14-year-old Shae Smolik is an actress and country music recording artist who splits her time between her home in Iowa, the home of country music Nashville, and star-studded Los Angeles. We caught up with Shae about how she found her way to music and her forthcoming EP.
“My life is somewhat chaotic,” Shae said about all of her traveling, “but I love the adventure!” Shae got her start in Iowa where she stepped into modeling and commercial acting, but it was long before she fell for the spotlight and wanted even more. No wonder she’s now spending time in LA chasing her dreams.
Working her way up to television and film, Shae has landed roles on Criminal Minds and the 2017 horror The Sandman, and she was even a series regular on Play by Play where she played Gracie Hickey. “Gracie is the fiesty, sassy, tall, athletic daughter and sister of two older brothers,” Shae told us. “I loved playing Gracie because it was such a well written script and so funny! The entire cast was amazing to work with. It was always an enjoyable day when I went to work!”
Now, Play by Play is streaming on Roku, but Shae is focusing on music. “I think being an artist and entertaining people is what brought me from acting to singing,” she shared. “I love being on stage. During COVID [last year], Hollywood was basically shut down, so I had to find other avenues to perform and entertain, and that was music.”
Shae has released two singles ahead of her debut EP. “My singles ‘Don’t Take Him Down’ and ‘White Noise’ are really about complicated relationships,” she told us. “I have always loved a good dramatic love story, and these songs really fit that mold.” “Don’t Take Him Down” and “White Noise” are set to be followed by three more original country songs this year.
The music video for “Don’t Take Him Down” came out just a few weeks ago, and it’s more than the first visual representation of Shae’s EP. “Don’t Take Him Down” is her first music video, and she even played a role in producing it! In the video, Shae looks on as a couple that goes to her barn doesn’t seem to be a perfect match. “Just don’t let him fall for you,” she sings as she crushes on the boy from afar. (Quite the contrast to “White Noise” where Shae sings about ignoring a former love!)
You can stream Shae’s music everywhere including Spotify, Apple Music, and even TikTok, and she’ll have even more to share over the next few months.
