New Orleans native Jake Smith is the latest artist to join the Rocketown Records roster—a label reputed for fostering talented songwriters over the last decade like Chris Rice, Ginny Owens, and Shaun Groves. Smith lives up to that reputation for honest and introspective songwriting, but where does he get his inspiration? From life experiences and the way God has steered his life through them, which explains why his debut album sounds so personable—and why it's appropriately titled Real.

What events led to writing the songs for Real?

Jake Smith: I remember praying when I started playing music, "God, will you give me things to write about? Guard my words and give me things to say. Give me things that I can have gone through that people can relate to." And before this CD came out [independently], there was a time in my life where so many things happened, one after another. God was working on every aspect of my life and shaking me up—working on my life, my relationships, my material possessions.

First, I was hit by a drunk driver. My truck was totaled, but I was OK. That's not something you can control—it just happens in a blink. Then Hurricane Katrina hit; my family and I were affected by that. After that, we found out that my father had cancer. That hit home the most, since he's the one who always held it together—always the one to take care of things. He was the rock. Cancer has a way of jumping on people. But my mom was really comforting, saying to us, "Remember when I had cancer. We can get through this." A week later, we found out that she had cancer again. [She had had breast cancer shortly after Jake was born.]

Sounds like things got a little Job-like for a while. How did you see it through?

Smith: I was confused and I tried to hold it together. "Trust God," I would keep saying to myself. But I don't know if I believed it. There was a lot fear that I didn't realize I had deep down. Through all that, God has taken all of those huge things in my life and he's changed them. He's healed the sick and fixed the destruction. God moves in people's lives. I've got a new truck, I'm healthy, both my parents are alive and cancer free—it all shows him and points to him. That's what I wanted this record to be, though maybe not in a way that you're used to in Christian music. It's my life and he's in it.

New Orleans and its music came to national attention with Katrina. Did that influence your musical direction in any way?

Smith: Being around the city, growing up, music jumps at you from every direction—going to Mardi Gras every year and just being around the downtown area. It's just in you, hearing all the music. I wasn't trying to hear that music directly in my own songwriting, but there's something about the rhythm. And I was in no way writing this style of music because of Katrina or because New Orleans is now on everyone's radar. It just felt natural. That soul, funk and R&B that you could pick out from New Orleans, a lot of the time that music is about struggle, as well as shaking it off, having a good time, and giving people high hopes to keep them going. And it also just happens to be the place where I was born.

Coming into Christian music, how much did you know about this industry?

Smith: I started out in bands that were straight general market. But as I tried to do that, I just wasn't comfortable or in my element. At the same time, I didn't know a lot about what other artists were out there either. I was more into playing sports, so I just listened to what my sister listened to. I was never a huge fan of Christian music, but I knew about bands like Jars of Clay, dc Talk, and Skillet.

How did you connect with Rocketown?

Smith: In a week's time, I played a couple of different shows with Shaun Groves and we hit it off; [Rocketown's] Michael Olsen was also on tour with him. I was recording at the time and released the album right away as an indie project. It was doing really well, and then out of the blue I got a message from John Andrade [A&R at Rocketown] on MySpace, saying that he liked the tunes and asking if we could meet up. Rocketown picked it up, we did some radio edits of the songs, and changed the cover art for national release.

Now that you're a part of Christian music, what's your first impression of the industry?

Smith: Now that I've heard other music out there, it seems like everybody says the same things [in the lyrics]. We get stuck in the same songs that someone else has written. I think it's more about really sticking it out and making a difference—making music that is your music. We serve a God who created this universe and it's in his hands, and yet all people write are the same things over and over again. There seems to be more depth in secular music. I'm not saying I write these great lyrics, but my understanding of God challenges me to think about why I write the songs I write. I want to be able to say that this is something that God's really done in my life and it's moving me.

What is your approach to songwriting then? How do you come up with more distinctive Christian lyrics?

Smith: Well it might change, because hopefully I won't have to go through bad things the rest of my life. But so far, I've just been writing about things that I've gone through. How do I write? What are my writing styles? I kind of just live and write about it. I don't try to sit down and force things out. I go day by day. I'm not necessarily writing for any group of people, except maybe those who have gone through similar things. But these songs represent what I've gone through. It's real, representing a real God in real life experiences. These are real thoughts and songs about girls and life and the bad things that can happen.

So, would you tag your music with the "Christian" title?

Smith: I don't know. I think "Christian music" puts a weird taste in some people's mouths. I'm not ashamed of it because I don't feel called to play straight secular music. But my band and I do play a lot of clubs. We don't play straight praise music and go into bars because we want to show people Jesus and be hip. We're just playing where we naturally feel we should be playing with these songs. We show who we are through the music, though people might not always have ears to hear the Christian perspective at first.

You don't feel called to straight secular music, yet you say your songs don't reflect a commitment to the Christian music scene either. So how do you define your calling?

Smith: Our calling is something that we are naturally wired to do. It might be something different at different times in our lives, and it might not always be something that we want to do either. But there are things we do that can give us joy. John Piper says we will find joy in things that we are called to do. That has been the most satisfying thing for me—to see the response that we're getting through all the efforts that I put toward something that I love. God finds joy and pleasure in that.

There are some things in life that I've done for the wrong reasons or with the wrong efforts. But for the first time in my life, this feels right. God intended it to be far better than we can ever try to make it, so we just need to keep seeking him and trying to figure it out. That's how I want it to be with my career. I always want to seek him and never stop seeking, because I know he'll take care of it.

And now you're a spokesperson too?

Smith: Yeah, for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. When I met them at the headquarters in Dallas, it was cool to see the passion they have for all these women. And to be a part of that, after breast cancer hit our home—twice! I asked them, "How can I get involved?"

The foundation is about awareness and helping women who are going through the same things, putting people together. On their website, you can create a profile as a supporter or as someone who's had treatment or currently undergoing treatment. Women can upload pictures and share thoughts and add Scripture. The heart of the people who started foundation, they are the real deal.

Jake Smith's debut Real hits stores July 31. Visit Christianbook.com to listen to song clips and buy the album.

© Jackie A. Chapman, subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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