Nate Smith admitted that he’s “never been more nervous” to post a song when he shared a vulnerable ballad on Monday (March 10).

Smith offered a brief clip of “No Stranger To The Pain.” The reigning Academy of Country Music New Male Artist of the Year said the song is “too honest” and “too emotional” to not feel nervous about sharing it on social media. He wrote in his caption on Instagram: “I’ve never been more nervous posting a song than I am right now. It’s too honest, it’s too emotional. I’m sitting here over thinking everything, but what I do know, is that this song makes me feel. We can all relate to pain, but what do we do with it? Do we embrace it? Do we deny it? For me, it’s a reminder that I’m alive in the here and now. I give you, ‘No Stranger To The Pain.’ What’s your story?”

“No Stranger To The Pain” is Smith’s latest sneak peek since he released “Nobody Likes Your Girlfriend,” a collaboration with HARDY that features actor and comedian Kevin James in the music video. Smith’s latest full studio album is California Gold. The 16-track project “was just a great record to make. I’m really proud of it for a sophomore album. There’s a lot of Easter eggs and nuggets in there. Especially in ‘California Gold,’ the title track, there’s a few things about my hometown and stuff,” Smith said in a previous interview with iHeartCountry.

Smith is part of the star-studded lineup of the 2025 iHeartCountry Festival, which is slated to take place on Saturday, May 3. The festival, hosted by iHeartRadio’s Bobby Bones, will return to Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Other artists in the lineup include Brooks & Dunn, Thomas Rhett, Rascal Flatts, Sam Hunt, Megan Moroney, Bailey Zimmerman and Cole Swindell.

Hulu will be the Official Streaming Destination of the festival, with performances livestreamed exclusively to all Hulu subscribers at no additional cost. Additional information about the livestream will be posted across Hulu’s platform and social media channels. Fans can tune in to the 2025 iHeartCountry Festival to catch all of the action live on May 3 at 8pm ET/5pm PT (7pm CT) across iHeartCountry stations nationwide and on the free iHeartRadio app via iHeartRadio's iHeartCountry station. Tickets to the 2025 iHeartCountry Festival are available now via Ticketmaster.com.

Scotty