Ep. 251: Myles Smith | Stargazing, Therapy, and The Secret Cost of Success

Today's guest is a rising star who's risen so fast he's not really rising anymore — he's just a star.From a bedroom in Luton playing $50 nylon-string covers and open mics playing for 4 people... Three years later: a billion streams, "Stargazing" on President Obama's summer playlist, two singles that took over pop radio before he'd ever made a debut album, and a debut album sourced from the notes he wrote in therapy that saved him.He's proof that sometimes all you really need is a guitar, a work ethic, and a Taco Bell-poisoned night in Malibu to write a song people argue about in twenty languages.And the writer is... Myles Smith!If you've ever wanted something so badly you didn't think to ask what it would cost when it arrived — this is the conversation.And The Writer Is... Myles Smith!In this episode of And The Writer Is, we go deep on:• Why he scrubbed every song he made before 2023 — and what "I didn't exist before 2023" actually means• His advice for up and coming artists...• The end-of-Covid breakdown at 18 that almost ended things — and the therapy notes that became My Mess, My Heart, My Life.• Meeting Peter Fenn on the last day of a six-week US trip — and writing "My Home" in the first hour• The Taco Bell food-poisoning night in Malibu that produced "Stargazing"• The hidden cost of success on his relationships• "Hey mom, I want to retire you" — and what she said backAnd much more...Hit subscribe and turn on notifications. Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music.Follow us on socials: @andthewriterisA special thank you to our sponsors for making these conversations possible.Our lead sponsor, NMPA — the National Music Publishers' Association. Your support means the world to us.CHAPTERS0:00 Intro2:21 My Mess, My Heart, My Life.3:16 The pressure of being "right at the start of the journey"4:35 "If you take away the hits, you could see where I really am"4:54 "I wake up some days in a catastrophe"6:01 The five albums he wore out7:23 His mum, his absent dad, and a single-parent household8:22 Singing in church with his grandma11:41 First talent show: Fix You by Coldplay13:01 The $50 nylon-string guitar that started it14:02 Playing "Dream Girl" for his mum at 1015:23 Growing up Black in Luton and the Labrinth Electronic album that broke his brain open18:45 Open mics at 11 — his mum driving him to every one20:18 Why open mics built him in a way the algorithm can't21:43 "I was really lucky that I got to fail a thousand times"22:30 The first real gig — 100 cap, 90 friends and family, indie band Bear with a Three29:18 Covid, isolation, rock bottom30:44 Therapy — and the notes that became the album33:06 Trust issues, anxiety, the night at 18 he tried to "ctrl alt delete on life"35:12 What he'd say to 18-year-old him36:55 The videographer who pushed him to try TikTok37:25 "I'm not trying that shit" — and the Sweater Weather cover that changed everything40:24 How he paved his way onto an Amber Run tour with one recorded song43:40 NMPA mid-roll44:22 The day his career actually started: meeting Peter Fenn46:08 "Music with other people is supposed to be fun" — Peter's first lesson49:01 "My Home" — written in the first hour of meeting Peter54:48 After Stargazing: "stuck in the future"60:06 Brain scans, burnout, smiling through it all62:30 "Hey mom, I want to retire you" — and what she said63:31 The UK artists who don't love being famous — Ed Sheeran, James Bay, Niall Horan66:12 Are you happy?78:29 "I hated Niall Horan" — and why80:11 Rapid fire83:32 Meeting his wife with all this happening85:00 The album as the closing of the first chapter90:46 Pulling up the old voice memos92:02 The Taco Bell night that became "Stargazing"95:39 The biggest pinch-me moment of the last three years98:06 Ross and Joe tape notesWatch on Spotify. Spotify Premium users get no commercial breaks on our show.CREDITS BLOCKCredits:Hosted by Ross GolanProduced by Joe London & Jad SaadEdited by Jad SaadPost-Production VFX by Pratik Karki Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.