We chat with SMOKEY, bass music’s fastest rising talent, Lost Lands, collabs, and what’s next [Artist Interview]
You know his voice. You’ve heard his scream, now hear his story. This is the rise of SMOKEY.
From cold emailing Riot Ten to performing on stage at Lost Lands, SMOKEY talks about his journey as a bass music talent.
Smoke rises, so… naturally speaking, SMOKEY is on the rise.
You have likely heard his voice dominating the airwaves and seen him on bass music’s biggest stages – we’re talking about SMOKEY.
From barbershops to basslines, SMOKEY was on the verge of quitting music, then he gave it one last shot, and something caught fire.
What came from the ashes was pyroclastic in nature, indelible, and since then, his notoriety has billowed in size, impossible to ignore.
We caught up with genre-defying DJ, producer, and vocalist SMOKEY before he wraps up his most successful and career-defining year to date.
From his fierce presence on the mic to his commanding ability to ignite a crowd, SMOKEY delivers his high-impact dubstep sound and visceral vocal energy with equal force in the studio and on stage.
That same ferocity comes alive the moment he grabs the mic and faces a sea of headbangers, fueling the connection with his audience and keeping his name circulating across festival lineups and dancefloors worldwide.
Let’s Chat w/ SMOKEY
Q1: Walk us back to the beginning of your journey – where and when did you find bass music, and ultimately what led you to become a vocalist and performer?
SMOKEY: I got into bass music in high school, probably around 2011 or 2012. My first show was on Excision’s 2013 tour. I think Paper Diamond was direct support. I went with my friend Ben. We were both in a band and both super into bass music.
I’d been playing saxophone since sixth grade and learned how to scream in high school, but I never really clicked with the whole being-in-a-band thing. I started messing around with singing my senior year, around the same time I started producing shitty little trap remixes.
In 2015, I dropped out of college as a music major, moved to Virginia, and started producing more. I taught myself to DJ with a sound mixer and Ableton Live, opened for Far East Movement and a few others, then stepped away for several years.
In 2022, I told my wife I wanted to give music another shot and treat it like a business. I gave myself five years to see real growth. I came back as a producer, but labels weren’t picking up my tracks. Then, Insira heard me in a Discord live and asked me to do vocals on a melodic track. It took about a year and a half to come out, but that one song started the whole vocal thing for me.
After that, people started hitting me up for all kinds of records, which worked for me because there are lots of sides to who I am. Some days, I want to sing something melodic, some days I want to go heavy, and some days I want to rap about drug dealing. It all comes from a real place.
Getting a feature with Riot Ten helped put me on the map and gave me more chances to get in front of people and actually perform.
Q2: Let’s talk about the name SMOKEY – can you give us a snapshot of where your name derived from?
SMOKEY: It started when I borrowed a friend’s Smokey Bear shirt. It became a running thing with my friends and my wife, and eventually I turned it into a rap project called Smokey Da Bear. The idea was basically, what if Smokey the Bear started fires instead of putting them out? Over time, I shortened it to SMOKEY.
Q3: Your most recent feature with Soul Valient, 24K Persian, Scarexx, VII Dead, ever-so-iconically titled ‘Lost Lands‘ via Rolling Bass Records, is making massive movement in the markets – can you tell us more about this mega collab?
SMOKEY: My part was pretty simple. I did the vocals and made myself available for whatever else they needed. The other guys handled the production, and I focused on getting the vocals right. I’m planning a VIP where I’ll get to put my own production on it, which fits where I’m taking the SMOKEY project right now.
Q4: You have been increasingly growing your brand and namesake for the past several years. What has been the driving force/inspiration behind your mad man momentum?
SMOKEY: Momentum. In 2022, my wife and I were about to have our daughter, Lil Smokey, and I told her I was going to approach music the same way I approached building my barbershop.
I gave myself five years to see growth. If it wasn’t moving, I’d put that time into what was.
Ever since then, the project’s kept growing one way or another. Seeing that progress is what keeps me going.
Q5: With major releases on labels like Monstercat, Subsidia, Circus Records, Sounds Of Mayhem, and many other labels alike. Is there a bucket-list label signing you are still aiming to lock in on?
SMOKEY: I’d love to put out more music on Subsidia Records. Bassrush, Disciple, and Cyclops [Recordings] are all on the bucket list, too.
Q6: You seem to have a great relationship with Chris, best known as Riot Ten – where did your friendship with him begin, and how has his support changed your trajectory as a performer?
SMOKEY: I sent him a cold email with a free topline I wrote specifically for him. I put “RIOT” in the vocal right before the drop because I thought it was a smart way to get his attention. He ended up using it, and we started talking from there.
Being a barber and owning a barbershop taught me how to build real relationships, and I think he picked up on that. He started bringing me out to perform “Riot” and a few other tracks. At this point, I consider him a brother. My daughter calls him DJ Chris.
He’s also helped me figure out where to take the project. He told me straight up that if I wanted to get booked for my own sets, I needed to get back into production. Most people knew me as a vocalist by then, even though I started out producing and DJing. That advice stuck with me.
Q7: What advice can you give to rising talents, vocalists, and or performers who want to be in your footsteps one day?
SMOKEY: Do shit for free, expect to lose money at first, and build genuine relationships. It’s a long game. If you want to make a career out of your art, treat it like a business. Get a plan together and know what you’re putting money into and what you hope to get back from it.
Nobody owes you a return just because you spent money.
Have fun, party if you want to, but when it’s time to work, lock the fuck in.
Q8: What’s next for SMOKEY as we enter the last quarter of 2026? What about 2027? Give your fans an exclusive scoop here at Monsoon Season!
SMOKEY: I’m working on a bunch of solo tracks and flips right now. I just played my first set in four years in Knoxville, TN.
I’ve got a set in LA at the end of November, and I’m playing in Hawaii this December.
In 2027, I’m making a big push with my own production and getting more sets under the SMOKEY name.
A lot of people found me through features and collabs, and I’m grateful for that.
Now I want people to hear what a SMOKEY record sounds like when I’m the one building it from the ground up, and come out to see what I do with a full set.
Dec 12th, The Reef Health Bar
Q9: Who is on your radar as up-next or one to watch? Who is killing it in the eyes of SMOKEY? Give them a shoutout!
SMOKEY: There are so many people I could name, but honestly, shoutout to the whole Rolling Bass Records collective. Everybody in that crew is absolutely nasty.
\ THAT’S A WRAP /
| THANKS FOR CHATTING, SMOKEY |
HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT?
- Support by streaming SMOKEY music like Lost Lands with Soul Valient, Scarrex, Dead VII, w/ himself on the vocals
- Get tickets to his Los Angeles show here
- Get tickets to his Hawaii show here
- Follow SMOKEY on social media –> @smokeymusik
Written by: Garth Jones
Find Garth on Instagram @garth.j.monsoon
Follow Garth on X @garth_monsoon
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