Today we’d like to introduce you to Deirdre Smith.
Hi Deirdre, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been singing since I was a little girl. I used to sit around the piano listening to my mom and my aunts sing for hours. They sang every hymn known to man. They knew them all! They sounded SO good and it was so peaceful sitting there listening to them. They could break into perfect harmony on the drop of a dime. I would try to follow along and chime in here and there, but WOW. I remember thinking I wanna do that when I grow up.
As I grew up, and all of the insecurities rushed in, I started to doubt that I would ever be good enough. And then, in High School, I was told by the choir teacher that my voice wasn’t strong enough to really sing. I was devastated and pretty much stopped singing. I adjusted my focus and decided that I was just gonna act and maybe dance, but had been told that I was a little heavy. I also learned pretty quickly that some people thought being black wasn’t a good thing either. The insecurities grew stronger and I assumed ok, maybe I needed to rethink the plan.
As I went through college and right after, I sang, but never with the intent of living out my old dreams of releasing music, touring or performing. I thought maybe, I’ll sing small roles in musicals or something like that. The funny thing about that is I still trained, without a coach, by myself. I spent one summer preparing songs, pretending I was in concert, etc. I was trying so hard to delete a dream that wasn’t mine to delete.
Right before my mom passed away, I had been writing and recording music. Of course, this was just for fun. I wasn’t gonna release it. I played her a song I wrote, titled Holding’ On, about her and my father who had passed away my senior year in college. My mom made me promise that I would release the songs I had been working on along with the song I had written for her and my father. Soon after, she passed away and a new strength, fire and determination was birthed in me. I released my first Album which included Holdin’ On just as I had promised. I had my first concert and haven’t looked back since.
After releasing that album, titled “Holdin’ On”, I began singing with now lifelong friends Greg Kekahuna and soon after, Angelo Francois in our band titled Welcome Home. We released our 1st album entitled “Home”, and our second album, Mamma’s Home Cookin’. We then added in our 3rd partner in crime, Ashlyn Wilson and released our EP’s, “On & On”, & “Fences”. We have had the privilege of playing at SXSW, touring Washington, Oregon, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas and all over Southern California.
Welcome Home the band is still going strong and working on some new music. BUT, we are also shifting a little bit of our focus to solo projects. In December, I released my solo EP, Connected To My Savior.
This EP, Connected To My Savior, is straight out of my childhood dream that I almost gave up on. Connected To My Savior is an EP of praises to God for continuing to grow the gift even when I was too afraid to continue. Praises for giving me direction and understanding of what he has given me and a platform to share his is love with others.
I am not gonna lie, it has been a long journey…that I am still on. Finally though, I like my voice and I know without a doubt that this is what I am supposed to be doing. My insecurities still pop up from time to time. There is just more and more space between those pop-ups.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As a human being, I have fought being a little bit of a perfectionist. I used to sing safely because I was afraid of messing up. The problem with that is you can’t grow if you don’t mess up. You can’t push your limits into freedom if you never push to where you “assume” the limits are and beyond. Now, the goal is always fearlessness. After all, that’s where the magic is.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I currently sing with the Urban Folk band Welcome Home. I recently released my 1st solo project entitled, Connected To My Savior.
I am the head of AP Music for Amusement Park Entertainment. I have written and produced music for Nike, The Harlem Globetrotters, Dark Horse graphic novel, “The Truth” and Shell to name a few.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Be fearless and NEVER allow other people’s voices to be louder than that quiet voice inside.
Contact Info:
- Website: Welcomehometheband.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/welcomehometheband
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peacequest2020/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/welcomehome2195
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4JviEYpKrujaWeqWJSfCP5?si=Ukt4w1OGQtiv5B2tickMCw&nd=1
