Colton Graves: Having Fun with the Release of Smile For Me

“I just want them to get that ‘out in the country’ feeling I get when I listen to country.” Colton Graves, the recent Extreme Music signee, is making music for people to have a good time to. With the release of his new EP, Smile For Me, Graves is hitting the nail right on the head with what he is hoping to accomplish.

Born and raised in Folsom, California, Graves began making music when he was thirteen, and his dad lent him his guitar and a 6-track recorder. After years of practice, Colton was playing a show in his hometown when Aaron Kaplan, a producer with Extreme Music, a division of Sony ATV, invited him to make music together. The duo, along with engineer Ryan Johnson, got to work on writing and recording Graves’ debut project, Smile For Me. “We are a great team and have a lot of fun working together,” mentioned the rising country artist.

For Graves, the EP has been a labor of love and a way to showcase his storytelling. “It’s not about something in particular, just me having fun and writing songs that have stories in each of them.” Smile for Me’s sound compares in style to the likes of Jake Owen and Chase Rice, while Graves’ voice distinguishes himself from today’s country stars. The EP has already received high praise and has even been featured on American Idol in recent weeks.

Stream the title track off of Colton Graves’ new project, Smile For Me, here.

Follow Colton Graves on Instagram here.