m doin alright.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
What an interesting question! I once heard a saying something like luck is being at the right place at the right time but strategy is knowing where to be and when. I think in this business there’s always an element of luck but you can’t solely rely on just that. You have to be prepared to take the opportunity that luck brings you. For example, where would I be today if I said no when Garth Brooks invited me on stage? I likely wouldn’t be talking to you!

I think that idea of a “big break” is false. I think it’s lots of little breaks that string together to build a successful career. I also think that those little breaks happen because of hard work and dedication.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.elisasmithmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elisasmithmusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisasmithmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq9uYJ_2TgIwDnf7wbUv7_A
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0DuQ6P0o7YsP22YeiCOFJc?si=H5GBfV5zSsCgeTDzHVvOPQ