Louisiana native singer-songwriter and self-taught guitarist, Payton Smith, has a lot to celebrate. Smith began releasing music in 2019; quickly amassing over 50 million streams on his debut single, “Like I Knew You Would”. Known for not only high-energy guitar slinging and smooth vocals, the formerly named CMT Listen Up artist also composed and played every string instrument on each track of his debut project.

As Taste of Country noted his “raw talent, authenticity and strong work ethic are bound to bring him country music success for many, many years”. Music Row Magazine previously called smith their Next Big Thing, while “Like I Knew You Would” charted as the number seven song of the year on Spotify’s Hot Country.

Payton Smith signed with Combustion Masters in late 2022, releasing “Missed The Boat” in early 2023, marking a new era of music, being produced by Combustion’s Chris Farren. Smith’s debut album, What Colors Your Wild, was released in May of 2023, with playlisting features on Apple’s New In County, Spotify’s New Music Friday Country and Tidal’s Country Waves, Rising: Country, and Amazon Music’s Breakthrough Country.

Payton recently concluded supporting Brantley Gilbert, ZZ Top, Lee Brice, Dylan Scott, Lily Rose, and Priscilla Block on 2025 and 2026 tours. Payton has also shared the stage with artists such as Jordan Davis, Chris Young, Mitchell Tenpenny, and more. In September of 2025, he released his powerful album The Bridge. Already in 2026, he has released standout singles in “Ain’t No You” and “Two Hearts”.