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Navigating your 20s can be rough; from relationship woes, to worries that everyone has it figured out but you, nothing is harder than growing up. Just ask Diva Smith.

On her excellent new EP Sunny Surrender, Smith explores the ups and downs of getting older, confessing her own anxieties and accepting that life is never exactly what you were expecting. 

On the project’s country-pop title track, the artist gives in to the beauty of a “sunny surrender,” detailing a road trip taken with a partner that sees them leave city life behind for a journey through America. 

While Smith surrenders happily to life’s joys, she still grapples with the same anxieties and insecurities any 20something does. “Still The Kid” unpacks that strange feeling of being grown up, but still feeling like the child you once were. 

“I thought I’d be more sure by now,” Smith sighs, before eventually reminding herself — and her listeners — “Maybe part of growing up is knowing no one’s got it figured out…I’m still the kid and I’m still starting over.”

Meanwhile, “Girlhood,” a catchy song with an opening guitar lick reminiscent of the 1975, sees the singer struggle with the same things every young woman does: Am I nice enough? Did that sound weird? Why don’t I look like her? Should I change my hair? Smith doesn’t have all the answers, but “Girlhood” is a reassuring reminder that yes, everyone does feel that way. 

Smith isn’t just singing these life lessons; she’s trying to live them out in her own life. 

“As a result of writing this EP, I am trying to surrender to sunshine. I am trying to see the good in things,” she said of the project. “I have spent the majority of my life being anxious about life (which I’m sure will always be a part of me), but as I grow up I am trying to make it a priority to find light, love, and acceptance in my storytelling, music, relationships, and my own emotional journey. I am trying to hold it all just a little bit lighter.”

With Sunny Surrender, Smith weaves together the tangled threads that make up life in your 20s, delivering a project that beautifully expresses the highs and lows of getting older — even if you haven’t quite grown up yet. 

Listen to Sunny Surrender below: