Next Wave: From TikTok Covers To Performances At Glastonbury, Nia Smith’s Grand Emergence
Nia Smith - Joseph Okpako
The world suffered massive disturbances in the year 2020 - films were cancelled, streets became barren, and it was even hard to get a McChicken. All of these difficulties did not prevent Nia Smith from presenting her beautiful voice to the world with a couple of covers on TikTok. Little did she know that these covers would lead to an EP and touring years later.
The Social Media Sprouting
The 21-year-old Smith grew up in Brixton, London, and attended the well-established Brit School, including other hugely talented alumni like Adele, Imogen Heap, and alternative genius Geordie Greep. Being a middle child between two brothers, her aspirations started with the trombone and wanting to be a firefighter, before lurking on her dad’s music opened her eyes. “When my dad went out to work, I would steal his iPod and memorise the lyrics to all the songs,” Smith states. Some of the artists that stood out to her included legends like Michael Jackson, James Brown and Tina Turner - you know, some of the most iconic artists in early R&B and soul. Picking up the guitar in her teenage years, Smith started to create her own songs, before social media gave her a space to give her voice an immeasurable audience.
In times of isolation in 2020, Smith figured TikTok could be a landing space for her talents, with her early covers of Frank Ocean and Willow Smith starting to grab the eyes of many. Her first TikTok to truly demand attention was a cover Smith did of Bruno Mars’ “That's What I Like”, currently standing at nearly 7 million views. Smith continued to release even more covers, seeing the coverage it was getting, but knew it was only time before she was going to be performing on stages.
Smith slowly started her live music career soon after, opening for artists like Tems in 2022 while having a couple of solo shows along the way. In late 2023 to early 2024, Smith received alarming medical news about her vocal cords that required surgery. Smith lost her voice for two months before taking the chance on the surgery, and it came during a time of opportunity, “My single [was] supposed to drop in a couple of weeks. I’d just moved out, so was living alone. All this change is happening. I learned some lessons from it.” Fully recovered, Smith felt it was time for her to release her first single, "Give Up The Fear,” on May 10, 2024.
Cementing Her Discography Into R&B and Soul Sounds
Smith’s debut track opens with a solo piano dancing along a buzzing and moving bass, before her trademark soulful voice comes in. The soft but low ring of Smith’s voice matches perfectly with the rest of the track, and even as she pitches up, she does not get lost in the production. The constant sprinkles of her ad-libs in the background give the track so much life and an echoing (good echoing) quality. The bouncing pattern of the chorus synergizes well with that buzzing baseline, as even the lighter guitar and drums are involved. It may seem like the obvious thing to do to relate another Britain R&B singer to Amy Winehouse, but Smith’s strong and echoing drawl in her singing is too similar to the acclaimed singer/songwriter to not be compared.
The lyrics in “Give The Fear” discuss the simple issues of how pain persists by holding onto it. Smith repeatedly says to the listener, “Give up the pain,” further saying this very pain is blocking their heart from so much. There is more to give up, including some more positive things like the truth, your right, and your name, potentially showcasing this double standard of wanting to give up pain, but what else can be lost in giving up pain. Smith stands tall in her stance, saying, “I would never live like that,” demonstrating her desire to want to shed these feelings and mantras in order to fully realize herself as an artist.
This very strong debut would carry the momentum to her next single and her most-streamed song to date, “Personal”. The more calm and laid-back production of “Give Up The Fear” was swapped for a more upbeat atmosphere with reggae drums and the shuffling percussion, while still remaining true to her powerful voice. Smith simply wants someone to leave her alone and, of course, not to “take it personal.” The single even garnered enough success to warrant a remix from one of Smith’s very own favorite artists, Popcaan.
Her final single before the release of her debut EP went back to a more stripped-down production, but emotions ran high on “Little Red Car”. The looming piano with the slow wind of the synths in the background creates this dramatic landscape for Smith’s boomingly powerful vocals to strain and land. Smith sings of a love not returned, even going so far as to say they “set my soul on fire.” The simple nature of some of her early tracks, which allow her voice to truly shine across, is reminiscent of a fellow Smith, Jorja Smith. Smith is truly unleashed, not holding back in the backing or leading vocals, perfectly leading her to her debut EP, Give Up The Fear.
The EP Arrival, A Deluxe, and Live Show Success
Give Up The Fear was released on November 8, 2024, garnering positive reviews. It included all the previous singles (duh) and offered two new tracks for listeners, “Reckless Soul - demo” and “Don’t Cry”. “Reckless Soul - demo” is a delicate ballad accompanied by a lone guitar with the perfect ring and flow of Smith’s vocals holding an equal balance before fully opening up towards the end. “Don’t Cry” is much more full of energy, as the bubbling but strong singing matched with a unique and driving drum part makes it a huge standout in her early discography.
Tours and shows engulfed her 2024 schedule. Her summer started with a huge act, opening for SZA (yes, Kill Bill and Good Days SZA). She hopped on her first official tour with fellow budding R&B artist Elmiene (who also opened for SZA at the same show). Both were also included in NME’s “100 Essential Emerging Artists for 2025”, including some bigger names like the K-pop superstars of KATSEYE. This also came as she opened for Grammy-nominated soul fusion artist Jordan Rakei, completing an elite list of support shows for the year.
2025 has been chill so far for Smith. Just some casual things, like being a Vevo DSCVR Artist to Watch 2025, being nominated for MTV Push for UK & Ireland, performing with Willow Smith, doing more shows, oh yeah, and releasing a deluxe edition of her EP. Give Up The Fear (+3) released February 21 this year, with the +3 being an alternative version of “Reckless Soul”, a cover of the iconic Ms. Lauryn Hill’s “Ex Factor” (which packs an emotional punch despite only being accompanied by a guitar), and an acoustic version of “Personal”.
Smith has really dug a beautiful path for herself to rise to even greater heights as an artist. This path has been dug further as she just completed a set at the United Kingdom music festival, Glastonbury. The continual growth of her music by the many different subgenres she hits, including R&B, soul, reggae, and pop, allows Smith to travel in so many directions. With her unique desire and fierce passion, which not all artists have or want, Smith has the potential to catapult herself to the Lauryn Hill and SZA heights of R&B.