Conner Smith Charts His Own Love Story in ‘Meanwhile in Carolina’ [Listen]

Conner Smith might have just written the perfect wedding song for himself with "Meanwhile in Carolina." The song tells his own love story as he masterfully intertwines his upbringing with that of his fiancee, Leah Thompson.

The track opens with a simple guitar line and holds onto an airy, fairytale feel throughout. In each verse, Smith narrates his life growing up and gives us a vision of a young boy who wrestles with his brothers, plays catch with his dad and loves his mama.

In the chorus, we catch a glimpse of Thompson growing up in Carolina. She dreams of Prince Charming and shares her ideals of a forever kind of love with her friends. Growing up in separate states, neither she nor Smith could have ever guess what God had planned.

"'Cause meanwhile in Carolina / There's a girl with her best friends / Talking about Prince Charming / Planning forever in their heads / Two stories God is painting / One day, He will combine 'em / That boy from Tennessee's every dream in her mind, but / She's just waiting on the day he comes to find her / Meanwhile in Carolina," Smith sings in the second chorus.

The song is reminiscent of a slideshow that is popular at wedding ceremonies — the ones in which side-by-side photos of the bride and groom from different stages of their lives are shared for all to see. It's as if to say, these two were always destined to be together.

Smith wrote "Meanwhile in Carolina" with Blake Pendergrass. The track is the latest offering from his upcoming debut project Smoky Mountains. The album, set to arrive on Jan. 26, has also produced his current single "Creek Will Rise," as well as Gold-certified "Take It Slow" and the viral hit "I Hate Alabama."

“It very much took 23 years to make these 12 songs,” Smith says of Smoky Mountains. “I felt like I found my own lane I was able to drive down, and I’m really proud of what it has become."

"There’s not a wasted second on the record – every song matters. And I think it really shows all the different things that make me ‘me’ – as a songwriter, a vocalist and as a performer," he adds.

Smith is also planning his wedding to Thompson: The pair became engaged in September, but have yet to reveal details about their upcoming nuptials. Smith admits the engagement has come at a "wild" time.

"I'm getting all the stressful stuff out of the way," he explained to Taste of Country in December. "I've got my first Top 20 single, just started a big tour last weekend, announced the album to come out in January and in the middle of that, I was like, 'You know what I wanna do? Plan a wedding.'"

Although he hasn't shared their plans for a wedding, he did tell Taste of Country that he and Thompson are not interested in a long engagement and the wedding will likely happen in 2024.