Keily Smith’s debut song You Feel Like Home was written in honour of her husband.
It reflects the sense of belonging with someone or somewhere, when you are a home away from home. It was on a morning of watching their children playing and her husband pottering in the garage in 2024, that she felt a depth of love, comfort and happiness looking at what they had achieved together.
Smith wrote the song in an hour, claiming the words came so naturally because “It was everything I was feeling in that moment”.
Hailing from Northeast England, Smith found herself living and working in Australia for 12 months, before finally settling 14 years ago in the South Island of New Zealand. She entered the music scene in 2022 and has quickly established herself as a compelling performer, with a rapidly growing following. Smith is now focused on her songwriting and releasing original work which her debut single is released today, 28th November 2025.
Keily Smith is a rising star in the New Zealand country music scene. A multi-award-winning artist, including the 2025 New Zealand senior overall Gold Guitar award and 2025 overall runner up NZ entertainer of the year, which acknowledged her impact and originality as a songwriter. Celebrated for her powerful, smokey and evocative tones, and natural stage presence, described by the Otago Daily Times as someone that can ‘’fill a stadium with ease’’.
As the winner of the Gold Guitar awards, there was an opportunity to record a song, and it was only fitting that the debut release is the first song she wrote You Feel Like Home.
Smith balances life as a mother, business owner and establishing her music career and is looking forward to making her debut at the Tamworth Country Music festival 2026.
Song credits
- Written by Keily Smith
- Vocals – Keily Smith
- Fiddle, Keys – Nick Jones
- Pedal steel – Bill Bassett
- Drums – Josh Blaikie
- Guitars, bass, percussion, backing vocals – Dan Cosgrove
- Production & mixing – Dan Cosgrove, DC Studio
- Mastering – Josh Schuberth, Fireswamp Studios
- Drum Engineering – Casey Messant, The Wardrobe Studio NZ
