Caitlyn Smith, one of Nashville’s most sought out songwriters, would often be rejected by labels while they took her original songs for other musicians on their roster. Now on her second major record, Caitlyn talks about her start in small-town Minnesota that eventually led her to Music City.
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Raised in Cannon Falls, MN, Smith’s parents supported their talented daughter from an early age and even offered her college fund money as a loan for her first album. After the young musician produced three albums and paid back the loan, she set her sights on Nashville and earned that job of songwriting for other musicians. About a decade after hearing NO so many times from labels, she went back to her DIY roots and recorded an EP of songs that she created just for herself in her own style. As soon as that was released, the opportunities started appearing. Smith realized that in order to make the leap from being a songwriter to a performing songwriter, she needed to follow her own creative arrow and stop writing songs for other people. That being said, she does continue her work as a staff songwriter. It works a different muscle than her own writing, which she goes into detail about in the episode. Smith also talks about her complicated feelings on Nashville, the Country music industry, raising a family and lifting up other female performers while doing it.
Basic Folk is a podcast with honest conversations between musicians and Cindy Howes, a well-versed public radio host and music curator. Howes approaches interviews with warmth, humor and insightful questions. This podcast fosters the folk community and showcases a genre that is often misunderstood.
Read more about Caitlyn Smith here and tune into Basic Folk podcast each week for more interviews.
