“I Believe in This Song”: Nate Smith Discusses Vulnerable New Unreleased Track, ‘No Stranger To The Pain’

With over 2.2 billion career streams, three number 1 hits and 8.7 monthly listeners on Spotify, you’d think Nate Smith was secure in the new music that he puts out.

Turns out, he’s just like the rest of us. When talking to Holler at London’s C2C Festival this year, the ‘World on Fire’ singer-songwriter candidly revealed his nerves in putting out a different kind of sound – his newly teased track, ‘No Stranger To The Pain’.

His latest album, California Gold, featured much-loved tracks such as ‘Bittersweet’ and the Avril Lavigne-assisted ‘Can You Die From A Broken Heart’, which carried a sincere, slower sound, delving into the age-old story of heartbreak. However, Smith’s new offering explore a deeper, more introspective narrative.

“I’ve never been more nervous posting a song than I am right now,” Smith said in the caption of his ‘No Stranger To The Pain’ teaser, “It’s too honest, it’s too emotional...We can all relate to pain, but what do we do with it? Do we embrace it? Do we deny it? For me, it’s a reminder that I’m alive in the here and now”. Inviting his fans to share their story, Smith shared a 60 second clip of ‘No Stranger To The Pain’.

On the evocative track, Smith movingly croons, “Been praying for the wind against my back / Tie a rope to tomorrow, let it drag me from the past / Won’t set no expectations honey, I can take the rein / That old familiar killer / I’m no stranger to the pain”.

Nate Smith’s brand is synonymous with the heavier, rockier side of country and he leans into this through collaborations with friends like HARDY and Avril Lavigne. He’s also showcased his versatility by putting a country twist on the EDM-infused, club-ready ‘I Like It’ with Alesso and delivering stellar ballads like ‘I Don’t Want To Go To Heaven’. So it begs the question, what makes this track so nerve-wracking?

“I didn’t want to put it out there and then it doesn’t react,” Nate Smith explained to Holler about his ‘No Stranger To The Pain’ social media tease, “I love the song so much that I didn’t want to have that happen…it might make me overthink my art”.

Joey Hendricks, who wrote the song, commented, “well I’ll be damned, so good bro”. Although not penned by him, Smith still feels a special connection to the lyrics, “I believe in this song so much. But it’s really, really, really tough. It’s really raw and real.” This was echoed in his post, where he outlined how he was “sitting here overthinking everything, but what I do know, is that this song makes me feel”. 

We can’t wait to feel whatever it is Nate Smith will have us feeling when we get to hear the full version of this song. There’s no word yet on when ‘No Stranger To The Pain’, but the ‘Whiskey On You’ singer is busy teasing more music - including the infectious, uplifting ‘Nights These Days’ - as well as finishing his ‘Through The Smoke’ run and preparing to head out with Jason Aldean on the ‘Full Throttle’ tour in May.

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