What’s it like to grow up hearing your dad’s songs when you flip on the radio? And having his face staring back at you from CD covers at the music store?
It turns out, when you’re eleven years old – you kind of figure that’s how it is for everyone! That’s how Tyler Michael Smith – composer, instrumentalist & son of CCM legend Michael W Smith – tells it:
“You know it really was just normal to me as a kid. He was just my dad. There was nothing unusual to me. It probably wasn’t until later in life that I realized this isn’t the norm for everyone.”
“But, of course, I got to grow up around music my whole life, so it’s no wonder that I’m doing what I’m doing now! I’m very very blessed to be in this industry that I love. I never really felt pressured to be in it just because of who my dad was. It was something I really did have a passion for.”
As a composer with a growing catalogue of original music, Tyler’s latest effort is creating the soundtrack for the faith-based motion picture event Come to the Garden – On Stage! arriving in theaters this week. He explains why it’s so important to him not to put his faith and his work in separate boxes.
“It’s not done without any kind of challenge, because I think as human beings we can very easily compartmentalize different areas of our life.”
“I’m still learning how to put that into practice. It’s really easy to get lost in that world of work. I think it’s really just remembering why I’m doing it. It’s not just to make a living, but also to glorify God and bless others where he opens doors. That’s just my way of coming back to the root of it all.”
In addition to his composing, Tyler leads worship at his home church; but he’s says that people shouldn’t be expecting him to take up the mantle and become the next generation of the Smith recording artist dynasty. Yet, he is very wise in his comments on that question.
“I’m afraid to say that because whenever I say, ‘I would never do that‘, God has a way of of changing my plans. So I’ll just say I never say never these days.”
