“You Don’t Look Like A Smith” - Trina Smith on Mixed Heritage & The Problems With Mainstream Music

Trina Smith, CEO of Electric Pineapple media, grew up between two cultures, never “looking” the part, and without anyone who looked like her to follow. Her journey through identity and music reveals what it means to find belonging on your own terms.

But through music, she carved a space that challenges bias, reclaims heritage, and asks whether culture is being diluted for clicks.

In this episode, we dive into:

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  The struggle of identity invalidation (“you don’t look like a Smith…”)

  
  


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  The beauty (and challenge) of being from an in-between culture

  
  


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  Getting into music without role models who looked like her

  
  


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  Bias, entitlement, and the hard truths of the music industry

  
  


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  Has music lost its soul to TikTok virality?

  
  


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  Why culture is being diluted in mainstream music and how to protect it

  
  


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  Honorary mentions of Ed Sheeran, Arijit Singh, Sapphire, and Will Smith

  
  

👉 Full of raw honesty, cultural truths, and lessons on identity, this episode will resonate with anyone who’s ever felt “in-between.”