Despite his newfound fame, Jordan Smith still bleeds blue
January 3, 2016
By Marjorie Kirk and Josh Ellis
Jordan Smith has performed for millions on the NBC singing competition “The Voice,” but the blue-blooded Cats fan fulfilled a long awaited dream in front of about 23,000 people Saturday.
The Harlan county native sang the national anthem at the home basketball game against Ole Miss, just after he announced his engagement to longtime girlfriend Kristen Denny.
Smith flies to Los Angeles this weekend to begin recording his debut album, which he said would consist of pop songs, similar to the mixed pop and Christian music catalogue he sang on “The Voice.”
“I’m headed straight to LA in the morning, and then I’m getting right in the studio on Monday morning, starting on a new album,” Smith said.
Smith said that despite going to college in Tennessee, he has not betrayed his allegiance to the UK Wildcats.
“My life for the past year has just been a lot of dreams coming true and a lot of desires of my heart being fulfilled and this is another big one of those,” Smith said. “I’ve been a fan for such a long time, this is a song I love and as a singer this is a really big moment for me.”
His success is felt in his hometown of Harlan, where the city received him with a parade, the title of Harlan Countian of the Year, and where he was named a Kentucky Colonel and an honorary coal miner.
“There was a break in the show where I got to come home and experience the whole thing with my family, and during that time I actually was a substitute teacher,” Smith said. “I substitute taught in elementary schools, and I went to a couple of schools and got to talk to the kids about following their dreams, and what it’s meant for me and my journey.”
Smith said he hopes to contribute even more to the town that he said shaped him into the man he is today.
“I plan to pour back into my hometown,” Smith said. “I’ve already had the chance to raise some money for a local charity called Christ’s Hands at one of my viewing parties, and I want to be able to continue to do things like that.”
For his upcoming album with Republic Records, Smith said that his hope is to be able to move people with his music.
“I’m all about making music that inspires people—music that provokes emotions and thoughts and brings you back to a certain place in your life or reminds you of a certain person,” Smith said. “I think that it will be a mix of different kinds of music, pop music, I think that there will be a lot of faith-based music in it because that’s such a big part of who I am.”
