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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

The year of Reeny Smith

The North Preston R&B singer-songwriter is back in Nova Scotia with a series of shows, the release of a brand-new single, a long-awaited Christmas album, and a pair of 2022 Nova Scotia Music Awards.

Wrapping up the 2022 portion of her tour with hip-hop artist Classified, which has taken the duo across Central and Western Canada, award-winning North Preston R&B singer-songwriter Reeny Smith is back home with a series of shows in Nova Scotia, the release of a brand new single and a long-anticipated Christmas album.

“It’s been a good year.”

If that weren’t enough, the year of Reeny Smith also includes awards for African Nova Scotian Artist of the Year and Musician of the Year at this year’s Music Nova Scotia Awards.

“It’s been a good year,” says Smith.

Calling the recognition from her Music Nova Scotia Awards “very humbling,” Smith is grateful for the accolades. “I do it because I truly love to do it, and there’s no more incredible feeling than knowing that you’re doing something and people are receiving it the way you want them to,” she says.

Having just wrapped the West Coast portion as the opening act for Classified’s Retrospected Tour in Vancouver, the duo is back in the Maritimes with shows in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

“I couldn’t have asked to have gone on the road with a group of better people,” she says. “The atmosphere has been amazing and that translates into the performance. It’s been amazing being able to go to different cities and provinces and be able to show what I love to do and have people appreciate that and connect with me.”

But while their Maritime tour dates on this leg of the tour – she will be back out on the road with Classified again in March 2023 – are now sold-out, Smith will continue on her own with solo shows, including a stop at Dartmouth’s Monte’s Showbar Grill on December 15 with Reeny Does Christmas.

The latest single from North Preston R&B singer-songwriter Reeny Smith, Amber Lights expresses the concerns felt when a relationship is progressing too fast and displaying telltale signals that it may not work out.
Amber Lights is the latest single from North Preston R&B singer-songwriter Reeny Smith.

While Christmas will be the focus of Smith’s solo shows, they will undoubtedly also include her latest single, Amber Lights, a tune that expresses the concerns felt when a relationship progresses too fast and displays telltale signals that it may not work out.

Inspired by an online video clip of an unfortunate collision resulting from a driver ignoring the cautionary amber traffic light, Smith’s Amber Lights uses the metaphor to illustrate the dangers of ignoring warning signs.

“The song has taught me to always be cautious, to take my time. Don’t be in a rush,” she says.

Penned nearly three years ago, Smith took her time producing the track to ensure it matched her artistic vision. As a result, she now considers the song one of her favourites.

“I treat all my songs as if they were my kids and I have to decide when I expose them to the world or even if I want to,” says Smith. “So unfortunately this one took three years, but it is here now and people can finally have it and listen to it at their leisure.”

The song also marks Smith’s first professional collaboration with her brother Wallace Smith.

“Our parents brought us up to be musical kids, and we were thrown into music lessons at an early age, so we’ve always jammed together as children and right up into our adult age,” says Smith. “So for us to be able to still collaborate, especially at this level, is not only great for the two of us, but our parents get to see the fruits of their labour and know that their investments didn’t go to waste.”

In addition, Smith is gearing up to release her first Christmas EP, Where You At Santa?, with a combination of classic Christmas tunes and new originals. It is a project Smith has been working on since she first spoke with Halifax Presents back in 2019.

“I got some great advice from my dad who said, don’t be in a rush to go nowhere,” she says. “That was the mentality that I had to take with the project until I felt that it was at a place where I had the right songs that fit the record.”

Reeny Smith's new album Where You At Santa? drops on November 18.
Reeny Smith’s much-anticipated Christmas album, Where You At Santa?, drops on November 18.

While the EP feature two traditional Christmas pieces, the remainder of the six-track album are original songs by Smith. “I wanted to take a fun spin on Christmas and just create these quirky stories and tell them through songs,” she says.

Among the originals is the title song, in which Smith cheekily confesses being a mischievous adult who believes Santa should still be visiting her.

“I wanted to take a spin at this older person being naughty at Christmas and Santa not visiting them at all,” explains Smith. “He’s not even giving them a lump of coal; he’s just bypassing the house altogether. It’s my favourite song on the project and is super fun.”

And while 2022 may be the year of Reeny Smith, it sounds like 2023 will be just as full for the R&B/Soul singer-songwriter.

“Right now, I’m working on another project for next year that will hopefully be out in the spring or early summer,” she says. “And some show announcements are coming very soon and a few other surprises. So I’m super fortunate and blessed to be able to do this and just take it as it comes and have some fun.”

You can find out more about Reeny Smith at iamreeny.com or follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Spotify.

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