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Algee Smith was in a pickle. He’d co-written a new song, “Spiraling,” and couldn’t wait for the world to hear it. But the new track sampled Brandy and Monica’s 1998 hit “The Boy Is Mine” — and before it could be released, Smith had to clear the sample.
Enter famed producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins.
“We had been trying to get the record clear for a while, going through different sources and it just wasn’t happening for us. And maybe in the fourth quarter, the project had to be turned in [in] about two weeks, and we still hadn’t had it cleared,” Smith, 30, tells PEOPLE.
So Smith, who is also an actor on shows like Euphoria, and co-writer Kameron Glasper sent the song to Jerkins, 48, who co-wrote and co-produced the original “The Boy Is Mine.” Before long, it was all systems go.
“It just happened so quickly after that,” Smith recalls. “I’m like, ‘Dude, we’ve been trying to get it done for three, four months.’ And just like that, it happened.”
The song premiered with a “dope” video in September, one that Smith says highlights his love for old-school R&B.
“I know that when real R&B lovers hear it, they’ll connect to it, so I was like, ‘I want to make this a moment and put some shine on this moment,’” he explains.
“Spiraling” is featured on Smith’s latest EP Love Lost, a collection of songs he describes as “very autobiographical” following the breakdown of a relationship.
“That was a part of the therapy for me doing this project. It was a part of the release that I needed,” he says of writing music based on his own life. “I went through a breakup that was my fault at the end of the day, and so it was a lot of me having to take accountability for that and deal with myself through the writing process, through the studio sessions, through the late-night thoughts and all of that.”
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He adds that he wanted his new music to be “vulnerable,” and “real,” and hopes that listeners connect to the relatability of his story of a love gone south.
Smith’s love for music began with church and the gospel music he grew up with. He started playing the drums at just 2 years old, and at 16, his family moved out to Los Angeles from Atlanta so he could pursue his dreams of stardom. The journey didn’t last long; the family moved back and Smith later ventured back out to L.A. solo.
But his parents remained pillars of support who helped the young Smith nurture and hone his craft. He recalls having just $400 to his name when he came back out to California, where he slept on a friend’s couch and survived on El Pollo Loco and 7-Eleven Slurpees.
Eventually, his acting career broke through with roles like Euphoria and Kathryn Bigelow’s film Detroit, and he released his debut EP in 2017.
“I’m maturing a lot in my art right now and what I create and how I want to shape that,” he says. “I want to continue to do great films and also put out great music. [I want to] be able to sell out a film, then also be able to sell out a music show, and just keep doing that for as long as I want to do it. That’s my dream. And so this is just a beginning step.”
