Chris Smith

Chris Smith is an accomplished songwriter and artist splitting his time between Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Nashville, Tennessee. After graduating from Appalachian State University, he spent a number of years in digital marketing and serving as an Army Intelligence Officer. During this time he was cultivating his passion for songwriting. It was in 2012, after his last deployment with the Army, that he went all-in on music, leaving his former digital marketing career behind, to pursue a songwriting career. He began quickly making a name for himself.

Over the next several years, Smith wrote hundreds of songs and worked with top songwriters and producers in the industry and began seeing success in many formats. As a songwriter, he has written songs for and with artists in multiple genres, including country, americana, pop, r&b, and rap. Additionally, has had placements with great companies like REI Sports, Hanesbrands, Pepsi, NBA, NFL, and has been featured on multiple networks such as ABC, USA, MTV, Food Networks, and HGTV.

Smith, also performs under the moniker FITUMI, an alternative rock/pop artist. FITUMI quickly signed a distribution deal with Symphonic Distribution and released his first single in 2019. His debut EP followed in 2020. FITUMI’s music has been featured and playlisted on Spotify, Songtradr, Hype Machine, Indie Obsessive, Skopemag, From The Straight, RockDafuqOut, Backstage Pass, Fascination Street Podcast, Indie Star Radio, Radio SoBro, Lurch’s Liar Radio, The Metro Buzz, Vents Magazine and recognized as an NSAI Best Of Tin Pan South and Anthem (formerly Ole) Songwriting Challenge finalist. His music has been used by brands like REI co-op, NBC, USA, the Common Sense YouTube channel, and various 2020 political campaigns.

When he’s not writing or recording, Smith is giving back as a songwriter advocate and mentor. He founded Songwriter Solutions, a songwriter advocacy organization that lends support to independent songwriters, artists, publishers, labels, and music industry organizations trying to increase opportunities for independent professionals. He also founded Sing Along Music Group, a music collective of talented songwriters, producers, artists, and publishers. He was a Community Outreach Coordinator for the Triad Music Festival, Winston-Salem’s largest original music festival spotlighting local artists. Since 2017, he has served as a North Carolina coordinator for the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), the world’s largest songwriter advocacy organization, and he serves as an administrator of the Make Pop Music community, featuring over 25,000 pop music songwriters, artists, and producers looking to improve their craft and music business knowledge. Additionally, he is also the creator and author of the “#52Songs52Weeks” and “#12in12 Sync Songwriting” programs and corresponding ebooks.

Smith currently lives in Winston-Salem, NC with his wife, two young children and three dogs. He loves renovating homes and he is active in local politics. He truly believes that the music industry is home to many trades as valuable as anything you would find in your local college course catalog. He has seen first hand the power it can have when someone is empowered with the music business knowledge and skills necessary to carve out their own career, and he has dedicated much of his professional life ensuring that it is available, accessible and attainable to all that want it.