Jenn Fielder and Trey Smith comprise the duo Smithfield. They're dropping their first album today after hustling in Nashville for a decade.
Country With Heart Part 1 represents a cumulation of a series of ups and downs for the childhood friends from Texas. This includes the first label they signed with folding and leaving yet another label after realizing it wasn't a good fit.
Then, Fielder and Smith nearly threw in the towel in 2020. Funds were drying up and labels had failed them. It seemed like Music City had hit a sour note and it was time to head back to the Lone Star State. Instead, the twosome rallied and wrote "We'll Figure It Out", which became a motivator not only for themselves to push forward but resonated with a slew of listeners. The song blew up on TikTok and Instagram Reels, racking up over 500 million impressions online.
"We'll Figure It Out" became something of a prophecy. The motivational tune enabled them to rebuild their business, continue their musical journey, and finance their new album.
They also hit some major milestones before Country With Heart Part 1 dropped. They have over 100 million global streams and have performed at the Grand Ole Opry more than 40 times. They've also shared the stage with country music stars like Old Dominion, Kane Brown, Brothers Osborne, and Morgan Wallen.
Despite achieving so much, having an official debut album is visceral for Fielder and Smith.
"It's a big full circle moment," Jenn Fielder exclusively told Wide Open Country. "It's like we're putting out the album that we always wanted to put out that we always envisioned," she added.
For Fielder, it makes it even more special that Country With Heart Part 1 was done on their terms.
"We're not chasing anything [or] trying to please labels. We're not we're not trying to please anybody but our fans and people who love what we do. And that's it."
"We were just like, what are we waiting on? ", Trey Smith added. "Some of the best advice we probably got when we first moved [to Nashville] was don't ever wait on somebody to do something. Like, do it yourself. There's so much you can do yourself. Don't wait on people."
Smithfield's New Video Showcases Their Signature Harmonies and Heartfelt Songwriting... and Something Else...
Their first video in support of their new album, the track "What I Got", highlights the duo's signature harmonies and heartfelt songwriting.
However, something else about the duo is on front street.
Despite their natural charm and Hallmark movie good looks, Jenn Fielder and Trey Smith are not a couple. The video features both of their significant others getting cozy with the artists (for the record, Fielder is engaged and Smith is married).
Although featuring Smithfield alongside their respective significant others fits the tune's theme, they admit it might be a bit deliberate, too.
"So yes, it was very, very intentional," Jenn admits. She detailed how when they first started doing press, they were often questioned about their relationship status. "I'm here to talk about music, about songwriting. I'm here to talk about you know, our history growing up, we're like family," she added.
Meanwhile, interviewers had other ideas. "Everybody would always like, oh, are you guys hooking up? Are you together?", she recalled. That said, Smithfield isn't shying away from ballads that pull at the heartstrings. " I think it's easy for us to sing songs like that, " Trey added.
From his perspective, performing love songs means transmuting real-life emotions for their significant others in their performance. "You're kind of channeling like an actor would. You're channeling something real in your life, but you're just doing it on stage," he explained.
Smithfield's Trey Smith and Jenn Fielder. (Photo by Erika Rock)
In recent years, Country Music has broadened its horizons. Less traditional artists like Post Malone, Adam Mac, and Lil Nas X are garnering attention in the Country lane. Meanwhile, pop stars who cut their teeth in other genres like Beyonce and Jelly Roll are going full-tilt Country these days.
What does that mean for a dyed-in-the-wool Country throwback like a male-female duo?
"I personally think it's great," Trey said. "Country Music was founded on stories. If you're an artist that has a story in your heart, and you want to tell it... that has a place in Country Music."
"You make music to connect with people," Jenn added. "If there is an audience for that, of course, you have traditionalists, that are like, that's not real country music. But it's expanded the genre [and the] audience and it's more diverse than it's ever been. And I think that's a positive thing."
Country With Heart Part 1 is also something of a love letter to Smithfield's fans and the connection they share.
"We noticed that our shows that we make people really feel something," Jenn noted. "If you come to a Smithfield show and you don't cry, laugh smile, or hug that person that you love, we didn't do our job."
Fielder pointed out that while acts like Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs often write about raising hell, they offered a more wholesome counterpoint for the same set of listeners.
"They provide the party, we provide the heart," Smith quipped.
Country With Heart Part 1 is available now at your preferred streaming destination.
