Today we’d like to introduce you to Codi Smith.
Codi, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Everything started unexpectedly when I got a MacBook on my 15th birthday. I would make beats on Garageband using the loops that came with the program…next thing you knew I was making songs as jokes that went viral around my school and I would tell EVERYONE that I was a pop star singing sensation! At 18 years old I packed three carry on bags, and I left St. Louis Missouri to start my Los Angeles journey. Starting with sleeping on a friends couch for four weeks! After years of putting singles out I finally put out my first mixtape ‘Dynamic’ (2017) and my first official EP release ‘Manifesting Miracles’ (2018). Its been a long time coming, but I wouldn’t change this path for anything!
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Pop music these days gets a bad rap. When I tell people I’m a pop star, they either laugh, or they think I’m joking. But it’s true. I AM a pop star. I live and breathe pop. People feel like pop music is just one thing, but honestly, it can be so many things. The ultimate shapeshift genre. It can be urban; it can be rock, it can be electronic. It can be vapid, or it can mean something. For me, I’m the most inspired by using the things that make me sad and making it into an upbeat song. I have a song on my EP called ‘Laaazy (Depression Naps),’ and it’s literally me singing about how I can not get out of bed because I’m so depressed and lost, yet it’s one of the most upbeat songs on the EP. If I’m going to have depression or feel scorned, I should at least be able to dance to it. And with that, I feel like it becomes medicine because I’m acknowledging my feelings or a situation and I’m making a gift basically out of an ugly box. Then there’s the sensual side to it. Being black and gay you can sometimes feel like singing about your sexuality is kind of a taboo…but I should be able to sing the same things as everyone else! I should be able to sing ‘Thug Me Out’ without a second thought because sensuality is a natural part of life. I’m basically here to say whether it makes you comfortable or not, I’m here. And I want everyone to know that. And the one thing I want people to take away from anything that I do, if not anything else, is that you don’t owe anyone anything. None of us chose to be here, and we all deserve to live in our truth.
Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
Being an artist today is both harder and easier than it has ever been. Easier in the sense that being independent is more accessible and easier than ever with distributors like ‘Distrokid’ and ‘Tunecore.’ You don’t have to answer to anyone, and you can upload as much music as you want in an instant. We can really utilize the internet to be seen and heard although the internet has its downsides as well. Specifically social media. Which brings me to the hard part. With an Instagram account being probably the most immediate source of visibility when it comes to social media, your art starts to become more so a business than…well…art. If you wanted to go the major label rout and you don’t have a big following (more importantly a big engagement), you can more than likely forget it. With streaming not bringing in as much money as when people would actually buy an album, they’re going to sign people that they know can make them money. But it even trickles down to how we treat each other as well. Some people won’t even give you a chance if they go on your page and you don’t have a certain amount of followers. People can make you out to be like you’re less worthy without follower validation. The business and pressure of likes and followers can be overwhelming at times. That aspect of it does give me anxiety. Everything becomes more strategic, from what you post to even what time you post it at. Luckily I live in Los Angeles with a plethora of different people with all sorts of backgrounds that couldn’t care less about the hype for the sake of hype. I think that’s where the genuine support and encouragement comes in. And the biggest way we can help support local artist is by just showing up. If you enjoy an artist or interested in an artist, showing up the shows and supporting their releases are the utmost encouraging. There’s nothing like the feeling of being supported.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My singles and EP are available on every music platform known to man with the power of Distrokid! I highly suggest any new artist to hop on the Distrokid train! The starting package is $20 a year, and you can literally upload as much music as you want! These days, convenience is everything, and people love to just add you onto their daily playlist with the rest of their collection!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.listen.lt/CodiSmithManifestingMiracles
- Phone: 3237474191
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codismith/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CODISMITHMUSIC/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thecodismith
Image Credit:
Shot by Al Kalyk
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