Brian Smith- Love Letter- Bio | Posted by Brian on June 18, 2007
Gospel Music Channel
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Brian Smith loves God and he loves music. Those two passions have long shaped the talented artist's life and they beautifully intertwine on his Zomba Gospel debut "Love Letter." His background in Christian radio combined with his musical talents have Brian uniquely positioned to be one of the industry's most successful new artists.
Gifted with a compelling, distinctive voice, Brian gained national acclaim as the winner of the Gospel Music Channel's 2005 Gospel Dream contest. Even in an extremely competitive field, there was an obvious spark about Brian that caught the judges' attention. There's a sweet soulfulness to his voice that conveys his heart for God and a transparency in his well-crafted lyrics that touches others deeply.
Born and raised in Port Huron, Michigan, music was always an integral part of Brian's life, but surprisingly wasn't his first career choice. "Actually I wanted to be an Air Force pilot but that didn't work out," he says. "I come from a pretty musical family. My dad is a music director at our church and has been for probably 15 years, and so growing up I was always around music."
Brian developed diverse musical tastes and cites a wide variety of influences from Steve Green to Whiteheart to PFR. "I also loved Steven Curtis Chapman and Phillips, Craig & Dean," he says. "I used to listen to PC&D's Christmas record all year round. It had great harmonies."
During his junior year in high school, Brian parlayed his love of music into a job at a local Christian radio station. "I was hired at the radio station just as part-time help at first," he says. "Then in 2000 I came on full-time. I love radio, but my heart was still really leaning toward the music side of it. They are both great ministry opportunities. I really enjoy working at the radio station, but always look for more opportunities to sing and use that gift."
Brian continues to work at WNFR, an influential Christian station in Port Huron. Over the past few years, he has worked his way up to program director of both the inspirational and CHR stations and is also host of the morning show on the inspo station. He continues to hold these positions today while juggling the demands of being one of the industry's most talked about young singer/songwriters, a newcomer poised for a long career. "It's really been my heart's first desire to do music and to be an artist. It's just been a complicated thing," he admits. "I've just been walking through the doors and asking God to lead. That's what got me to where I am now."
Brian recorded and released two independent CDs that were well received, but it was Gospel Dream that catapulted him into the national spotlight, paved the way for his deal with Zomba Gospel and "Love Letter." The result is a powerful collection of songs that reflect Brian's diverse musical influences and the versatility of his talent. "I've prayed and asked God to give me exactly what words and songs that he wanted on the record," says Brian.
To bring his vision to fruition, Brian worked with noted urban producer Steve Huff and Jeremy Redmond, a member of popular Group Big Daddy Weave. "My heart really goes out to older youth that are later high school and college age," says Brian. "I wanted to be kind of edgy, but I didn't want to alienate people who didn't necessarily care for that; so that's why you'll hear some songs that have that edge to them, but there is also some stuff that's pretty friendly to anybody's ears."
Brian says the album's title track came to him in 15 minutes. "I was just throwing out different ideas and different ways to say ‘I love you' to God," Brian recalls. "It's pretty much impossible to put into words how you feel about what God is and can be in your life, but that's what the whole song is about."
"Love is a New Day" is a buoyant song that Brian says really hits home with him these days. "That is a song I did not write, but really appreciated the words because there have been a lot of new things in my life," he says. "When the competition was going on, my wife and I had just gotten married and there's just been one change after another. We're expecting our first child in November. There's a verse that talks about the old has gone, but the new has come and we can be a new creation, and that's what lyrically struck a chord with me."
"Love Like Rain" is another of the project's highlights. It was also included on the compilation CD featuring Gospel Dream finalists. "The song revolves around being washed and rained upon by God's love and mercy and everything that he gives us freely and the hope that there is in that," says Brian. "I prayed for a long time for a creative way to say it and hopefully it came across."
Brian co-wrote the groove-oriented "Thank You" with producer Steve Huff and the experience stretched him as a songwriter. "With his hip-hop background, a lot of the stuff was done by track first," says Brian, who heard the music first and then wrote the lyric to it. "When I went into the writing session, it was really what was on my heart at that time. I was in a worship mood and went through all the things in my life that I appreciate and that's what some of the lyrics say. It's just my way of saying thank you."
"Mercy" is a poignant ballad that showcases the depth and emotional range of Brian's voice. "That was written by Mark Byrd and I really think that song is going to impact a lot of people," says Brian. "It just talks about how each of us are broken and how we're in need of something in particular. It's about the mercy that God offers when we don't deserve it. It's just a beautiful, beautiful thing and that song is one of my favorites."
"Save Me From Myself" is a song that Brian says "kind of takes humility to a whole other level. Sometimes we just get in our own way and we can be our own worst enemy. We just need to let God do the work and that's really what the whole song is about. It's an encouraging song."
If Brian seems to have a particularly fine-tuned song sense for a new artist, it's a gift he attributes to his years in Christian radio. Beyond just the business savvy it takes to recognize a radio-friendly hook, Brian has seen music impact lives. "I know there's ministry that can be done. Songs really do speak to people," he says. "They speak to people in ways that a pastor can't or a deejay can't. Music touches people in a way that I really don't understand. It's been cool to see that from the radio perspective and now from an artist's perspective."
Brian Smith's "Love Letter" is a rich musical tapestry woven together by the silky threads of Brian's velvety vocals and the taut strands of colorful, passionate lyrics. Though it may be Brian's personal letter to his heavenly father, it's also a universal expression of faith everyone can readily relate to. "The overall theme is love, the deep love between God and me and my relationship with him," Brian says. "It's the love that I hope other people will be able to experience."
Christian Musician is Going National | Posted by Brian on June 15, 2007
By BILL CHAPIN
Times Herald
| On Tuesday Brian Smith, local Christian radio personality and leader of one of the area's more successful Christian bands, will become Brian Smith, recording artist whose major-label debut will be found on store shelves across the county. "It's pretty cool, I've got to admit," said Smith of Clyde Township, who is feeling "a little bit relieved, a little bit strained." Love Letter is the result of Smith having won Gospel Music Channel's Gospel Dream contest in 2005. Like American Idol's winners, Smith was rewarded with a record deal with the Gospel division of Zomba Label Group, part of Sony BMG Music Entertainment. It's world's apart from the two CDs he made with local musicians as the Brian Smith Band. "I was using my resources and my finances," he said. For this CD, the "resources are pretty much endless." Recording started in October. He made five of the album's 11 tracks with Steve Huff, a Chicago producer known for secular and Christian R&B and hip hop. "I was really uncomfortable with it at first," Smith said, but by the third or fourth song, things started to come together. The other songs were recorded in Nashville with Jeremy Redmond of the band Big Daddy Weave. The resulting album is "really diverse," he said. Some tracks are groovy, urban rock while others are contemporary pop with lush string arrangements. Some are clear-cut, praise-and-worship songs, while others have mainstream crossover potential. "I think anybody who listens to the record will find something they like" he said. "A lot of the songs involve either God's love for us or our love back for him." Smith is keeping his job as program director and disc jockey at WNFA-FM (88.3) and WNFR-FM (90.7), based out of Ross Bible Church in Port Huron Township. He said there is some pressure for him to move to Nashville, but with his wife expecting - the couple's first child is due in November - now isn't the time. "With so many changes, I don't want to pick up and move on a whim," he said. |
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