"We've been in a real country music mood lately! There's lots of exciting tunes coming out of Nashville these days. Slightly off-center, not-so-typical and just really GOOD! Like this one, I Like It That Way, by Canaan Smith."

Read more at PerezHilton.com

» perezhilton.com

Ready to Shine. A new single and album, plus a marquee tour this summer have singer Canaan Smith poised for country music stardom.  

Virginia Living features Canaan Smith and his performance at The Grand Ole Opry.

It was a moment every aspiring country music artist dreams about: Standing in the wings of country music's biggest stage, Mercury Records singer/songwriter and Virginia native Canaan Smith was preparing to make his Grand Ole Opry Debut, and suddenly, all of challenges and the hours, and the sweat that it had taken to get him to that very moment simply washed away. "I used to part to God that he would somehow give me the chance to stand out there one day," recalls Smith. "You step into that circle and everything becomes pretty surreal. You definitely feel the weight of the room and all of the history in there. I just felt like I was back in time with all of the classic singers I have looks up to all my life. All the greats had once stood in the same spot as I was, just singing their songs. It was quite a moment for me." 

For the full story, pick up your May edition of Virginia Living 

» www.virginialiving.com

“Live music is a hallmark of CMA Music Festival and we are excited to be able to add a new stage and even more performances this year,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer.

The BIC Soleil Bella Beach Stage is a new addition to the Festival in 2012 with concerts and fun-in-the-sun activities starting at 11:00 AM/CT each day during the Festival, which runs Thursday through Sunday, June 7-10.

The Bud Light Stage at Bridgestone Arena Plaza, at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Broadway, is always a fan favorite and a great place to check out some of Country’s hottest acts. Packed with music fans in 2011, the stage is bigger and better in 2012 with a diverse lineup of performers and the addition of the world-famous Clydesdale horses nearby.        

Canaan Smith is currently scheduled to perform at the Bud Light Stage at Bridgestone Arena Plaza on Saturday, June 9 from 3:30 PM- 3:55 PM

To commemorate his fourth performance on the Grand Ole Opry, Mercury Records’ singer/songwriter Canaan Smith invited label and tour mate Kristian Bush of Sugarland to play Canaan’s “We Got Us” on Friday night.

"Friday night was my fourth performance on the Grand Ole Opry and I gotta say it was the most exciting for me.” Canaan says. “Being on that legendary stage with someone as influential and talented as Kristian Bush was overwhelming. That moment will be hard to top."

Canaan is currently on tour with superstar band Sugarland on their “In Your Hands” Tour. Their next stop is in Los Angeles at the Greek Theatre on May 22. For a complete list of Canaan’s tour dates go to www.canaansmith.com.

 

» blogs.tennessean.com

Planet Verge interviewed Canaan Smith on his upcoming tour with Sugarland!

When we first met up-and-coming country singer Canaan Smith, he was performing only his second road show opening for Corey Smith (no relation) and hadn’t even confirmed a single for release. Fast forward 6 months and  if you blink an eye you’ll miss something exciting going on in this young singers booming career as he’s covering every hot music list from being on Billboard’s “Next Big Sound” list, to Country Weekly’s “One’s to Watch in 2012″  and even getting some praise from celebrity blogger Perez Hilton. The official video for his debut single “We Got Us” is creeping on 1 million views and the song is steadily climbing the charts, currently at #46. Now he’s packing his bags to head out on one of the hottest tours of the summer , Sugarland’s In Your Hands tour.

Canaan describes everything that’s been going on saying, “This has been amazing, it’s like eating cookie dough-it tastes soooo good. I feel like a piece of news or promotion and publicity comes everyday and it blows me away. Really the most rewarding part of all of this for me, aside from the promotion and being on the “One’s to Watch” lists-which I’m humbly honored to be on-but, the underlying message to me is that my song is resonating with people and that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”  As for Canaan’s thoughts of being on tour with Sugarland? “It’s stupid, just ridiculous, right? A little over a week from now I’ll be in Toledo Ohio, walking on stage in front of thousands of people, with a band behind me, singing my songs for 30 minutes and bringing the party to Ohio. I couldn’t ask for anything more right now.”

PV: You are also are booking shows and stuff in between your time on tour with Sugarland too, so, if their tour isn’t stopping in someone’s town, your fans still have a chance to see you outside of it.

Canaan: Yes, we’re doing a bunch of stuff , as much as we can, to stay busy and get out there. I actually just found out I’m opening for Carrie Underwood in Canada for a new country music festival they are having up there. She’s the headliner and I’m getting to open for her, so that’s going to be nothing short of insane. It’s so crazy!!

To learn more about Canaan's upcoming tour with Sugarland, check out the rest of Planet Verge's interview here.

In addition to supporting your favorite music videos from your favorite artists, you will have the chance to enter to win one of five prize packs which feature FREE SWAG (a mixture of merchandise from CDs to T-Shirts and more) from EACH of the sixteen artists featured in this contest.  You can enter the contest as much as you want but only after you have voted for your favorite videos. The five winners will be announced when the winning video is announced in 4 weeks.

Vote today for Canaan's single, 'We Got Us', on Roughstock.Com

"It's a long haul, and I'm ready for it," he says. "I know there's no such thing as a overnight success. This is when the work really starts. It's definitely going to require every bit of our focus and energy. Luckily, I have a great label and a great team behind me that believe in me and is out there working for me."

His debut single, "We Got Us," was released to radio in January, and Smith says he feels good about the early success of the song. "You can't really put it into words. I've been at it for so long, it seems that when you see things start to actually happening and unfolding that you've dreamed of for so long, it's really hard to describe the emotions surrounding that. I'm so incredibly blessed."

For the full article, go to Billboard.com  

Mercury Records singer/songwriter Canaan Smith recently performed a packed industry showcase at famed L.A. venue The Mint. Among those in attendance were executives from Creative Artists Agency, Disney Music Publishing and ASCAP. (L-R): Julie Enzer (Disney Music Group), Rob Light (CAA), Rod Essig (CAA), Canaan Smith, and Erin Culley (CAA).

Photo: Arlene Muller

On Saturday, February 18 Mercury Records’ singer/songwriter Canaan Smith made his Grand Ole Opry debut to a close to sold-out crowd. Canaan performed his single “We Got Us” and the tear-jerker “Prettiest Girl In Town,” both of which will be on his forthcoming album due later this year.

When asked to describe the feeling of being on the historic stage, the ecstatic singer said "I want to cry because there's so much happiness. To be part of this family is a dream. I am completely beside myself."

Photo Credit: Chris Hollo, 2012 Copyright Grand Ole Opry

To see more photos of the night, check out Canaan's Facebook.

Canaan Smith will make his debut appearance on the Grand Ole Opry Saturday February 18th!

In a recent blog, Perez Hilton mentions Canaan Smith's "We Got Us" as sentimental and a great message To read more of Hiltons article on Canaan, Check out Perezhilton.com

New Mercury artist, Canaan Smith, visited Music Row yesterday to delight the staff with songs from upcoming album, including current single "We Got Us." For more on Canaan and Music Row's Industry Ink Tuesday check out MusicRow.Com

DISClaimer Single Reviews, from MusicRow.Com, awards Canaan the DISCovery Award.

"As far as this week’s newcomer prize goes, I was all set to present it to Hodges, but it turns out that he had a Show Dog platter last summer (Hunt You Down) that I was also enthusiastic about. So that leaves softly earnest Canaan Smith as our DisCovery Award winner."

Read full article on Musicrow.com

By: Matt Bjorke

Canaan Smith has been working in the background of the Nashville music scene for a few years now, honing his skills and that hard work eventually brought him to Nashville record labels attention (getting a co-write on buddy Stephen Barker Liles’s group – Love and Theft –’s album didn’t hurt) and Canaan eventually signed with Mercury Nashville. The label and Canaan chose “We Got Us” as his first single from the label and the song, which Canaan co-wrote with Barker Liles and Tommy Lee James.

From the very beginning of “We Got Us,” it’s evident that Canaan Smith definitely has definitely been influenced by the folksy country pop but that doesn’t mean that “We Got Us” isn’t a song worth listening to. Actually it’s a very listenable song with interesting production from Brett Beavers and Luke Wooten (they have worked with Sunny Sweeney and Dierks Bentley) which grounds “We Got Love” in country music with a base of mandolins, fiddles, steel and  acoustic guitars guiding the melody and keeping the song grounded in country music.

Vocally, Canaan has a strong tenor as he sings lyrics which discuss a man who knows times may be hard for him and his new love but with love as their anchor, they’re ready to take the leap and make a commitment to each other and that despite having nothing but each other, that love will be enough to pull them through any tough times they’ll encounter along the way. 

Very few debut singles are as strong as “We Got Us” and that’s exactly why Canaan Smith is one of Roughnstock’s ones to watch in 2012 (look for that article soon).

Canaan is featured in this week's Country Weekly magazine as "One To Watch In 2012!" Get out and grab your issue with Canaan's long time hero, George Strait on the cover. This year is going to be BIG!

By: Billy Dukes
Mercury Nashville

Country newcomer Canaan Smith is as easy to enjoy as a walk through the park on a warm October morning. The singer — and one-time reality TV star — will release his debut single ‘We Got Us’ to radio in January. He brings a folky, singer-songwriter style that is begging to be heard on country radio.

Smith seems like that guy you knew in high school or college that everyone loved. He wears red pants and Converse tennis shoes. He’s got a nice smile, but is soulful and reflective. He’s competitive, but he’s also an artist. It’s not surprising that Smith already has over 3500 friends on Facebook. Half of those probably even call him a close friend.

All of this wouldn’t matter if the song — a midtempo acoustic strummer about a couple who own nothing but their love for one another — was no good, but it is good. Really good. The lyrics are imaginative and sharp and Smith’s laid-back style feels like a country version of Jack Johnson.

“We know we’re ready / It may sound crazy / Cause we got no money / Nothing on our own honey / We got your daddy all worried / Because times are tough / We got love baby / Don’t sound like much maybe / There ain’t no way that’s not enough / Cause we got us,” Smith sings during the chorus. During the 15th season of ‘Amazing Race’ he was listed as only a songwriter (Love and Theft’s ‘Runaway’ came from his pen) but he has the voice to carry his own career as well.

“They say life’s not a love song / I think everybody’s all wrong / So far forever sounds good to me / We got, California moon light / Enough gas to make it to sunrise / Two hearts believin’ that’s all we’ll need,” he adds during the second verse.

Smith competed on ‘Amazing Race’ with then-girlfriend Mika Combs in 2009, and was part of one of the series’ more memorable moments. Remember the couple that got eliminated because she wouldn’t go down the water slide? Yep, that was him.

It’s seems doubtful the two are still together but the story of two lovers having nothing but each other would be appropriate for two people who watched $1 million go down a waterslide without them.

TASTE OF COUNTRY RATING: 4 & ½ Stars