“My grandma has always been my biggest fan," Smith shares. “And with the Grammy’s getting pushed back from COVID, I thought it’d be awesome to celebrate the ‘OG Grammy’ in my life, my abuelita! Ever since I was a kid, she’d show up to all of my school plays, band shows, put my mix-tape CDs on for anyone and everyone who would listen. I haven’t gotten to see her much during COVID. I’ve missed her a lot and I know that’s a narrative that’s super common in this time with many even losing these extremely important people in their lives. I wrote this song for her, to celebrate my biggest fan, and I played it for her over the holidays. We danced in the living room to it!” Watch now: Denver-born, and recently relocated from NYC to Nashville, AJ Smith’s unconventional path to pop artist is reflected throughout his music, which has the uncanny ability to evoke a nostalgic desire for dramatic pop of decades past while sounding modern, fresh, and emotional. It’s no surprise then, that Smith’s songwriting and performance abilities have earned multiple awards, including the prestigious Abe Olman Scholarship from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and a semi-finalist ranking in the 2020 International Songwriting Contest. Recent highlights include consistent airplay on the SiriusXM Billy Joel channel, being named Performer Magazine’s Artist of the Month, collaborating with Martin Guitar as they launch their new line of ukuleles, and additional stories in American Songwriter, Good Morning America, CBS Radio, Spin Magazine, and more. Next, do people who are tone-deaf hear music differently?
