B. Smyth is more than ready.
The Florida-born R&B singer is the newest star on Motown’s roster and after generating tremendous buzz with the 2 Chainz-assisted “Leggo,” as well as two well-received summer bangers in “Gettin’ That” and “Letter.” The 19 year old is preparing his debut EP B. Smyth Presents: The Florida Files. On a pleasant day in Manhattan’s Columbus Circle, Smyth shared his excitement and enthusiasm for the project.
“[…Florida Files] is taking you guys into my environment and where i’m from,” Smyth explains to RO. “Every video [for the EP] is shot in a different area in Florida and you can see me get a lot more personal. And [there’s] some dope music.”
“Everybody has a story tell and I’m a Florida boy,” he continues. “The tone of [the project] is basically just a young dude trying to get this girl to fall in love with him or just notice him. I’ve worked with some pretty dope people: Sean Garrett, the producer Fredro—I wrote a lot of it. I’m really excited about it.”
Smyth has a lot to be excited about. He’s steadily built his name since 2012 on the strength of hot singles and consistent live performance. He admits that the experience has been a whirlwind.
“The past year has been a lot of hard work. Lots of up s and downs,” he says. “Lots of new people. I’ve been working hard. I’ve been on the road a lot, I’ve been in the studio a lot. [But] it’s been a good year. I didn’t expect all of this. But I did know that it wasn’t going to be easy. Nothing in life is easy–especially with a job like this.. There’s no ‘OK, I’m done.’ You’re always going.”
And Smyth says one of the hardest realities has been having to recognize that not everyone will be along for the ride. “I had to lose certain people. For the most part, my family and real friends have been supporting me and close to me. A lot of people say it’s you that changes, but sometimes your family can’t handle certain success. They can’t really grasp it.”
But the key for B. Smyth has been focusing on the music. “The gift that we have as artists is being able to go into the studio and create stories from experiences,” he explains. And he feels that the stage is, in many ways, an even greater release than creating in a studio. “Performing is just being let loose. It’s your turn to show people what you’ve been in the studio working on. Its your chance to be whoever you wanna be onstage and let go. I love recording, too, but I like to actually be in it–with the people.”
“We’ve had Frank Ocean, Bruno Mars, Miguel—but as far as a dancer/entertainer, we haven’t seen anybody since Chris Brown,” B. Smyth adds. “I think [I can be] a breath of fresh air.
B. Smyth Presents: The Florida Files is set to be released on October 15th
