Ashley Gorley presents Nate Smith as Rookie of the Year in Billboard's Country Power Players 2024.
Ashley Gorley:
It is my privilege to present this year's Billboard Rookie of the Year Award to my friend Nate Smith. Any Nate Smith fans in the house, come on. Within the first few minutes of my first writing session with Nate, I became a Nate Smith fan. He was kind, grateful, excited, personable, willing to learn and contribute. Someone he wanted to be friends with and help in any way he could. He was a rock star with a unique voice, who created his own path in country music, and I have had the pleasure of knowing him over the past few years and his work ethic, character and talent have grown every day.
Nate's journey began 15 years ago when he moved to Nashville. He played bars on Broadway, wrote songs, did the same thing. He ended up returning home after a while, but continued working from his hometown to keep his dream alive. He then posted some things on TikTok and his world changed. He worked hard until everyone knew how good he was, and he had no choice but to return to Nashville because everyone wanted him there.
Fast forward to today, I would say returning to Nashville was the right decision. Her debut single, “Whiskey on You,” reached number one at country radio and was certified double platinum. His current single “Bulletproof” is approaching the top 10 at radio, his song “World on Fire” made history with a record 10 consecutive weeks at #1.
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