With her lyrically driven songs, Rachel McIntyre Smith’s comfort twang music reminds listeners of the classics while also adding a relevant and fresh perspective.
Rachel began working with producer, Dran Michael, in the fall of 2020. Since the beginning of their partnership, Rachel has released multiple singles and her debut EP, Glory Daze, and her sophomore EP Honeysuckle Friend, which have been featured on several media outlets including BBC Radio, Grady Smith’s YouTube Channel, Holler Magazine, Spotify’s Fresh Finds Country, WDVX, and WMOT. Along with the release of Honeysuckle Friend, Rachel launched the “Honeysuckle Friend Sessions,” each of which features Rachel and one of her musical friends covering a song together. Past guests include Gabe Lee, Janelle Arthur, and Julia DiGrazia.
Fresh off of her Whiskey Jam debut, Rachel is set to release the deluxe edition of Honeysuckle Friend in the summer of 2025, which will include new songs and previously unreleased bonus content.
Her brightly colored style, smooth vocals, and small-town charm leave a lasting impact on audiences. Rachel has had the privilege to share the stage with some impressive names in country music, including Gabe Lee, Lee Roy Parnell, Larry Fleet, Paul Thorn, and Caleb Lee Hutchinson.
Today, Glide is offering an exclusive premiere of the new tune “Hummingbird Woman,” a song that finds Rachel poignantly fusing bluegrass and Americana with warm vocals and vulnerable lyricism. With simple acoustic instrumentals, heartfelt vocals, and soft harmonies, the song showcases Rachel’s penchant for writing songs that resonate universally while imparting a sense of rustic charm.
Listen to the track and read our conversation with Rachel below…
What is this song about, and what inspired it?
“Hummingbird Woman” is about my nature to always be on the move. I’m always going somewhere for a show or work. It feels like I always have 10 different projects I’m working on. I rarely sit still. I was talking to one of my friends about the kind of love that I’m looking for, and I just said, “I feel like a hummingbird woman,” without really knowing fully what I meant by that. I jotted that phrase down in my notes and eventually came back and fleshed out the whole song.
Why is the song important to you, and what about it really speaks to you?
I think there are a lot of busy women who are like me, and I hope they find this song. I’m looking for someone who complements my natural tendencies and loves me for them instead of loving me in spite of them. I want women who feel like they will never find love because they are all over the place to find comfort in this song and the hope that their match is out there. I also hope there are folks who listen to this song and it reminds them of their significant other.
What was the writing process like for the song?
Songwriting is interesting because sometimes the song takes forever, and other times it just falls out. This song just fell out. I wrote it while I was stuck in traffic in downtown Nashville. Before I had gotten to my destination, it was finished.
What was the studio session and recording process like for this song? Any great stories from the creation process?
This song was recorded on the second-to-last day of recording for my project, “Honeysuckle Friend,” with Dran Michael in Deadbird Studios in Chattanooga. I had a very clear vision for what I wanted it to sound like, so it was fairly easy to put together.
Dran played every instrument on the song – banjo, guitar, mandolin, and bass. I told him I wanted it to sound like a twangy lullaby. I think we achieved that. The whole day was super smooth UNTIL I got in my car to leave the studio. Sometime between when I parked my car and when we finished the song, my brakes stopped working. I almost drove into a four-lane road without being able to stop. I was able to reverse my car back into a parking spot. The next day, my car was towed to the shop. I had to get new brakes. I guess there is a bit of irony in being stuck without a car after recording a song about always being on the move.
Are there any lyric lines that you really love or that are really important to you? What do you feel makes them resonate?
My favorite lyric is probably, “We’d sleep with the doors wide open cause what we’d have couldn’t be stolen.” That’s the level of comfort and peace that I hope to find someday. To feel so secure, safe, and confident that nothing scares me. The door can be left open so I feel like I’m not being caged. The door can be left open because we’re both choosing to stay and know that no one and nothing can come in and take it from us.
If listeners can take away one thing from having heard this song, what do you hope that is?
Even if listeners think they are hard to love, someone is out there who can give them what they need.
How does this song fit in among others in your catalog? How is it similar or different? What made you want to add this song to the deluxe edition of the EP?
There are a lot of ways that this song weaves itself into the fabric of “Honeysuckle Friend.” It has the same twangy acoustic-focused production filled with three-part harmony. The concept is a nature metaphor similar to my song “Stoke The Coals.” The second line of the lyrics even mentions honeysuckle.
I would say something that is different about this song than others is the structure. This song has an A and B part. The structure is verse 1, chorus, verse 2, chorus, bridge, bridge 2, outro. Once it leaves the second chorus, it has new melodies and lyrics that don’t pull from the first half of the song. I had fun experimenting with structure with this one.
What is coming up next for Rachel McIntyre Smith?
I’ve got an exciting weekend ahead to celebrate the release of “Hummingbird Woman.” I’m performing at the Dogwood Arts Festival in Knoxville on Saturday and The National Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg on Sunday. Beyond that, the full deluxe version of “Honeysuckle Friend” will be out this summer! I’m continuing to release new “Honeysuckle Friend Sessions” on YouTube. In that series, I perform a song with one of my musical friends. Past sessions include Gabe Lee, Julia DiGrazia, Janelle Arthur, and Mary Heather Hickman. I’ve got a lot of fun stuff coming up, so stay tuned!
