Bette Smith Talks About What Went Into “Everybody Needs Love”

Brooklyn, New York-based rock ‘n’ roll singer, Bette Smith, grew up loving music. She sang her first song at five-years-old in church, a full choir behind her. But her parents, who were Trinidadian immigrants, forbid her from singing secular (read: nonreligious) music after that. So while she could listen to standouts like Mahalia Jackson, she couldn’t openly enjoy others like Gladys Knight & the Pips and Otis Redding. Adhering to her parents and their strict upbringing, Smith studied hard. She went to college, got a job as a receptionist, worked on Wall Street. But, years later, as her older brother, Louis, was dying of kidney failure, things changed. He told her to sing, to achieve her dreams. So, Smith went and did just that. Her latest installment is today’s premiere of the new single, “Everybody Needs Love.”