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Conner Smith Enlists Hailey Whitters for a Metaphoric Game of ‘Roulette’: ‘I Knew the Song Was a Next Level for Me’


"In the true heart of country music, what I want to stand for as an artist, I think this one begins to kind of unveil that," Smith says.

Smith had his then-girlfriend -— surfer Leah Thompson, whom he married on April 12 — in mind when he developed the “Roulette” title, which sprouted from the inherent danger in both single-bullet games of chance and extending love to another. Smith turned in a lead voice, and Alexander provided harmony for a demo that Trussell continued to work on after the session ended, using mostly acoustic instrumentation, including a resonator guitar. A rowdy cowboy bar wasn’t the best venue for an unknown ballad — patrons mostly ignored it — but when Smith was done, fellow artist Whitters leaned over to compliment him on a “brash” song with an uncommon level of vulnerability.

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