Welcome to Emerging Artists Spotlight, the Billboard series where we highlight a musician or band who has recently made their debut on the Emerging Artists chart. Whether they are new to the industry, or have been around for a while but are just starting to have a chart impact, the intention is to showcase where they are here and now. This week’s pick is Caitlyn Smith, who debuted at No. 45 on the chart dated March 28 thanks to the success of her second studio album Supernova.
Hailing from Cannon Falls Minnesota, singer-songwriter Caitlyn Smith has been drawn to music since she was a child.
At the age of 12, she formed her first band and went on to release three albums independently by the time she turned 19. A fan of songwriters like Carole King, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell and Patti Griffin, Smith eventually moved to Nashville where she’d amass cuts by Meghan Trainor and John Legend (“Like I’m Gonna Lose You”), Cassadee Pope (“Wasting All These Tears”), and Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton (“You Can’t Make Old Friends”), among others.
Now signed to Monument Records as an artist, Smith’s second studio album Supernova, released March 13, debuts on the Top Album Sales chart at No. 92 with 1,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.
Her powerful single and album opener "Long Time Coming" concurrently stands at No. 37 on the Adult Alternative Songs airplay chart in its third charting week (down from its No. 35 peak last week). The song is her first career entry on one of Billboard's song charts.
“A lot of life happened between my last record and Supernova,” says the mother of two, who tours the country with her family of four. “This new album holds a vast range of emotion. Each song is a different expression of humanity: loss, change, loneliness, love, fear and hope.
“When my life feels really loud and crazy, I love to sit down at the piano, or pick up my guitar, zoom in really, really small and write about the tiny details that make life so beautiful,” she continues. “My goal is to get to the guts of it. My hope is that this record could be a bright light for some people in this crazy world right now.”
Prior to Supernova, Smith’s major label debut album Starfire reached No. 24 on Americana/Folk Albums and No. 6 on Heatseekers Albums in 2018. Before that, her Starfire (EP) reached No. 18 on Americana/Folk Albums and No. 16 on Heatseekers Albums in 2016.
Learn more about Smith below.
Name: Caitlyn Smith
Age: 33
Recommended track: “Long Time Coming”
Outside of the music: “I’m obsessed with the outdoors -- it puts my head in the right place and helps drown out the noise. I love exploring new cities and experiencing the energy and sights and food... I’ve been touring a lot this year, and we’ve been having a ton of fun. In this time where everything has slowed down for a minute, my husband and I are making a garden, enjoying this time with our kids and learning how good rest is.”
What’s next: "I’ve started a new [Instagram] Live Series called ‘Lonely Together’ and am having fun with that! And as soon as we’re able, I’m looking forward to getting back out on the road and continue touring. (Our tour was cut short due to the virus.) We had to cancel everything a few days before my album was released, which was devastating, but, I’m excited to get out there with this new music when the time is right.”
Past Emerging Artists Spotlights: Breland | Spanish Love Songs | AJJ | Sleep On It | (Sandy) Alex G | Knocked Loose | Charly Bliss | Tank and the Bangas | Bear's Den | J.S. Ondara | Delain | Mabel | Kiana Lede | I Am They | Benee