SmithField
Rooted in stunning harmonies and sharp
songwriting, SmithField is a modern country duo inspired by one of the genre's
classic traditions: the male-female duet.
It's a collaborative sound that began in the
small southern town of Waxahachie, Texas, where Trey Smith and Jennifer Fielder
both grew up. Years before they shared the Grand Ole Opry stage as bandmates,
the two shared meals every holiday season, brought together by a family
tradition that began long before they were born.
"Our grandparents were old friends who
went to high school together," says Jennifer, who met Trey when she was 10
years old. "The families remained close over the years, and we'd have
mutual parties every New Year's Eve and Fourth of July. We're the third
generation of that connection."
Separately, Trey and Jennifer both launched
music careers at a young age. A fan of Faith Hill and LeAnn Rimes, Jennifer
began touring regionally at nine years old, singing traditional country songs
at small-town Opry events across Texas. Meanwhile, Trey was raised on the
guitar-filled sound of rock & roll, gravitating toward classic rockers like
Boston and modern acts like the Goo Goo Dolls. Inspired by frontman Johnny
Rzeznik, he began writing songs as a teenager and formed his first rock band in
college.
SmithField formed in 2011, drawing not only
upon the family history that bound Jennifer and Trey together, but also the
musical influences that set them apart. From the start, SmithField's music was
a unique mix of the contemporary and the classic, blurring the boundaries
between country, pop, and rock. "We grew up in the same part of Texas, but
we come from different sides of music," Trey explains. "That mixture
is what makes it so unique. Even though we're not related by blood, our musical
bond stems from this longtime friendship. It's created a bond that you can't
manufacture."
There's no lead singer in SmithField. No main
songwriter, either. Instead, Jennifer and Trey split those duties equally,
writing harmony-filled songs that explore love, loss, and life from both sides
of a relationship. The two moved to Nashville in 2012, eager to carry the torch
for country music's rich legacy of male-female duets into the 21st century. It
was there — in the same city that inspired classic collaborations between Dolly
Parton and Porter Wagoner; Tim McGraw and Faith Hill; and Loretta Lynn and
Conway Twitty — that SmithField fine-tuned their own brand of platonic
chemistry. Songs like "Hey Whiskey" and "If It Ain't You"
rewarded the independent duo with major-label-sized success, including multiple
appearances at the Grand Ole Opry, heavy airplay on satellite radio, 40 million
digital streams, acclaim from Rolling Stone, and shows with fellow
genre-bending country artists like Brothers Osborne, Scotty McCreery, and Old
Dominion.
SmithField's upcoming third release highlights
the duo's blend of country twang, pop hooks, and rich storytelling. Co-written
by SmithField and produced by ACM Award-winning guitarist Derek Wells and the
duo’s frequent songwriting collaborator Adam Wood, these five songs showcase
the core of the pair's sound — two entwined voices and one acoustic guitar —
while also making room for layered, climatic arrangements. The music also nods
to SmithField's geographic roots.
"Sunday Best," a cathartic anthem
about accepting a lover's true self, nods to the societal expectations that
Trey and Jennifer experienced while growing up in rural Texas. "We come
from a place where people are always expected to seem as though they've got it
all together, even if their life is in turmoil," says Jennifer. "We
took that idea and applied it to a relationship. It's a song about loving
someone for who they are, despite their imperfections."
Another track, "New Town," spins a
breezy story of small-town romance. "That song reminds us of our
hometown," Trey explains. "You grow up thinking you know everything
about this town, but then you meet that one person who flips the entire place
for you and makes it feel brand new." Meanwhile, "Something
Sexy" combines late-night grooves and sultry lyrics into a tribute to
country music's rich history of romantic songs, "Burning Wings" takes
a frank look at a doomed relationship, and "I'll Never Stop" — the
EP's lone ballad — honors the ever-lasting memory of an old flame. Releasing in
2021, the EP mixes the fresh with the familiar, the modern with the old-school.
It's the best of both worlds, brought together by two songwriters who've spent
the past decade building a bridge between genres and perspectives.
"We're big coffee people," says
Jennifer. "Whenever we perform a song, it's like we're grabbing a cup of
coffee together, and the audience gets to be the third person who sits down
with us and hears the whole conversation. They get to hear both sides. They get
to understand how both parties feel. You don't get that perspective from a solo
artist. We're opening up our hearts from both sides of the story, and the
listener gets to hear our coffee talk."
“Each track tells its own story,” adds Trey,
“but the entire EP weaves together to form a larger narrative about relationships.
It's all about the ups, the downs, and the persistence needed to fight through
whatever comes at you. That's our story, too."