Ten Smith could light up a dark room with her voice and vibrant aura, and she has done so on national stages like "The Voice." Now the soul singer is carving out her own lane in Music City.
Born on the West Side of Chicago, Smith is one of the many artists to now call Nashville home. However, her journey has been far from typical.
"My mom was a single parent, so she listened to the blues all the time. James Brown was our church music. I'm just a girl who grew up in just the gumbo of soul," Smith told The Tennessean, adding that some of her music includes the vibes of " real soul, '70s funk."
"So, I would say I'm a vintage soul singer. I can range from the '60s to now," she said.
Smith discovered her voice and love for music as child, a passion that
would later become much more than a creative outlet. She worked in Atlanta's music industry before moving to Nashville.
"Singing is therapy for me. I come from a lot of domestic violence from the home and also relationships. I almost died actually in a relationship," she said. "I have a therapist, but music is like my secondary therapist where I get to go off and just be this person and be this character. And I get to help people."
She is not alone. According to the 2024 TBI Crime in Tennessee Report, the most recent local report, there were 60,495 crimes associated with domestic violence survivors in 2024 alone. Like so many survivors in Nashville, Smith has found healing in both faith and music.
"I would say God brought me here," she said reflecting on her move from Atlanta to Nashville in 2023.
She originally came to Music City as a participant on NBC's "The Voice" season 26. During that time, Smith met a Black country artist named Tay Lewis, who encouraged her to come to Nashville and introduced her to Music City's unique community of Black creatives.
"We had a stage during CMAs, and I performed, and I got off the stage and I saw all of these beautiful little girls, and they were like, 'We love you, Ten.' They remembered me from the show," she said.
Seeing young girls recognize and support her, despite her brief time on the show, made Smith realize her impact and inspired her to be a part of the city's changing music industry.
So far, Smith has released a string of singles such as "Boss Lady" in 2025 and "In My Groove," released Aug. 31, 2026. Her schedule has been stacked with performances around Music City, including a set at the 44th Annual African Street Festival, which took place the weekend of Sept. 18, a performance at Shugga Hi Bakery & Cafe's new Front Row concept on Sept. 25, and a show at Hit Parader Nashville on Oct. 9.
Smith said being authentic has helped her survive and carve out her own lane in Nashville.
"My light has been shining in so many spaces that I never thought I would be in," she said, adding that there are compounding benefits to "being nice" and "being easy to work with."
Although Nashville has largely embraced Smith, navigating the local music industry has come with its own challenges. Namely, many venues remain focused on country music and the aesthetics associated with roots music.
"It's like they're used to one type of genre, which is country. And sometimes I feel out of place," she said. "Like they haven't created a space for me to kind of feel comfortable to be myself. I always kind of have to conform... I feel like I don't get the same treatment."
Despite this, she continues to carve out her own lane. Her forthcoming EP is projected to land next spring.
"I do believe God lives inside of us. I do believe that the spirit is in us, and we have to release it through music, through song, through poems, through art, just showing up and being a good person," she said. "I want to inspire that through my music and also love and healing because that's what I represent: love, healing and empowerment."
She is part of a wave of musicians moving to Nashville and building a career beyond country, bluegrass, and folk music. As Music City's clubs and businesses embrace a wider variety of sounds, the Volunteer State's entertainment industry becomes more robust and resilient.
"I want to bring people together no matter how old you are, what color skin you are. I want all of us to party together," Smith said.
Her music is currently available on even.biz, a direct-to-consumer website, and soundcloud.com/tenmusicpage.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Singer Ten Smith talks bringing vintage soul sound to Nashville
