A country-music songwriter responsible for some of the genre’s greatest recent hits is an accomplished singer in his own right—and he’s bringing some Southern jams to the Coachella Valley.
ERNEST has penned songs for Florida Georgia Line, Morgan Wallen, Post Malone, Chris Lane and others, including some of those artists’ biggest hits, like “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen, and “Cowgirls” by Morgan Wallen. His personal music career is nothing to overlook, though, as his twangy, heartfelt voice explores vibes from folk, pop and even hip-hop. He even has a mega-hit of his own, “Flower Shops,” featuring Wallen.
ERNEST is set to perform at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino on Saturday, Feb. 7.
During a recent phone interview with Ernest Keith Smith, which took place a few days after his 34th birthday, the artist reflected on his 33rd year of life.
“Last year was great,” Smith said. “We got to play in front of a bunch of new fans between the Old Dominion tour and the Lainey Wilson tour.”
In 2025, ERNEST celebrated the release of Cadillac Sessions, a collaborative album with him and three up-and-coming country artists he signed to his brand new label, DeVille Records.
“I put out the Cadillac Sessions to start last year and introduced my artists to the world—Cody Lohden, Rhys Rutherford and Chandler Walters,” Smith said. “They all grew tremendously this past year in their songwriting and stuff.”
Before the year ended, ERNEST released another set of music.
“I put out a little seven-song EP called Live From the South, which I basically made while waiting for (a new) album to be finished, which is finally finished, and coming out at the top of this year, which I’m excited about,” Smith said. “We’re doing the Live From the South tour where I’m playing a bunch of those new songs, and then announcing an album release sometime in the spring.”
Although ERNEST’s release strategy is consistent with the fast-paced nature of the music industry, he said he’s not feeling hurried.
“I’m just always writing more songs,” he said. “I’m not worried about not having the songs whenever it’s time to drop stuff. I’m more impatient. I’d drop more if I could.”
The seasoned songwriter said that his writing for other musicians is largely collaborative, and he rarely writes songs for others on his own time.
“I would say 90% of the time I’m writing, when I’m not writing with another artist, I’m writing for myself, or with myself in mind,” he said. “The rest of the time, I’m usually pulled in to write for and with a certain artist. In the last couple years, anyway, I haven’t had to try to text many songs to my artist friends; I’m just writing them with them.”
He said his collaborations have helped him with his own music.
“Everything I cut, I think about going through what I call the ‘Opry filter’: ‘Can this be replicated onstage at the Opry with no extra bullshit?’”
Ernest
“I’ve kind of helped develop my own sound throughout the years by helping develop other sounds,” Smith said. “I know, when we’re writing a Morgan song or a Post song, what that’s going to feel like. Post isn’t a great example, because his album (F-1 Trillion) was almost a continuation of my album Nashville, Tennessee, because we wrote it all back to back. Basically, it was happening at the same time. When I go into Morgan mode, I know when I’m in Morgan mode … and then for my own sound, I’ve kind of leaned more traditional over the years, as kind of a juxtaposition to what I write for other people.”
Even though ERNEST’s discography is layered with influences, the musician said there is a clear “filter” for his music, involving one of the most iconic venues in music history.
“Everything I cut, I think about going through what I call the ‘Opry filter,’” he said. “‘Can this be replicated onstage at the Opry with no extra bullshit?’ That’s where I stem all my production from: ‘Will this music honor the Grand Ole Opry when I play it there live?’”
ERNEST’s performance in Indio will mark the star’s return to the desert after an eventful time at Stagecoach in 2024, where he not only performed a solo set, but made a guest appearance with headliner Jelly Roll and legend Willie Nelson.
“That was so fun,” Smith said. “Obviously, the funniest part was going onstage with Jelly—and my microphone not being on. I’ll never forget that, and I’ll never let him forget that, either. That was a crazy, fun little weekend. We had my son’s 3-year-old birthday party at one of the houses, and Wiz Khalifa was there, and Cindy Crawford. He had the most star-studded 3-year-old birthday party ever. We had a good time. I got to sing with Willie Nelson. I had nothing but good memories out there, and I can’t wait to get back. I might go play a little golf when I come back out there again, too.”
ERNEST promised that his Live From the South tour will bring Southern-country energy to Indio.
“The sound of that whole EP was very Southern, more so than just country,” Smith said. “I added a piano player and a bass player, so we’re a full-on band. There are no tracks going on, and it just kind of takes you back to that late ’70s Alabama outdoor party singing ‘Dixieland Delight.’”
ERNEST will perform at 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 7, at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, at 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, in Indio. Tickets start at $52.50. For tickets and more information, visit www.fantasyspringsresort.com.