We recently connected with Rochelle Smith and have shared our conversation below.

Rochelle , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents have always emphasized honing my talents. As a child, they saw a desire and a gift and made sure I was able to express it in many ways. From church choir, to stage plays, dance, spoken word I have always had access to musical and spoken art in some form throughout my entire life. My parents, Ronald and Katherine Smith, made sure art was just as important in our house as any other form of work/learning.

Rochelle , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am Rochelle “Ro” Smith. I am a songwriter, singer, background vocalist, spoken-word artist based in the Greater Nashville Area. Originally from Chicago, IL, which is what helped create my sound and inspiration. Inspired by the sounds of blues, the Baptist church, R&B & Hip-Hop; my sound tends to be an infusion of those genres. In most of the work I create, you will very rarely hear one sound without the other. I deem myself a “feature queen,” where you will often hear more of my work as a feature on other’s projects often while I tend to play the game of occasional singles. I spend a majority of this stage in my career as a background vocalist but I still write and even ghostwrite occasionally.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to not have a goal. For most, that seems extremely unambitious and counterproductive but it has put me in some awesome places in life with a clear mind. I’m with Nike when they say Just Do It. That’s my goal to just do it, to just sing, to just write, to just perform. Opportunities have come to me because I’ve just had a love for the craft so much that I want to do it all the time. When you love what you do, without the burden of being sad from not reaching a particular goal, it’s so much easier to continue. Often, with that mindset, you don’t have to chase the amazing experiences, they tend to chase you.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Something non-creatives may not understand is how much it is just as a part of me as anything else. On paper, it is not considered something you need to live but I can assure you I do not feel like myself without art being intertwined in some way. I am not myself, if I’ve gone too long without singing a song, writing or performing. In my life, art is a NEED in some way, shape form or fashion. My personality and even mental health thrives on access to my art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://roismemusic.wixsite.com/roepk
• Instagram: @ro.is.me
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ro.is.mee
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ro.is.me.i_am_ro

Image Credits
@newleemade @simbalic