Nate Smith started his musical journey a few years ago, and he has already catapulted himself into American country stardom with 1.6 billion streams and a handful of gold and platinum records.

This year he released his third studio album, California Gold, which received critical acclaim for its eclectic blend of traditional country storytelling and rock elements drawn from early 2000s bands like Lifehouse, The Calling, Hinder and The Goo Go Dolls. Music magazine Country Swag wrote in part:

"While Nate Smith dabbles in new sounds throughout his sophomore album, his voice and style find him at home in whatever he does, and California Gold is truly Nashville gold."

Since settling in Nashville and picking up his first tentative chords on the guitar, his popularity has skyrocketed, with songs like the platinum-certified country banger "Whiskey On You" gaining millions of fans worldwide.

The single was followed by another ear-catching masterpiece in the form of the song "World On Fire". It reached number one on the US country radio charts in December and remained at the top of the charts for ten consecutive weeks.

Nate Smith writes personal songs about life lived, for better or worse. He blends a potent musical elixir of soul, rock'n'roll and country and ties it all together beautifully with his distinctive vocals that can soften the most frozen heart.

Learning guitar at age 13, Garth Brooks, Elvis Presley and Bob Seger were among those who inspired his powerful, inner vocals, while Michael Jackson made him yearn for the spotlight and Nirvana gave his sound a sharp edge.

In 2018, Smith lost everything he owned in the devastating wildfire that ravaged Paradise, California. Struggling to make it through the day, he returned to music in the hope that it would help comfort himself and others.

Det kræver mod at spille country. Selvom genren er berømt og til tider berygtet for sin enkle og direkte tilgang til både musik og følelser, er det stadig et af musikkens mest farefulde farvande, fyldt med fastgroede fordomme og beskyldninger om om kopivare, kostumebal og kynisk kassetænkning.

Men KROGEN er ikke bange for at være ligeglad med fordomme. Fra første sekund af den nye single "Elske den man får", en gedigen kæberasler drevet af et effektivt pophook. Trangen til at gøre tingene på sin egen måde kommer ikke ud af den blå luft for den fynskfødte sanger.

Countrymusikken har været KROGENs store kærlighed, siden han første gang lyttede til Waylon Jennings, outlaw-ikonet, der vendte bunden i vejret på Nashville og countrymusikken i 70’erne, da han som en af de første countrystjerner mønstrede modet til at bryde med genrens rigide regler og konventioner.