Smiley has been burning up the internet for the past year. Her song, “Unthinkable,” went viral after collecting 27 million views via YouTube. Smiley has not looked back. The Chicago native is fresh and ready to take the world head-on. Her voice is strong and versatile. The future is bright for Smiley and it is exciting to see the direction in which she is headed. Rolling out spoke with Smiley about her roots, influences and the goals she is looking to accomplish musically.
Talk about why you started singing?
I’ve been singing my whole life as a little girl in church. As I got older, my old pastor told me, “God got a plan for you to use your gift.” After that day, I started to take singing very seriously because I did have the talent to sing and that was in 8th grade.
Who are some of your biggest influences and why?
I would say social media, me, my supporters, my family and my team. The reason I say all of them is because they all help me in a way and they’re always teaching me something new.
How has growing up in Chicago helped you with your music?
When I was living in Chicago, going to church seeing my mom and grandmother sing in the choir made me wanna sing too. It made me understand sticking to my roots and never forgetting where I came from, my foundation.
Talk about why you think your song “Unthinkable” is so popular?
I think that song is so popular because of the message that I gave in the song. … People were not expecting me to pop out with a song.
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