Not that long ago, Nate Smith was a worship leader whose hometown of Paradise, California, had been devastated by a fire.
Now he has his first top-five hit with "Whiskey on You," which he recently found out has been certified Gold.
"I got really surprised at the Opry the other night when they surprised me with that plaque, and I did a little bunny hop in front of everybody in the world," he laughs. "But I was excited. I was genuinely excited."
The secret to the success of "Whiskey on You"? Nate suspects it's simply authenticity.
"It came out of a breakup and I was a little mad when I wrote it, and was drinking Jack Daniels at the time and wrote the song," he tells ABC Audio. "And it just seemed to connect with other people. You know, there's something about just telling the truth out there."
Nate's self-titled, 20-song debut is set to arrive February 17, before he heads out on tour with Thomas Rhett in May.