Rhonette Smith is Done Saying “Maybe”: An Interview on Her Evolving Sound and New Single
From choir and piano lessons to pop punk, screamo, and eventually a lot of guitar, Rhonette Smith has been finding her way into rock music for most of her life. Somewhere along the way, Paramore, Fefe Dobson, Skye Sweetnam, and Bring Me The Horizon showed Smith that there was room for her in rock music. Now, she's taking those influences and making them her own. We got to chat with Smith about her latest single, “Maybe,” and where she’s headed in her musical journey.
LY: Tell us about yourself! What first drew you into music, and how did you find your way into emo pop-punk?
RS: I’ve always loved music ever since I was a kid. I grew up singing in the choir in my church and started getting classical piano lessons when I was 8. By the time I was in 6th grade, I was very hardcore into your typical gateway pop-punk like Simple Plan, Good Charlotte, Blink-182, Green Day, Yellowcard, etc. This is what made me pick up the guitar. And by 8th grade, my tastes were fully into heavier music like Silverstein, Senses Fail, The Used, System of a Down, etc. I really leaned into the screamo music style, and the rest is all downhill from there.
LY: What inspired you to start releasing music?
RS: I will say that the people who really inspired me to chase after this dream as a kid were Hayley Williams, Fefe Dobson, and Skye Sweetnam. I remember finding Paramore on a website called isound.com, and they had this song “Pressure” as a free download. This was the first rock band I heard that had a girl in the band! So I listened to that song a million times and made sure to get their next album Riot! on release day.
I was also a hardcore Degrassi girl, and Fefe Dobson and Skye Sweetnam music videos were commonplace around the same time. Skye Sweetnam just had this energy that was so cool, and it looked like she was having the most fun just being herself. But seeing Fefe Dobson was the biggest game changer. For the first time, I saw someone who looked like me, and they were playing rock music! It wasn’t until then that I thought, “Maybe I can do that too?” And it’s been a dream I’ve had ever since.
So, thank you, Hayley, Skye, and Fefe. You’re all badasses.
LY: What do you hope your new single represents for people?
RS: I hope this song helps people feel seen. Often, I’ll feel like I’m losing my mind because I’m paralyzed by indecision. “Do I do it? Do I not? What’s the right choice that I won’t regret later?” It’s a mentally exhausting process, but it’s real and valid.
LY: What was the songwriting process like for your new single “Maybe,” and does it differ in any way from your previous releases?
RS: I’ve been working with a songwriting mentor for over 3 years now, and I have always gone to her for help to finish my songs before I went into the studio. With “Maybe,” this was the first time I did all the revisions myself. This is a huge accomplishment for me because I’ve finally started taking ownership over my music and trusting that I am a good songwriter and I don’t need approval from anyone else.
LY: How did the song evolve from that first spark of an idea to what we hear today? Once you brought it to the studio, were there contributions from the producer or other musicians to help shape the final version?
RS: I started writing this song around 2023, actually, which is when I really started committing myself to my music career. It was a really tumultuous time because I felt so much doubt that I was doing the right thing. And I was thinking to myself, “Maybe it’s time to give up and let this dream die.” But then a few weeks would pass, and I’d think, “Maybe I should just power through it and hope I survive.” I’d be ping-ponging between these thoughts, and the best way that I know how to process thoughts is by writing songs.
LY: What is the best piece of advice you have ever received from another musician?
RS: The most impactful thing that I’ve received from fellow musicians is their support. When musicians that I admire and respect give me positive feedback and encourage me to keep going, it makes me feel like I can do this. Especially in those moments of doubt, remembering those things can help keep me going.
LY: The artwork for your newly released single, “Maybe,” is an hourglass. What inspired this imagery, and how does it connect to your song?
RS: When I was trying to come up with the concept for the artwork, I realized that I sing the word “time” a lot in this song. Reflecting on that made me understand the true motivation behind it, which is the fear of running out of time. I’m afraid that I can’t make the right decision and I don’t have enough time to keep thinking about it. An hourglass is such a powerful image because you’re able to watch the time physically pass, and you can see how much is left. As I get older, I feel more and more like life is flying by and I don’t want to spend my time feeling regret because I couldn’t make a choice in time.
LY: What's something you know now that you wish you could go back and tell yourself in 2019, when you first started releasing music?
RS: Ahhhh, I really wish I could tell 2019 Rhonette, “This is going to be so hard. And you can do this. Giving up is really easy, but we both know it would be harder to let it go and spend the rest of our life wondering ‘what if.’”
LY: Where do you draw most of your inspiration from?
RS: I have always been a very emotional and sensitive person since I was a kid. I used to say that I just have a lot of feelings, which honestly feels too on-the-nose sometimes. I get overwhelmed easily, and negative emotions often stay over me like a rain cloud. But something I discovered (in my 6th grade English class) was that writing about it was the most satisfying way to process and release those feelings. Around the same time is when I started listening more to music where people were doing the same. I remember watching the music video for “Perfect” by Simple Plan on the little tv in the top corner of the kitchen at my grandparents’ house and feeling like someone was finally seeing me. That was just the beginning, and I can only hope that someone might feel that way about my music some day.
LY: What's something about your music that people might not know the first time they listen?
RS: I think sometimes it’s hard for people to truly understand all of the thought, coordination, effort, and attention that goes into putting music out into the world. There’s so much that happens before people even know that a new thing is coming. It’s very easy to dismiss the effort that artists put in to develop music because all we see is the end result. I’m guilty of it too because I will also get mad when I see 13 songwriters on a pop song that has 3 words. I assume I know what happened in the background, but I really don’t. And what I, as a listener, get to experience is just the final product that could only be made with the blood, sweat, and tears that were put into it.
LY: After years of working on different musical projects, how would you say your sound has evolved? What do you think has most influenced that change?
RS: I would say that my sound has changed, but with every release, it feels like I’m getting closer to the sound I’ve always wanted. Even in my previous projects, I relied heavily on other people for validation because I felt like I wasn’t good enough as a musician. But working with my mentor and working on myself for the past few years has put a lot into perspective. If I have something that I want to chase after, I can’t let anyone stop me or hold me back.
LY: In a few years, what do you hope people will appreciate most about this chapter of your creative journey?
RS: I hope that people will look back fondly on this time. Kind of like, “Wow, look at how far she’s come.” This has been a very transitional time, and I’ve done a lot of exploring and self-discovery. There have been lots of ups and so many more downs. I hope that this next part of my career builds on the foundation that I’ve set. I’ve been saying that it feels like the closing of a chapter. This new EP that’s coming out is like the culmination of everything I’ve done since I started making music as a kid. And now, I feel I’m ready to start crafting the life I want to be in as an adult.
LY: What part of being an artist do you feel like you're still figuring out?
RS: I’m still trying to figure out how to manage myself as an artist. It’s so easy to get caught in the day-to-day of work and personal things. I think as I was growing up, the idea of being a musician seemed like this incredible goal, a grand pursuit that would make everything in my life perfect. That is not true, but the dream is still there; it’s just a bit more of what feels right for me. But it’s hard trying to navigate being a “normal” person and also pushing myself to spend what little extra time I do have writing, practicing, recording, emailing, posting on social media…At the end of a long work day, it’s so easy to want to give myself a break. And I need to keep pushing myself to make that same choice with the hopes that it will pay off in the future. But the me at 1 a.m. after scheduling a week’s worth of social media posts just wants to f**king sleep. And that is so real.
LY: Looking back, was there a moment that changed the way you saw your music, and made you want to keep pursuing it?
RS: It has always been a dream to do music full-time. There have been many periods over the years where I put in a lot of time and effort, but didn’t really see any results. And it honestly wasn’t until earlier this year that I had a thought. When I was worrying about “Maybe” and whether it would do well, I felt so much calmer than I have in the past. I’m usually a nervous wreck on release day and devastated when I don’t meet my goals. But this time, when I thought about it, I realized that regardless of how well my songs performed, I was going to write and release more music. Understanding that about myself really helped me see what was truly important to me. Yes, I want all my music to be heard by everyone in the world. But whether that happens or not, I’m still going to be a musician. I’m still going to be a songwriter. And I’m still going to put out more music.
LY: Now that you've released “Maybe,” what do you hope to explore next in music?
RS: Next, I really want to go even deeper into the heavier style of music. I’ve been practicing more metal guitar riffs, and it just makes me feel so excited when it doesn’t sound like crap! And the big dream is to finally get a live band together and perform this music for people. It’s convenient to be able to play acoustic by myself, but I really want to have the true experience that I envision when I go into the studio to record these songs.
LY: What is one song you wish Rhonette Smith wrote?
RS: “What You Need” by Bring Me the Horizon. That song is a masterpiece and exactly the kind of music I want to be making. It’s on my “Inspirations” playlist, and every time it comes up in the rotation, I have to stop and listen to the whole thing. BMTH has been a huge inspiration for me, especially in my efforts to make heavier music. They are one of my favorite bands of all time.
LY: What’s next for Rhonette Smith?
RS: Next is more music and more live shows. And, hopefully, to start performing regularly with a full band and finally bringing the Rhonette Smith brand of heavy music to the real world.
LY: Thank you for chatting with us!
RS: Thank you so much for having me!
LONG STORY SHORT: Rhonette Smith is done second-guessing herself. Her single “Maybe” represents a place where she constantly questions if she is making the right choice. Now, she is moving on and learning that not having all the answers does not mean she's on the wrong path.
Stream "Maybe" here!
