The one-named artist known as SMITH went viral on TikTok over the summer with her song “Lemon,” and then it became a radio hit. Not bad for a song SMITH says was inspired by a fight.
“I wrote that in relation to an argument I was having with my partner and I started hating all the lyrics I was writing,” she tells ABC Audio. “They just seemed, like, self-serving and melodramatic and ridiculous. And I wasn’t entertained by it.”
“And so I kind of thought, so how can I make it kind of about what it’s like to be dealing with me?” she laughs. “And then, I don’t want to say a bunch of bad things about myself, because that’s not helpful. So how can I make it kind of, like, metaphorical, kind of funny and have some self-awareness?”
The way she did it was to compare herself to a lemon, singing, “Lemon wants to be sweet like a peach/ But lemon knows it’ll always be pretty bitter.”
“It was just more, like, how in relationships, you know, you can be difficult,” says SMITH. “I think those are characteristics about myself that are true … but it’s not necessarily my outlook.”
As for why she decided to compare herself to a lemon, well, it’s because they’re everywhere in her house.
“It started [with] hearing some Zen thing that was about, you know, you keep nine lemons in a bowl to keep good energy in your room,” she explains. “So I started doing that for a long time. I think that’s where kind of the metaphor started, was me seeing those lemons. And I have blond hair, my hair looks like a lemon.”
If you prefer seasonal flavors, SMITH also has a holiday song out, “Stay With Me Santa.”
(Video contains uncensored profanity.)
Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Related Posts
Music notes: Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and more
May 16, 2024
Did you watch The Idea of You on Prime Video and come away from it wishing the film's boy band was…
Ed Sheeran surprises college students, performs alongside them
May 16, 2024
ABC/Paula LoboOne of Ed Sheeran's favorite things to do is drop in on schools unexpectedly and meet…
Blake Lively is Lily Bloom in first trailer for ‘It Ends with Us’
May 16, 2024
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images via Getty ImagesThe trailer for the upcoming film adaptation of…
Stephen Sanchez records new original song for soundtrack of Disney+ Beach Boys documentary
May 16, 2024
Mercury RecordsStephen Sanchez is putting his retro sound to good use. The "Until I Found You"…
Olivia Munn speaks on her breast cancer journey in first TV interview since surgeries
May 16, 2024
ABC NewsOlivia Munn is opening up in her first TV interview since revealing her most recent…
Kelly Clarkson recalls doing karaoke with Amy Winehouse years before Amy was famous
May 16, 2024
Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversalWhen Amy Winehouse died tragically in 2011 at age 27, she was a global…
Adam Driver reteams with Jim Jarmusch for new film with Cate Blanchett
May 16, 2024
Brent N. Clarke/FilmMagic via Getty ImagesAdam Driver is reteaming with Jim Jarmusch for his…
New songs by Benson Boone, Jelly Roll & more featured on soundtrack for new movie ‘Twisters’
May 16, 2024
Atlantic RecordsThe upcoming movie Twisters, described as a "current-day chapter" of the 1996 film…