On Thursday, Minneapolis’ Caroline Smith returns to Off Broadway behind her bright, R&B-laced 2013 pop record, Half About Being a Woman. Smith’s show this week will be her first in St. Louis since the album was released, and the show will look, sound, and feel differently than prior tour stops here. I spoke to Smith via email about her new image:

Caroline Smith performing at Off Broadway in 2012. Photo by Jess Luther.

Can you talk about how you’ve adjusted/changed your stage presence and performance style as you ushered in this new phase of your musical career and sort of shed the folksy, girl-with-a-guitar side of your image?

One of the biggest changes in our set is that we’ve added back-up singers, and they really help me get the sassy vibe across. With this new record, I wanted to put an emphasis on making our live shows interactive, fun, and memorable. I wanted them to ride the line of goofy and sexy; that’s kind of where I sit as a woman.

I took guitar lessons for the last year and worked really hard to be more of a performer so I could engage a bit more with the audience. We just really want our audience to dance and feel good when they’re listening to our songs, especially the ladies. I want them to look on stage and see a bunch of women feeling confident, singing about being confident, and stop worrying about their body or their relationship if only for an hour.

Do you still perform songs from Backyard Tent Set or Little Wind in your shows? If not, how did you feel taking those songs out of rotation? How have fans that have followed your career over the past several years reacted to the new material?

We still play our old songs, we just rearranged them to fit into the set more, and people have reacted very positively. Old songs that were once slow and dark are now charged and fun for the crowd and has them dancing. I want to keep playing the old songs because I really don’t want to disrespect my older fans that liked our past albums. It’s important to me that my fans always feel appreciated because I really, really, really appreciate them. It blows my mind every day that I even have fans!

How was the process of creating an upbeat pop/R&B record different than creating folk or indie rock records? With whom did you collaborate to make Half happen?

Well, I wrote all of these songs in about 4 months. I demoed every song, which is the first time I’ve ever done that, and worked with my producer, Jake Hanson, and my band, Jesse Schuster and Arlen Peiffer, on the songs before taking them into the studio with Brett Bullion. I loved being that prepared – knowing exactly what we were going to do – because it actually made more time for us to experiment with sounds and new parts. Honestly, it was probably the easiest record I’ve ever made. The songs were so easy to write, they came pouring out of me, and the team of people that I worked with was absolutely amazing.

When I was recording folkier music, everything was a little bit more subdued so the vibe in the studio was exactly that. The band and I fought a lot more as well because we were never 100% confident with our music in the past. The last time we were in the studio was an absolute dream though; we’re all on the same page with this new style of music.

Also related to the album creation process, I was struck by the beauty and throwback feel of the design of the LP. What inspired you and/or the album art designer?

I really just wanted to put an honest picture of myself on the cover with minimal editing and I wanted to put all of my insecurities aside and practice confidence. I’ve never put my photo on an album before because of my insecurities, and I just wanted to turn a new leaf and be an advocate for a natural-looking woman feeling confident without a ton of make-up or Photoshop. If this is what I want to see more of in the female community, then it starts with number one.

Like many up-and-coming artists, you’ve toured off and on pretty aggressively behind your records. It seems that each time you’re in St. Louis, you play Off Broadway. Aside from the obvious things like a big enthusiastic crowd, what makes a great tour stop for you?

Honestly, we love coming to Off Broadway because of the staff; we love seeing them every time we’re in town. They genuinely care about us and we genuinely care about them. It’s venues like that that keep us coming back. No matter how many people came out, if a venue treats you like shit it just puts a bad taste in your mouth.

Can you talk to me about a favorite track on Half About Being a Woman, and the origin story behind it?

One of my favorite tracks is “All That I Know” because it was one of the first songs I’ve written about my boyfriend of almost 5 years. Pretty ridiculous, right? In the past, I always had the notion that songs are begotten from tumult and despair, so all of my songs were about men that treated me wrong or hurt me. And isn’t that kind of sad that they get all the recognition and the man that has been there for me through thick and thin, rain or shine, and absolutely amazing partner gets no song at all?

When I realized that, I immediately wrote “All That I Know” and now it means so much to me and I hope that it promotes healthier relationships for my younger listeners rather than my older nostalgic songs that wallowed in self-despair, though those definitely have their place in my music library. Elliott Smith anyone?

Show details: 

Caroline Smith w/ The Right Now
Off Broadway
Thursday, Feb. 20th – 7:30p doors
$10