Inspired by a mother who showed her how to be confident, Caroline Smith has carved herself a place in pop music.

Taking the message she learned from her mother, Smith urges her listeners to stop wasting the time they’ve given and to start accepting ourselves for who they are.

Native to a small town in Minnesota, Smith found her place in music early on in life. Unlike most young people who would write in diaries or journals, Smith chose to write songs, without realizing she was doing so.

But her rising talent did not go unnoticed — Smith’s mother later prompted her into trying her hand at music.

At around 16-years-old, Smith’s mother started forcing her to play in public once they realized her proclivity for songwriting, Smith said. It must have paid off because a few years later, she began her professional career with a band named Caroline Smith and the Goodnight Sleeps.

Eventually, Smith found the fun, happy-go-lucky parts of her voice muffled, she said, and she branched away from their indie folk sound and found herself writing pop songs.

“It was a totally unconscious decision I think I made — it all just kind of happened organically,” Smith said. “I realized that I was evolving and writing more for myself — the part that is just me.”

As a result of being raised by her single mom and migrating to a small Lutheran town, Smith and her family faced certain challenges growing up, particularly judgment and ridicule directed at her mother from members of the community, she said. 

Something good, however, emerged from that experience — it brought Smith’s family closer together, and her mother became a symbol of strength, Smith said.

The circumstances Smith grew up in have greatly influenced her music. She said being raised in a small town taught her how to be an individual. Furthermore, her mother taught her confidence.

“It was bred into me,” Smith said. “I think that one of the biggest themes in my music is being a woman that’s proud, and being a woman and acknowledging what is different for us than it is for men. I think that’s totally and singlehandedly my mother’s handiwork.”

Her last album, Half About Being a Woman, extends that message to her listeners. Her hopes for the album were to spread a message of pride across her fans, believing that life is too short to not accept yourself for you are. 

Smith’s other inspirations include other women who have created a unique style and personality for themselves that step outside the realm of today’s society. Whether or not Smith realizes it, she sure as hell fits into that persona, and serves as an example to her listeners.

What Smith loves about pop music and R&B is its lightheartedness. She’s the kind of person that likes to have fun and to help other people have fun — and pop and R&B allow her to share this with her fans.

In that regard, if there’s one thing listeners can expect from her live show at the High Noon Saloon on April 13, it’s a guarantee they will leave feeling good.

Smith has given another voice to empowerment for women by being a role model herself. She’s sure to amaze and inspire with her sultry voice, soul and confidence.