Matisse (singer)

Matisse
Birth name	Brittany Smith
Also known as	Brit Smith
Born	(1985-09-21) September 21, 1985 (age 38)
Origin	Wilton, Connecticut
Genres	Pop, contemporary R&B, dance
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, actress, model
Years active	1991–present
Labels	Interscope (2003–present) Jive Records (2009–2011) RCA (2011–present)

Brittany Smith, or Brit Smith, also known by her stage name Matisse, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and model. She was part of the pop duo Brit & Alex with her identical twin sister, until their breakup in 2009.

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Career

Smith began appearing on TV at six months of age on One Life to Live and by the age of 15 she was a popular spokesmodel for the successful hair care brand John Frieda and signed to The Ford Agency.^[1]^[2]^[3] During this tenure she and identical twin sister Alexia formed the pop duo Brit & Alex, where they became famous for appearing in TV commercials for John Freida's Sheer Blonde line (where they would be known to fans as "The Sheer Blonde Twins") and later signed with Interscope Records. They also went to England in the hopes of establishing a musical career there, but would achieve little success,^[4] having reached number 75 on the UK Singles Chart with "Let It Go" in 2008.

After the duo broke up in 2009 and due to Alex's decision to go to college, Brittany continued with her singing and acting career, signing with Jive Records and recording under the name Matisse, naming herself after the famous painter. And like the famous namesake, Matisse wants to follow her path: "Over the years people have tried to make me into something I'm not," she says, "but I'm not interested in being the next 'so and so' or compromising myself to be a one hit wonder. I want to make music that I like and that I can be proud of."

As of 2024 Matisse works at Color Wow but has plans to venture into music again.^[5]

Label

Smith was signed to Jive Records. On October 7, 2011, labels such as J Records and Arista were sold to Sony's Flagship Label, and all artists were merged to sign to RCA Records and other affiliated Sony Music Labels. Therefore, Smith was merged to sign to RCA in 2011; she signed with Interscope.

Music

In 2010, Smith released her first single "Better Than Her" featuring Akon as Matisse. It was written and produced by Kevin Rudolf and Jacob Kasher and reached number one on Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay chart. She was working on a self-titled full-length LP (Matisse) that was to be released in 2011.

In July 2011, Smith, as Matisse, released a medley of Rihanna songs on YouTube.^[6] The video was produced by Kurt Hugo Schneider.

In 2013, Brit Smith released "Provocative" featuring Will.i.am. The music video also features Betty White.

In April 2024, one of Brit Smith's unreleased songs from 2012, "Karma's a Bitch", resurfaced and gained popularity on TikTok due to its likeness and shared lyrics with JoJo Siwa's single "Karma".^[7]

Discography

Singles

Year	Title	Chart Positions
Year	Title	U.S. Hot 100	US R&B	U.S. Pop 100	U.S. Hot Dance	U.S. Hot Dance/Club
2010	"Better Than Her" (feat. Akon)	---	–	–	1	3
2013	"Provocative" (feat. Will.i.am)	---	–	–	–	–