It all started with helping others for Nate Smith, who was a Certified Nursing Assistant before making it big in Country music. At the age of 18, Smith leaned into his love for others by becoming a CNA (Certified Nurse Assistant), but little did he know that road would lead him to Country stardom.

Always full of enthusiasm with a big smile on his face, it’s no surprise bringing joy to those around him is a gift for Smith, but it looks a little different these days as he’s gone from helping people accomplish everyday tasks during their stay in assisted living facilities and hospitals to rocking out on stage and dancing through his sets with thousands of fans.

“I like to help people,” Smith told Audacy’s Katie Neal during the Superstar Power Hour as he recalled his past work in the medical field. “When I was 18, I became a CNA — Certified Nurse Assistant — and I had jobs in convalescent homes [and] acute care. I was working in different hospitals and retirement home sort-of-situations where they require more care than just assisted living… helping them with the activities and daily living… I just love people a lot, I love taking care of people.”

His journey to help people shifted when he was 23 and received an opportunity to spread joy through one of his biggest hobbies — music — by signing a record deal in Nashville.

“When I was 23, I had an opportunity to get a record deal in Nashville and so I moved to Nashville for the first time with Word Records — it’s a Christian company here in town,” he explained. “It sort of fell though after six months of negotiating… I ended up signing a publishing deal as a songwriter so I did that for about three years and I went through a really difficult break-up.”

Navigating heartbreak led Nate to a move back home to California to be with his family, but just as he started healing — more devastation hit. In 2018, Smith lost everything to a wildfire, which sparked a new grieving process where he leaned on music more than ever.

Following the fire in 2018, Nate’s friend sent him a guitar which allowed him to keep making music and ultimately prompted a second move to Nashville, second record deal offer, and so much more for Smith who has now found his own place in Country music after the release of his debut album and EP.

Now, Smith is looking to solidify that space even more as he shares he’s currently at work on his sophomore album. The 38-year-old promises it will include some of the Rocker-Country vibes his fans love so much, while he also says some of the tracks will push the boundaries a bit.

“Yes, there’s an album coming, there’s for sure an album coming,” he promised. “There’s going to be songs on this one that are more in the world that you’re familiar with like ‘World On Fire,’ ‘Bulletproof,’ ‘Whiskey [on You]’ without re-doing the songs… There will also be a lot of songs that push the listener outside of that too. We’re excited to push the boundaries a little bit.”

Smith has teased a taste of the new album with clips of an unreleased song, “Fix What You Didn’t Break,” on socials and it’s clear fans are more excited than ever. “I feel like I’ve had a lot of tempo, tempo and I think it would be good not to go all the way extreme and go super ballad, but find a tough boy love song,” he said when asked about the tune.

“We set out to kind of marry the 2000s with Country,” he said of the inspiration behind the song. “Listening to those songs like ,'I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing' or 'Here Without You' [by] 3 Doors Down, that kind of thing…. I’m so excited about this song, I really believe in it.”

“Fix What You Didn’t Break,” is available for pre-save now while the release date for Smith’s sophomore album remains under wraps. Hear more about what to expect, his past in nursing, time on tour with Morgan Wallen, bromance with Bailey Zimmerman and so much more by checking out Nate Smith’s entire conversation on the Superstar Power Hour with Katie Neal above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal