Chattanooga singer/songwriter Rachel McIntyre Smith is back with a new single.
To help promote it, she agreed to let me ask her five questions. Two of those questions were stupid.
First, some background. Rachel McIntyre Smith’s childhood was filled with music. She started playing piano at 9, and by high school she was performing Beethoven, Chopin, and Tchaikovsky in state competitions.
She played clarinet in the marching band, and taught herself to play guitar and ukulele to accompany her singing. But a funny thing happened on her way to Nashville...
While in college at UTC she began an internship at Chattanooga’s Songbirds guitar museum, and with their encouragement, began to perform her original songs around the city.
While Nashville is full of opportunity, it can be hard for an outsider with no connections to break in. Through her work with Songbirds, she earned the chance to open for some big name touring artists like Paul Thorn, Lee Roy Parnell, and American Idol runner up Caleb Lee Hutchinson
Which brings us to the current day and her new music.
Alex: Hi Rachel! What’s the name of your new song?
Rachel: My new song is called Grow Up Slow. It’s about enjoying the phase of life that you’re in instead of wish for the next one to start.
Alex: What inspired you to write the song?
Rachel: I wrote this song when I was thinking about the pressure that gets put on women in their 20s to get married, have kids, and buy a house before they turn 30. In the past year, I’ve just started enjoying my milestones as they come instead of trying to rush to the next one.
Alex: Where can we hear it?
Rachel: It’s available on all streaming platforms today, Friday May 24. Or you can hear me play it live.
Alex: Have you ever considered changing your name to Rachel Minotaur Smith and performing in a costume with a bull’s head and tail like the iconic character from Greek mythology?
Rachel: As a big fan of Greek mythology, I’m ashamed to say that I’ve never considered that but now it’s an absolute must. I’m gonna change my entire aesthetic now.
Alex: Can we agree that I am entitled to 10% of everything Rachel Minotaur Smith earns over the course of her music career?
Rachel: Let’s round that up to 14% in honor of the 14 folks that were sent to be devoured by the Minotaur every 9 years in Greek mythology.
Look, we told you two of those questions were stupid.