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Riley Smith talks ‘Chocolate,’ ‘Nancy Drew,’ and ‘True Blood’ (Includes interview)

His song “Chocolate” garnered a favorable review from Digital Journal. “I was living in Chicago shooting a TV show called Proven Innocent, with Kelsey Grammer. I had moved there, and it felt like moving home since I have a lot of family and friends there, which is amazing. I had this apartment that was on the 46th floor overlooking the city right on the river. I thought it was going to inspire some really good music,” he said.

“One night, I went out to my balcony to decompress and I sensed a smell that came through the wind, which smelt like chocolate. I made a note on my phone that this city smelt like chocolate. The next morning, I shared my cool idea with the songwriters, and Rick Ferrell started to sing the melody, and I thought ‘that was it.’ I came up with the story since I was living it. At the time, I was with my fiancée for seven years, and she has traveled with me to a lot of places. We had fun in a lot of places, but there was something about Chicago because it was home to me. The smell just solidified it since it smelled sweet. I made it a song for my fiancée,” he elaborated.

He shared that Nancy Drew on The CW has been “awesome.” “The cast is amazing. We are all like family. I love our crew and our producers. We shoot in Vancouver, which is the most beautiful city to shoot in. Ultimately, this job is absolutely perfect. I am excited to get to work on it,” he said.

Equally “cool” for him was working in True Blood. “They have been on the air for a long time, and I was there for their last season. I got to have some memorable moments,” he said. “I was in the very last shot ever at the picnic table having dinner.”

Smith described Nashville as one of his top three favorite acting experiences in his career. “I had the time of my life there since I got to sing and act,” he said. “The city itself is a huge tourist destination. I was convinced I wanted to move there when I finished the show.”

For young and aspiring actors and singers, he said, “Make sure that you love it. Otherwise, it is a long road. If you are doing it for any other reason than passion, then you will end up unhappy.”

On being an actor in the digital age, he said, “It is a scary time. I’ve been doing this for 20 years. For the most part, I stick to my old-school acting.”

Regarding the title of the current chapter of his life, he said, “Changed.” “I have a nine-month older daughter, so I have been able to be with her every second of her life,” he said.

Smith defined the word success as “peace with yourself.”

For his fans, he concluded about “Chocolate,” “I hope the song makes them feel as good as it made me feel making it. This is a nostalgic song and hopefully, it is the kind of song that is timeless. It makes me feel so good and I hope it can do that for other people.”

Riley Smith

Riley Smith
Bjoern Kommerell

Markos Papadatos
Written By

Markos Papadatos is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for Music News. Papadatos is a Greek-American journalist and educator that has authored over 22,000 original articles over the past 18 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports. He is a 16-time "Best of Long Island" winner, where for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, and 2022), he was honored as the "Best Long Island Personality" in Arts & Entertainment, an honor that has gone to Billy Joel six times.

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