On the commercial success of their radio single “Hey Whiskey,” Smith said, “That felt pretty good. We are still moving up the charts on terrestrial radio.”
“Hey Whiskey” is available on iTunes.
Smith acknowledged that in their live shows he really enjoys playing the classic ballad “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls live. “We love playing that song. The Goo Goo Dolls are one of my favorite bands of all time,” he said.
“If It Ain’t You”
Their new song “If It Ain’t You” was inspired by Jennifer Fielder’s grandmother. “It was truly a song that we wanted to put out for fans,” Fielder said. “Our fans and our followers really wanted to hear new music. We honestly didn’t expect anything major to happen with it. We did a Spotify exclusive for this song just for our fans. Within a few days, it was put on the two biggest country play-lists on Spotify, and we weren’t even expecting that.”
Fielder noted that the story for “If It Ain’t You’ was quite personal for her. “My grandma always took me to the cemetery to put flowers on my grandfather’s grave. As a girl, it struck me weird that there was a tombstone with her name written on it, obviously since she was alive and well. When I asked her about it, she looked at me and told me that she didn’t want anybody else laying next to my grandfather, so she went ahead and claimed a spot,” she explained.
Both songs “Hey Whiskey” and “If It Ain’t You” were co-written by Jennifer Fielder, Trey Smith and Adam Wood.
Digital transformation of the music business
On the impact of technology on the music business, Smith said, “Technology has definitely changed the way that we consume music. Streaming is definitely the big platform for the future. A lot of artists will have to adjust with the way they market themselves to their fans. You see a lot of people doing streaming exclusives these days. There is a lot of legal things going on regarding streaming services, and how artists and songwriters are being paid. It will take some time getting used to. I will be curious to see how the industry adapts to the way that we consume music.”
For their fans, the duo concluded, “Hopefully, the new song ‘If It Ain’t You’ will speak about the love we hope to have with somebody, and hopefully it connects to them in some aspect of their lives.”
To learn more about country duo Smithfield, check out their official website.
