NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 15: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Nate Smith performs onstage at the New Faces of Country Music Dinner during CRS 2023 at Omni Nashville Hotel on March 15, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images)

It took a literal fire, the Butte County Camp Fire in Paradise, California to get Nate Smith to Nashville. Now, after two number-one singles, including the multi-week “World On Fire,” and an ACM New Male Artist nomination, he’s oozing gratitude.

“Coming from the Camp Fire in Paradise to moving across Nashville and getting here with like nothing and having people come around me and champion me as an artist has been incredibly amazing. And I’m so grateful for all of you that have believed in me. This is a huge deal. This is a huge, huge, huge deal.”