B.C. teen who worked with The Flaming Lips gets posthumous album release

Four months after she died in a car crash, Nell Smith, the B.C. teenager known for her collaboration with the Grammy Award-winning rock band The Flaming Lips, has had her first solo album announced.

The album, Anxious, is scheduled to be released by Brighton, U.K.,-based record label Bella Union April 11.

According to the label, profits from the album sales will go toward a memorial fund established to support young, emerging artists.

Smith's parents, Jude Smith and Rachel Cline, told CBC Daybreak South host Chris Walker that listening to the new album was challenging, so soon after their daughter's death.

The test pressings arrived at their home in Fernie, B.C., a couple weeks ago.

"We got kind of excited, I think, to get them, but then we opened it up and we just left them. It just suddenly brought up too much for us. We just couldn't listen to them," said Cline.

Their 13-year-old son eventually convinced them to the play the album. 

"It was really tough. I haven't listened to it again," said Cline. "It's a lot right now."

Flaming Lips collaboration

When Smith was 13, she cut nine tracks with The Flaming Lips in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tracks make up the album Where the Viaduct Looms — all of which are Nick Cave covers.

The album was released in 2021 and earned praise from Cave, as well as a musical appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

The collaboration's origins go back to when Smith was just 10 years old and attending The Flaming Lips concerts with her father. She was eventually noticed by the band's lead singer, Wayne Coyne, who connected with her and her family.

WATCH | Nell Smith at a Flaming Lips concert:

Fernie youth catches the attention of Flaming Lips lead singer Wayne Coyne at 2018 Calgary concert

4 years ago

Duration 1:01

Nell Smith ended up recording cover tunes with the famous band from Oklahoma.

Coyne suggested the collaboration and chose the Nick Cave songs he thought Smith should cover. She emailed him the vocal tracks to be backed up by the band in Oklahoma.

Anxious

Smith was struggling as a teen during the pandemic, according to her mother, which is reflected in the new solo album.

"There's lots of songs on the album about relationships, teenage life — you know, the title track of the album is Anxious. She suffered from a lot of anxiety and worrying," Cline said, adding that the album — in contrast with the The Flaming Lips collaboration — took a long time to complete.

"She was really worried about people judging her and that this album wouldn't be liked and a feeling of failure around things. I think the thing that's so sad is she's not going to get to see the positive reaction when this album actually comes out."

Memorial fund

Smith's parents have created a fund in their daughter's name, the Nell Smith Memorial Fund, with the hope that it helps keep her memory alive.

They're aiming to raise $100,000 so they can distribute $10,000 per year to young, emerging artists.

Cline said the idea came from their experience helping their daughter apply for grants to get her musical career started.