Today we’d like to introduce you to Monique Smaz.
Hi Monique, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started playing music as soon as I possibly could. My dad was a professional jazz drummer, so music was a large part of my environment growing up. He had me practicing paradiddles as soon as I could hold a pair of drumsticks! My mom is a major music lover, although not a performer, she always had music playing around the house and was incredibly supportive of my dads career in music. Unfortunately, my dad battled a variety of health conditions his entire life and passed away when I was pretty young… I was 7 years old. As tragic as that loss was and still is to navigate, my mom made a point of continuing to foster my love for and gift of music in honor of my dad. For that and for her, I am eternally grateful. I am lucky to be able to say I have always had a really rock-solid support system in my family, friends, and community when it came to music. I’ve always had a load of people who saw talent in me and truly believed in me.
I started vocal lessons around age 4 or 5, piano and guitar at age 6, and then I joined the St.Paul School of Rock Music at age 7. Joining the School of Rock as a kid was a pivotal part of my journey to becoming a professional artist/singer-songwriter. I was enrolled in the School of Rock from ages 7-17 taking private lessons in vocals, guitar, piano, bass, and drums and performing live full band concerts every 3 months at local venues. Right around 16-17 years old, I started booking my own solo acoustic shows at local bars, coffeeshops, etc. Honestly, once I realized I really could plug in my guitar, sing some songs at the local bar, draw a decent crowd, and make a few bucks doing it all – I simply just never stopped. I continued to practice, write, perform, book shows, network, post online, spread my name, my songs, and my stories and things continued to grow, very gratefully, into what they are now. Of course, that’s the CliffsNotes version of events, but it all went a little something like that.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This journey has been absolutely chaotic and I know to my core that it is exactly what I am meant for. There have been days I have thrown my hands in the air and screamed to the sky how much I wanna be done running in place chasing this dream – but I believe that what is meant for you will chase you back, and any time I’ve had a moment of self-doubt like that, gratefully, this dream has hit the ground running and has chased me back. This whole music thing and I – we have each other in a pretty tight chokehold these days. I’ve gone through it all along the way to where I am now – loss/death/grief, probably more than any other obstacle, but also heartbreak, uprooting my life and moving across the country, independent artist stress, changes in my team/network over the years, self-doubt, comparison, burn-out, work-life balance, a few doors slammed in my face, working non-music part-time jobs, financial stress, family challenges, etc. You name it, I’ve probably done it, seen it, felt it, dealt with it. But with every struggle story I can tell, I can match it with a success story. Thankfully, I’ve got just as many of those too. If the road to success was all too smooth, there wouldn’t be anything to write these songs about!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Musical Artist/Singer-Songwriter born in St.Paul, Minnesota and I am currently based in Nashville, Tennessee. My genre is Country/Rock. My sound blends the edge and grit of rock-and-roll with the heartfelt, soulful, and sometimes tongue-in-cheek storytelling of country music. My music is heavily influenced by the sounds, styles, and songwriting of Miranda Lambert, Elle King, Gretchen Wilson, Ashley McBryde, and Janis Joplin. I have performed to audiences at notable national venues such as US Bank Stadium, Target Center Arena, First Avenue, and at prestigious music events such as The Frank Brown Songwriters’ Festival. I am a Midwest Country Music Organization Female Vocalist of The Year Nominee and a Maverick of The Year Award Winner. I have earned airtime on radio stations such as hometown Minnesota favorites 89.3FM The Current, 102.9FM The Wolf, as well as nationally acclaimed SiriusXM Radio’s Ch 56 “The Highway/On The Horizon”, where I was a “Highway Find” thanks to my debut single “Let Me In”. My songwriting has made its way into the Country Music Hall of Fame here in Nashville via a Musician’s Spotlight Performance by Natalie Murphy. I have shared stages/bills with artists such as Tucker Wetmore, Emily Ann Roberts, Tenille Townes, Turnpike Troubadours, Belles, Lauren Alaina, and Zach Bryan. Now living in Nashville, TN, I have immersed myself in the city’s rich community of songwriting and recording with plans to continue writing, releasing, and performing to audiences around the globe, so stay tuned!
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Please keep listening to my music! That is the #1 thing you can do to support me. Keep streaming on all of the music streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, etc.), keep spinning my songs on your local TouchTunes Jukeboxes, give me a follow and stay engaged on social media (@moniquesmaz), buy/wear my merchandise, spread my name and sing my songs at the top of your lungs, and please, please, please, come out to the live shows. More than anything, I’d love to be able to shake some hands, learn some names, and say some proper thank you’s face-to-face to all of you for your support – so, grab the ticket and come on out to a live show!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.moniquesmaz.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moniquesmaz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoniqueSmaz/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@moniquesmaz
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@moniquesmaz
Image Credits
Brent Snyder, Kaleb Graham Productions, Dan Michener, Ray Aley, Nick Greseth, BUMPOPERA
