Lifestyle Music CMA Fest

#CMAFest26 | Rising star Payton Smith talks guitar skills and writing with some of country’s biggest names

June 05, 2026 10:00 PM •

James Ferguson

Day 2 of CMA Fest is officially underway. 100,000 country music fans are on lower Broadway to see the genre’s biggest names and rising stars.

One such rising star is singer-songwriter Payton Smith. He is fusing different sounds together through the power of his guitar.

More From Payton

He sat down with us to talk about his musical journey and writing with Morgan Wallen and Hardy.

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