INTERVIEW: Brogan Smith Rediscovers Queer Family in "Bloodline"
Brogan Smith always knew he wanted to share his music in Nashville. In our interview, the singer-songwriter shares how he developed such a sensitive and heartbreaking pen.
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Nashville singer-songwriter Brogan Smith knows exactly what he's about. Inspired by confessional artists like Phoebe Bridgers and drawn to the stage from a young age, it was never a question what Smith wanted to do with his life. His recent singles "Knight in Shining Armor" and "Bloodline" reveal a deeply sensitive artist whose queer storytelling can touch lives. In our interview, Smith tells us about his coming out journey and songs that will break your heart.
What would you like to say to people who are currently questioning their identities?
I would tell anyone questioning their identities that it is okay to take as much time as they need to navigate who they are. We have our whole lives to discover new things about ourselves. Everyone is on their own timeline and journey in life and you should never feel pressured to put any sort of label on yourself. Also, finding people that you feel safe and comfortable to have these conversations with is huge. Being able to talk to your support system of friends or whoever it may be instead of
bottling these thoughts and feelings away is essential.
How do you feel your coming out journey plays into your music?
I have a song called “Bloodline” that is about my coming out to my dad. In that conversation, he told me for the first time about a great aunt I never knew I had who was also queer. I grew up my whole life not realizing that I maybe wasn’t the first queer person in my family and having that realization was such a shock to me. I’m also still learning and navigating how I want to write about these stories and moments from the time I was coming out and I think there are definitely still songs to come from those experiences.
How do you feel your queer identity ties into your performance style or music?
I write very personally about my own experiences as a queer person. I think being honest and speaking about feelings and situations I would have been too afraid to put to paper when I was younger definitely plays into the way I sing about these topics. Having my music be very lyrically driven and producing my songs to feel very centered around my lyrics and my acoustic guitar is important to me.
Name a perfect song and tell us why you feel that way.
The first time I heard “Words” by Gregory Alan Isakov broke my heart. The production, the melody on the piano and the sound of the guitar feel so gut-wrenching paired with the song's lyrics. “Maybe you would leave too and we’d blindly pass each other…just to find the warm bed of our lover” is one of the most heartbreaking lines I have ever heard.
Who are some of your musical influences?
My biggest musical influences I would definitely say are Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers. The ways they are both able to write songs that are so specific and personal to their own experiences but somehow feel so universal has always been inspiring to me and has heavily shaped who I am as a songwriter today. Some other big influences in terms of songwriting and also my sound include Searows, Noah Kahan, and Big Thief.
