Nate Smith Shares Emotional Reaction In New Video: 'It’s Been A Journey'

Nate Smith opened up about “the impact” of a meaningful moment he recently marked in his career.

Smith apologized “for the waterworks” when he shared a vulnerable video on Instagram over the weekend. The singer-songwriter shared his emotional reaction “in case you guys didn’t know the impact” of a single reaching No. 1. Smith marked that milestone with “Fix What You Didn’t Break,” a song he wrote with Ashley Gorley, Taylor Delmar Phillips and Lindsay Rimes. It appears on his sophomore studio record, California Gold.

The 2024 Academy of Country Music New Male Artist of the Year told his fans when he posted the video that “y’all are changing not only my life but everyone around me😭 Sorry for the waterworks but couldn’t control it. I’m too overwhelmed with thankfulness and relief.” Smith thanked his fellow songwriters, his team, his fans and others, and said “without you…we wouldn’t be here today. I’m overwhelmed today😭😭😭”

“It’s been a journey with this song,” Smith said in the clip he shared on Instagram. “And I was so scared, you know? …I can’t really talk right now.”

Smith released California Gold in 2024, following his powerful debut studio album the year prior. Smith’s self-titled record in 2023 included record-setting singles “World on Fire,” “Whiskey On You’ and more. Smith told iHeartCountry in a previous interview that it can be “a scary thing” to release new music. “But, you know, for me, it’s always about the songs. It’s always gonna be about the songs. I think that’s the most important thing. …if the song’s right, you’ve got something.”

Smith recently shared that he and the team of songwriters wrote “Fix What You Didn’t Break” when “I was in a phase of 90’s rock… I’ve always said that I feel like this song was so heavily influenced by The Goo Goo Dolls. There’s so many aspects musically of their music that really are aligned with the music I want to make and share with y’all! I freakin love you guys for supporting me and this song so much.

“God is good ALL the time!!” Smith added in a post on Monday (August 11). “This last weekend was spent with all of my friends celebrating in the best way I know how… with ALL of you 🫵🏼🔥 Thank you for making these last few days so memorable. We love you guys so much and ya know how to make a guy feel really loved🥲🙏🏼”