Caitlyn Smith

Singer-songwriter Caitlyn Smith cashed out her college fund to record her debut, Learning to Be, which was released when she was just 15. ∙ Her breakthrough album, Starfire, named for a vintage guitar she received from her father, debuted at the top of the iTunes Singer/Songwriter chart. ∙ Meghan Trainor’s “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” and the Dolly Parton-Kenny Rogers duet “You Can’t Make Old Friends” are just two of the hits she’s written for other artists. ∙ On the TV series Nashville, Hayden Panettiere’s character, an up-and-coming country singer, performs several songs that Smith wrote for the show. ∙ Garth Brooks called Smith one of the top female vocalists he’s ever heard. ∙ Colbie Caillat, Kacey Musgraves, and Maren Morris have all performed at her quarterly “Girls of Nashville” songwriting showcase.