As a National All-American track and field athlete, Chrisjaan LeMann Smith said he learned the true meaning of endurance. It wasn’t until after he blew out his knee that he realized he could transfer the tenacity he learned from track to being a music manager.
Smith said he’s the Midwest’s go-to guy for musician management because he can push himself to the limit.
“I’ve been told that I’m the man behind the music,” Smith said. “It was a challenge for me, but I had the drive. I had the ambition.”
Smith has come a long way since his days as a track and field star. He originally wanted to be a therapist and was studying psychology at IU when he realized he wanted a career in music.
He was a rapper for two years before he decided he wanted to help musicians rather than be one. After graduating from IU with a psychology degree, he started CL Management Group, which represents artists such as Huckleberry Funk, Ken6teen and ALMIGHTY FO, in 2017 and then landed an internship with Cinematic Music Group.
Although he took a different path from his original plan, Smith said his training in psychology is one of the biggest reasons for his success. By listening and openly talking with the artists he works with, they feel they can rely on him, he said.
“I’m kind of the best friend,” Smith said. “I’m the shoulder to cry on. It’s something as simple as ‘how are you doing?’”
The persistence he learned from track and the empathy he gained from studying psychology makes him different from other music managers, Smith said.
He knows the musicians are staking their careers on him because he's in charge of booking their shows and managing their publicity, both of which are integral to finding success.
“For my artists, this is their life,” Smith said. “They could lose everything. It’s reassuring that they trust me.”
Kenny Doaks, one of the artists Smith represents and a longtime friend, said Smith stands out from other music managers because of his ability to understand an artistic vision and enhance it. Doaks, whose musician name is Ken6teen, said he admires Smith for his resilience while facing his injury and dealing with the death of his brother, Michael Morris III, in 2015.
“He goes above and beyond every single day,” Doaks said. “To see where he’s at today, it’s beautiful.”
Smith said he has always been the trailblazer in his family and was the first of them to go to college. Though they didn’t initially approve of him trading a career in psychology for the music business, he said their support has been his biggest motivation.
“I don’t really come from much,” Smith said. “I’ve always been big on making something for my family, to make something with our name on it.”
Smith said he could not be where he’s at without his mentors Jon “Woo” Thomas and Camille Evans, who he worked for at Cinematic Music Group. Evans said she was proud of Smith for how far he’s come and predicts he’ll be a great music industry executive someday.
“He has a lot of drive and passion,” Evans said. “He’s very meticulous. He thinks outside of the box.”
Though Smith said he still hasn’t come close to reaching his full potential, he’s proud of what he’s achieved. For people who are just starting out and wanting to break into the music business, he said to stay passionate and hungry for more.
“There is no such thing as overnight success,” Smith said. “You will reach rock bottom, but you will always overcome.”
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misidentified Smith's brother, Michael Morris III. A previous version of this article also implied that Smith started CL Management Group following his internship at Cinematic Music Group. The IDS regrets these errors.
