Bio

Darren Smith

The "daz music" story

Darren Smith is a singer/songwriter living in the Central West NSW town of Orange. A distinctive acoustic country/rock sound is a tribute to his musical influences of Keith Urban, John Mayer and U2. Darren melds these into heartfelt lyrics, addictive hook lines and unique guitar styling within his original material. 

“an accomplished guitarist and sensitive lyricist” – Paul Kelly (2018)

In an area known for it’s cellar doors and a vibrant food industry, his acoustic live act is a perfect match to the laid-back, country style of the town he calls home. Like a good bottle of cool climate vintage red, Darren has matured into a complex musical blend whose music goes down as easily as that glass might on a cold winter’s night.       

As a senior Paramedic, he has pondered the importance of personal mental wellness and the prominent role music plays in his life. Armed with this reassurance and a positive message, he has returned to his musical roots and stepped out live once again. With an extensive catalogue of self-penned material Darren conveys intense lessons of life, love and loss in his sensitive and thoughtful lyrics.

Darren has quickly established himself as an accomplished live performer in and around the Central West. He can regularly be found on stage at local venues such as The Agrestic Grocer and the sought after 4onthe4loor stage at The Victoria Hotel. He has ventured out to venues far and wide including Cowra, Mudgee and Canberra and regularly makes the drive west towards Dubbo to perform.

Darren is an active member of the local JAM Orange (Just Add Music) association. This organisation actively promotes live, local talent in the Orange area. He also works closely with SOMAD (Songwriters & Original Musicians Dubbo) in their expanding promotion of the original music scene in the central west. He has recently been given the honour of the “Artist Spotlight” in their online publication.  

https://somad.org.au/latest-news/2019/9/6/somad-artist-spotlight-darren-smith

Darren is equally at home on a festival stage with recent stints at Inland Sea of Sound at Bathurst and the inaugural Under Western Skies Festival at Dubbo. One of his many highlights in 2019 was making his Tamworth debut on the Fanzone Stage among other appearances at the festival.

The November 2018 release of his five track EP “Dive Into You” showcased songs written on the road while travelling the west coast of Australia. The title track instantly transports you to the beach upon where it was written. 

The release of his new single “Without You” in August 2019 has a distinct country drive in its arrangement and feel. This again is inspired by an outback NSW road trip and gives an indication of the influence country music has increasingly had in Darren’s writing style, song construction and career. 

While Darren is a relative “new-comer” to the music scene he carries a sensitivity, maturity and delivery that can only come with age. This combined with his fresh approach to performance, song writing and story telling makes for an exciting future career in the industry.