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Nia Smith on Conducting the Perfect At-Home Listening Experience
Singer/songwriter Nia Smith has spoken about how the at-home listening experience remains central to her creative process, a theme explored in the latest instalment of Sonos's "Sound Conductors" series. The London-born artist, who rose to prominence during the Covid-19 lockdowns by posting soulful covers to TikTok before moving into original material, credits her home speaker setup with helping her uncover subtle sonic details in her own songwriting, from bass frequencies to quieter embellishments in a mix.
Smith, whose debut EP "Give Up the Fear" arrived in 2024 and whose follow-up "Payback Is a Dog" is now streaming, regularly hosts listening parties at her South London home using Sonos equipment including the Era 300, Arc Ultra and Sub, as well as the portable Sonos Play for moving between rooms. The feature also touches on her new single "High", a reflective track about the end of a relationship, with Smith saying she hopes surround sound helps listeners feel immersed and less alone in their own experiences.
In short
- Nia Smith features in Sonos's "Sound Conductors" series
- She uses Sonos speakers to refine and share her music at home
- Discusses new single "High" and her creative process
Explained simply
Nia Smith is a London-born singer and songwriter who first reached a wide audience by posting soulful cover versions on TikTok during the Covid-19 lockdowns. She later began releasing her own music, including her debut EP, Give Up the Fear, in 2024.
The story looks at how Smith listens to music at home and uses sound to explore the details of her songs. It also sits within a Sonos series about artists and their relationship with listening, and touches on how music can shape the way people experience personal feelings.