Earlier this month, Smithfield premiered the music video for their new single “Hey Whiskey” on CMT.
To celebrate the unveiling, Trey Smith and Jennifer Fiedler hosted a video release party in Nashville for their family, friends, and of course Celeb Secrets Country!
The event was at House: A Social Eatery, aka the charming location where the video was filmed. It was very interesting to see all the scenes where it took place! The room was packed with friends and supporters who gave out a positive energy that could not be ignored.
“We wanted a darker feel for “Hey Whiskey,” so that’s how we chose our producer who hit it out of the park,” Trey Smith says. “The just about this guy who has a bad habit of getting drunk, drinking whiskey. And when he does, he thinks about this girl that he used to have and inevitably he ends up calling or texting her. The whole video revolves around the whole push and pull thing between the two of them. There are some really cool performance shots in there as well, so we are really happy with it!”
“They originally wanted Trey and I to play the love interest, but since we aren’t together and we’re not actors we really preferred to be artists and perform and sing. I am so happy we got to do that and feel so comfortable during filming because we didn’t have to be actors. We have two friends who happen to be actors and friends, so we asked them to help out and they knocked it out of the park too. We had the right director and the right people playing the parts and the roles,” Jennifer Fiedler adds.
From playing at the Opry eight times to working on a new EP, Smithfield has been doing a lot to progress their career. Keep up with the duo by following them on Twitter at @SmithfieldMusic and read our full Q&A below.
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Celeb Secrets Country: When did you guys start making music together?
Jennifer: “About five years ago, Trey and I were both in college. I’ve actually known Trey since I was a little kid, since I was ten. We grew up singing music our whole lives but never together. And so after his rock band broke up, he reached out to me on Facebook, and he asked me if we wanted to be a duo. I was kind of doing my own thing, but then I was like shoot, he’s a family friend and I’ve known him forever, I can’t just say no. So I said sure, so he came over and we tried it out. The very first song we sang together was a Keith Urban cover, and it sounds cheesy but the first time that we sang together, our harmonies and our blend were so unique and so special and sounded so great together, it was like we just knew we were meant to sing together. From there, we just started writing, of course figuring out who we are as artists, but that’s how we started out.”
Celeb Secrets Country: Do you have a favorite song that you guys sing together?
Trey: ““Hey Whiskey” is one of my favorites to sing together just because it highlights our harmonies so well. Which is obviously one of our strong points.”
Jennifer: “Mine is “Hey Whiskey” because no matter how we play it, in a bar, at a festival, a theatre, no matter what setting or venue it sees to always go over really well. So when you have that kind of confidence with that kind of song, no matter where you’re at, that’s one of my favorites.”
Celeb Secrets Country: What is it like hearing your songs such as “Hey Whiskey” or “Nothing but the Night” on the radio?
Trey: “It’s a dream come true. Its something we’ve always really wanted. We’re very blessed to have it. Its very cool.”
Jennifer: “For me, I always envisioned it that we’d be on a really big label and here we are, we’ve made our Opry debut, made a video on CMT, and now “Hey Whiskey” is on Sirius. Its not really how I envisioned it, but its super cool that we were able to make something happen on our own. There is still a team of people behind us, but its still really hard without that major label push behind it. It is so exciting to see some success without that.”
Celeb Secrets Country: You guys have played at the Opry eight times since May, what is that experience like?
Jennifer: “I still get nervous, I don’t know about you.”
Trey: “I still get nervous, I don’t think you ever completely get used to it. It never feels normal, its always special. Its kind of usual until you get out on the side stage and realize what you’re about to do.”
Jennifer: “I also get that feeling that once we get on that circle, we belong there. Even though I’m nervous on side stage, once we get there I realize we belong and deserve to be there.”
Celeb Secrets Country: What are your favorite parts about being on stage?
Trey: “There is nothing better in the world than a really energetic audience. Like if you go out, you can tell if they’re in to it and if they’re screaming. You can feel the energy and it just runs you up that much more.”
Jennifer: “Now that our songs have been on the radio for a few months now, its been cool to see people actually sing the songs. As to before, they didn’t really know our songs unless they happened to download it on iTunes. Now, we’re seeing people singing and that has been my favorite part. I can’t wait until everyone is louder than we are and to just let them sing.”
Celeb Secrets Country: Are you guys already working on new music?
Jennifer: “We probably will put out a new EP sometime in the next year. This EP has been out about a year, even though people are just now hearing it, we have had it for awhile. We’re still writing when we’re in town.”
Celeb Secrets Country: How would you describe your sound to someone who hasn’t heard you yet?
Trey: “We kind of take a few notes from the Lady Antebellum thing, as well as harmonies and musical dynamic stuff. I come from the rock world and it is just a good melding of both rock and traditional country. We’re country-pop with a little bit of rock infusion.”
Celeb Secrets Country: Who are your biggest musical influences?
Jennifer: “A lot of traditional country. So for me, my idols are like Faith Hill, she is like my all time girl crush, everything about her, musically too, I love Carrie Underwood. I also grew up in the pop era with Britney Spears. Even though country has always been my favorite music and has always been my heart, pop has been influential to me as well.”
Trey: “I would say musically and songwriting wise, John Rzeznik. Performance wise, the Garth Brooks kind of thing.”
Celeb Secrets Country: Since we are Celeb Secrets Country, do you have any secrets about each other or yourselves that you would like to share with us?
Trey: “Here is a fun fact about her. She has this thing where she can never finish her drink. She will always leave a little bit of liquid at the bottom. It bothers me because I can’t not finish a drink so I’ll finish it myself.
Jennifer: “This is a secret about both of us, we both love Marvel movies. I love all that stuff.”
Trey: “I wave my nerd flag proudly.”
Jennifer: “I think we’ve both seen every superhero or action movie that has come out. I don’t know if you would have guessed that. We’re closet nerds. We act cool, but we love all the nerdy stuff.”
