Promising young Fernie artist Nell Smith is taking the next steps in her musical career with the creation of a second album.
Smith, age 15, has been working diligently on a group of songs that reflect the daily realities of life in her mountain hometown. She touches on topics like mental health, relationships and work.
The album is being produced in collaboration with English band Penelope Isles and local band Shred Kelly, and is set to be released globally by the Bella Union record label in 2024. It will be Smith’s first album devoted to original work.
“It was a new experience for me and Penelope Isles made it really fun and easy and welcoming,” she said. “… I just hope that people can connect with it because music is what I use to express my emotions.”
One of the songs on the album is about local musician Troy Cook, a close family friend to Smith who passed away from cancer. She has called the track Bubba in reference to Cook’s nickname.
“He used to do a lot of music in town and he had a studio. He kind of did his own stuff. He would sometimes play with bands but he was more of a solo artist. There’s some of his posters in The Northern. He’s played there a couple times. He played at Fernie Distillers and all around town.”
She has fond memories of playing music with him at local venues.
“He taught me a little bit of guitar and we wrote songs together. I played a couple of songs with him at Fernie Distillers before he passed.”
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Smith launched a kickstarter campaign in June to raise money to help fund the mixing and mastering of the album in the final stage before its release. She has already surpassed her original goal of $10,000, but has added a new target. There are currently 15 days left in the campaign. Supporters can choose from a variety of memorabilia including an LP of the album, limited edition gifts, VIP tickets to future shows, signed merchandise, handwritten lyrics, executive producer credits and framed gold discs.
She would like some of the proceeds to go towards post-secondary education. She currently has her eye on Selkirk College’s music program, which is run out of Nelson, and BIMM Institute in the U.K.
Prior to this, all funding for her music came from her family and from working part-time jobs in restaurants.
Smith had an unconventional introduction to the music world. Her career started with a chance meeting with Wayne Coyne, the frontman for psychedelic rock band The Flaming Lips. She and her father Jude were at one of the their concerts and she gave Coyne a hand written letter, which sparked a conversation. Coyne and her father exchanged numbers and their shared passion for music kept them in contact.
“He kept messaging us and talked to us about music when I first started playing. We started sending him videos of me playing guitar… He asked me to play one song and then it ended up turning into an album,” she recalled.
Where The Viaduct Looms, released two years ago, is a collection of cover songs from Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds that Smith created in partnership with The Flaming Lips. The album brought her international recognition and she embarked on a global tour with her bandmate mentors which brought her to venues in San Francisco, Los Angeles, London and Glasgow.
She was written up on rollingstone.com and performed on the Stephen Colbert Show.
“I’m very happy that the Flaming Lips invited me to go on that tour. It was probably one of the best experiences I’ve had. I was definitely very nervous in my first show, but after awhile it got a little easier. It was very nerve wracking and there were big crowds, bigger than I ever thought I would play to.”
“Wayne was the whole reason I did my first album. He did a lot for me. I definitely would not have a music career without him.”
Smith looks forward to growing her lifelong passion.
“Music is kind of my life. I’ve always wanted to be a musician. I sang and wrote songs since I was young and I picked up guitar and started learning.”
@gfrans15
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