Duo Members: Trey Smith, Jennifer Fiedler
Home State: Texas
Single: “Hey Whiskey”
EP: Smithfield
Website: smithfieldmusic.com
Twitter: @Smithfieldmusic
Influences: Trey – Goo Goo Dolls Johnny Rzeznik, Garth Brooks; Jennifer – LeAnn Rimes, Faith Hill, Patsy Cline
The Scoop
Born in the great state of Texas, Trey Smith and Jennifer Fiedler—a.k.a. Smithfield—have known each other since they were youngsters thanks to family friendships. But it wasn’t until college and a forced get-together that they realized their vocal style meshed well and they joined forces. The longtime friends released their self-titled EP in November 2015, which contains their first single, “Nothing But the Night” and their latest release, “Hey Whiskey.” As a “musical marriage” made in heaven—and no relation to the Smithfield bacon company—this duo sizzles with chemistry and tight vocal harmonies. And just so we are all clear, they are NOT a couple. “We’ve just known each other forever, to be honest with you, and the music just kind of brought us together ultimately,” says Jennifer.
A Little Bit Country, a Little Bit Rock-N-Roll
Jennifer: “I grew up singing a lot of traditional country music. I’m from Texas—the Dallas area. I didn’t grow up writing songs, but I grew up performing, so that was really what my strengths were. I was doing that from the age of 9.”
Trey: “I grew up on all kinds of different music, but classic rock was the first stuff that my dad had me listening to when I was a kid. Boston was the first CD I ever owned—best CD ever—the sounds on that were just so cool. I loved Garth Brooks growing up, the Goo Goo Dolls were one of my favorite bands of all time. Johnny Rzeznik’s the guy that got me into songwriting in the first place. I just kind of built on that and started playing in rock bands in college—did that for a few years—and eventually ended up connecting with [Jennifer].”
Jennifer: “That really is who we are at our core. Trey and I have actually known each other since we were little kids, so we go way back. It’s crazy that our whole lives, we grew up singing—but never together. Doors always shut for us separately. They didn’t open until we were together. So it’s kind of like it was a meant-to-be thing, for sure.”
