smashby

Smashby Releases Empowering New Country Pop Single “Love Myself (How I Used to Love You)”

Smashby, the bold, adventurous out artist known for his genreblending music and authentic storytelling, is back with his most personal and empowering release to date. His new country pop single, “Love Myself (How I Used to Love You),” brings listeners on a journey of self-discovery, healing, and the ultimate reward: self-love. The inspiration for the song came from Smashby’s very first heartbreak, when old emotions resurfaced for the artist. “It’s been a while since that heartbreak,” Smashby explains, “but seeing him get engaged last year brought everything back up. It made me reflect on how much energy I wasted on him and how, after a few heartbreaks, I realized that energy would have been better spent loving on myself.”

“People come and go in our lives all the time,” Smashby continues. “We have ourselves for as long as we live, so it makes sense to put that much love into ourselves instead of someone who might break your heart.” “Love Myself (How I Used to Love You)” conveys a powerful message about self-acceptance, embracing imperfections, and choosing self-love over the need for external validation. Musically, the single is an uplifting country pop anthem, filled with open-road vibes that make Smashby feel as though he’s driving with the top down—even though he admits with a laugh that he can’t drive. The song marks a bold new direction for Smashby, who has long experimented with different genres in his music. “My early releases are a real insight into who I was growing up,” he says. “Whether it’s been dance, hip hop, or pop, I’ve always had a way of making it my own.”

Now, Smashby is confidently stepping into country pop, a genre he says feels is home to him. “I’ve always had a love for country music and felt vocally and lyrically in sync with it,” he says. “I just wasn’t sure if the world wanted country from me until the music started naturally coming out of me. I was nervous, but when I played my manager the demos, she said, ‘Get ready Nashville, Smashby’s coming.’ That gave me the confidence I needed to dive in.”

Throughout his musical journey, Smashby has used his songs as an outlet to explore deeply personal themes, including love, heartbreak, family relationships, and personal insecurities. He admits that sometimes, he forgets people will hear the songs after they’re written. “I write these songs like they’re my personal diary entries,” he says. “Then I get to the studio, and I’m like, ‘Oh…well, here’s how I’m really feeling. Anybody else wanna share?’

But the rawness and honesty are what make the music so good, so I can’t gatekeep them anymore.”

Smashby’s journey of self-love hasn’t been easy. “My whole adolescence was a struggle,” he shares, explaining how growing up queer, the bullying was pretty bad. Kids would tease him for literally anything: his looks, voice, mannerisms, what hair color he was rocking that year. “I think most did it just to go with the crowd because to them I was just the gay kid who wanted to be a star and that wasn’t exactly the coolest thing in the 2000’s/2010’s.” He came out when he was 15 during his last year of high school, when he confided in a couple of close friends and one not so close friend. Next thing he knew, the whole school knew he was gay and he was not ready for it. However, eventually, he embraced his identity and now, he feels comfortable with who he is, regardless of labels. “I’m just me,” he says. “I don’t really care about gender stereotypes. I just want to be a nice person who can hopefully bring some light to people’s day.”

“Once I came out, a lot of my insecurities started to disappear,” he continues. “I started to unlearn what had been projected onto me by society and finally got to start living within my own boundaries.” Despite these strides, Smashby admits he still has to check in with himself regularly to maintain self-love. One recent realization came when he noticed how much he was spending on cosmetic enhancements. “I was spending way more on it than I was earning,” he says. “I was doing it because it made me feel special and iimportant. I’ve finally calmed down and realized I don’t need to change myself.”

With “Love Myself (How I Used to Love You),” Smashby hopes fans walk away feeling empowered. “I want them to feel a sense of not needing someone else to feel complete,” he says. “Learning to love yourself is the most rewarding kind of relationship you can have.”

Looking ahead, Smashby is excited about the future. He’s currently working on new music with producers like Velvet Code and Emmie Jay. He’s excited for fans to see a little visualizer for the new single and teases that a full music video will come later for a future track. “It’s all exciting,” he says. “I’ve got a really good feeling about everything I’m working on, and I just want to share it with the world.”

“Love Myself (How I Used to Love You)” is out now on all major streaming platforms via So Fierce Music, distributed by The Orchard, a Sony Music company.