Denver-born Indie/Pop singer-songwriter AJ Smith recently relocated from NYC to Nashville. He is a classically-trained multi-instrumentalist who served with the National Symphony Orchestra while in high school. His musicality and clever, hook-laden tracks make an impression with everyone lucky enough to stumble across his work.

"Cooler" explores that moment of insecurity that goes hand in hand with every first date, when we are worried about saying the wrong thing and spoiling our best chance at finding true love. The nerves, the second-guessing, the misplaced obsession with meaningless details—this bouncy mid-tempo romp pokes fun at the ridiculous inner dialogue we can all relate to while delivering a lighthearted mood and some tasty riffs. Written with close friends Jenson, Sarah, and Bhav, AJ and company dig into personal experience as they iterate over the self-conscious lyrical theme. A 50's-inspired music video puts the cherry on top as we visit a drive-in movie with the quintessential nervous couple and bear witness to their awkward first moments. By the end, overcome with the power of music and self-actualization, they are fully transformed into ideal versions of themselves, dancing in the parking lot like the cast from Grease.

All joking aside, AJ Smith makes a salient point about the very real dangers of self-sabotage in these moments of high tension. "Cooler" delivers a message that everyone needs to hear at some point: the coolest thing about you, is you.

I hope [this song] gives someone the confidence they need to boldly be themselves and recognize they're already "cooler" the way they are. — AJ Smith

Recent highlights for AJ Smith include consistent airplay on the Sirius XM Billy Joel channel, being named Performer Magazine’s Artist of the Month and gracing their cover, and collaborating with Martin Guitar as they launch a new line of ukuleles.

Visit AJ Smith on Instagram.