Nerves go into overdrive for the frontman and vocalist as he grasps the trusted guitar and a steady foot presses the correct pedal to fill the already crowded room with melodic sounds for the crowd’s ears. At just 16 years old, junior Drew Smith can say that he has experienced broken guitar straps, nasty falls on stage, broken mics, broken drum kicks, shouts of glee and laughter all mingled together, sweaty stages and even improvised jokes as malfunctions occur. He can say that he has played in DIY venues in the most horrendous heats. He can say that he has published a record and is working on another one at the moment. He can say that he manages to balance academic priorities with musical priorities. He can say that he is a musician.

“There’s so many different layers to what I consider music to be,” Smith said. “[There’s layers] to what I like to play, what I enjoy to play.”

Music can prove to have various meanings for people all around the globe. For Smith, music is what revolves around his life. Having played for two and a half years for the post-punk/shoegaze band Bad Kids To The Front, Smith can say that, yeah, music does mean a lot to him.

“To me, music is sound,” Smith said. “Music is emotion. Music is just finding the right sound, the right instrument to play, the right lyrics, and finding something that people will have a relation to.”

Smith first started experimenting with music when young. He has been playing the piano for 11 years and guitar for four years. Smith has also published multiple singles and played several shows in Houston, Texas, Lawrence, Kan., and even Orlando, Fla.

“We played a two-year anniversary show over the summer,” Smith said.

However, in the commotion of what music is and producing sound, people can get easily distracted from their education. So, how does Smith balance it with academic priorities?

“It’s challenging, for sure.” Smith said. “Sometimes, you have band practice and you just forget to do homework; but, trying to balance what you like doing and schoolwork is really important.”

Smith plans to continue his music career and letting it grow as he plans more shows and meets more collaborating bands. Smith has been offered to play with bands such as New Color and Illuminated Paths. In the upcoming week, Smith will perform alongside Ky Gabriel in Dallas, Texas. Later in the month, Smith plans to do an acoustic show with Ky Gabriel and Sunday Morning Detox.

“The future looks good,It looks really good. I’m excited and hopeful,” Smith said.

Music has the ability to reach out to anyone, and music has definitely reached out to Smith. Every show is a different opportunity to learn and grow, an opportunity to test out new techniques and tactics to reach out to the audience.

“I would say that music has helped me express myself better,” Smith said. “It has given me an outlet I didn’t have before. Music has taught me a lot about myself, being able to put expression into something has made me learn a lot about myself. Not just what I can do, but also what my limitations are.”