I did a fun interview with Smithfield, the interview really shows their personality which is funny and down to earth! Enjoy!
- How long has the band been together?
“We started singing together almost 7 years ago. We were both in college in the DFW area, and had been pursuing individual music careers before we decided to try it out.”
2. Tell me about yourselves (where you’re from, how old you are etc.)
“My dad was a pastor, so we moved a lot while I was growing up. But I ended up in The Woodlands, Texas from the age of 13, until I graduated High School. Jennifer was born and raised in Waxahachie, Texas (just south of Dallas). That’s the town both of our families are from. I’m 28 years young, and Jennifer is 2 years younger than me. That’s all you need to know. Haha”
3. What is one thing you want new listeners to know about you?
“We want all of our new listeners to know that we are not a typical girl/guy duo. We try to push the boundaries of the traditional girl/guy duo model by straying away from love songs, and having a good blend of solo songs and true duets.”
4. What is the story behind your newest song “When You’re Gone”?
“”When You’re Gone” was actually born out of a title, a guitar lick, and a cell phone video. Lol. I had the title that day, but nobody was digging it at first, so we quickly moved on because I wanted to write it as a sappy love song. Then our co writer brought up this cool guitar lick he had which felt really good. Then he showed us a video on his phone of his wife the night before getting a little tipsy at a bar, and dancing around just having a blast. We all laughed and he said he thought it was so sexy when she got that way, so I threw out the title “When You’re Gone” again, and it all kind of just wrote itself from there.”
5. What was it like to create the music video for “When You’re Gone”?
“The music video was so fun! Honestly it didn’t even feel like work, it was more like just a big party with all our friends. We had a vision of creating this multi- generational dynamic in the video, and showcasing that you can still have that crazy fun kind of love for somebody, no matter what walk of life you’re in or from. Visually and conceptually, we couldn’t be happier with it.”
6. Cereal then milk or milk then cereal?
Trey:” O definitely cereal then milk. That’s the only way to get the best milk/cereal ratio. ;-)”
Jennifer: “cereal then milk! Almond milk though ha ha!! I’m lactose so wouldn’t be pretty if it wasn’t lol.”
7. Who is your ideal person to tour with?
Trey: “Well, I’m for sure waiting for Keith Urban to call and ask. Hah. That would be a dream tour mate for me.”
Jennifer: “oooo me too Trey! Keith is the man, but I wouldn’t mind hearing from Carrie underwood either!”
8. What was it like to open up for Eric Paslay, Scotty McCreery, Jana Kramer, Dustin Lynch, Brothers Osborne and Craig Campbell.
“It’s been great to open for all of those guys! I think there’s something to learn from each of them, and watching them has truly made us better at what we do as artists. Many of them have been very kind to us, and we can only hope to do the same for other acts when we are in their shoes.”
9. Do you have a quote or saying you live by?
Trey: “We are both faith driven people. I always keep Psalm 9:10 in my mind. “I will never leave you or forsake you, for you Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you”.”
Jennifer: “I have a tattoo on my wrist that says “Faith” and it’s to remind me to always have faith in God, my dream, and myself.”
10. If you could only have one artist on your phone who would it be?
Trey: “I think if I could only have one artist on my phone, it would be Jon Bellion right now. Such a fan of his work and his craft. Going to see him live in Nashville in a couple of weeks!!”
Jennifer: “Gosh Trey quit taking my answers lol! K well now I’m gonna have to say Bruno Mars! He’s my absolute fave to jam to.”
11. What was the first concert you went to?
Trey: “My first concert was actually a Tony Bennett concert!”
Jennifer: “My first concert was N’Sync!”
12. Who inspired you to start writing and performing music?
Trey: “Jon Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls inspired me to start writing. I remember watching a vh1 special as a kid, and listening to him talk about his writing process, and then from then on, I was obsessed with the art.”
Jennifer: “Faith Hill, Shania Twain, and Leanne Rimes were the artists that made me fall in love with country music and performing as a kid. I picked up the art of songwriting in college because I knew I wanted to be in Nashville and writing was the best way to start. Trey really encouraged me early on to have a strong voice in the room. He gave me the confidence to do it. And now we kill it as a team!”
13. If you were stuck in an airport with a 3 hr. layover what 1 artist would you want to talk to?
Trey: “Not to sound like a broken record, lol, but for me, I would want to talk to Jon Rzeznik. The work and heartaches and successes he’s been through in his career would definitely make for some good stories.”
Jennifer: “Faith Hill. Like I said she is my hero. I’d love to hear all her stories of the industry. Her ups and downs, raising a family and being successful. I just want to hear all about it.”
14. If you weren’t pursuing music what would you be doing?
Trey: “If I wasn’t pursuing music, I might be digging in a pyramid in Egypt. I actually studied Egyptology in College, and was always fascinated with that civilization and it’s history.”
Jennifer: “I would have either a craft coffee shop (which Trey and I still plan on doing on top music), or I would be working in the health/fitness industry. I’m very passionate about that too.”
Smithfield Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smithfieldmusic/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SmithfieldMusic?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor