Jaid Joice’s “Cigarettes” Release Party | Invited to Some Cool Sh*t

There are certain nights in Nashville where you walk into a small room and get the feeling you might be watching something before everybody else catches on.

Jaid Joice’s “Cigarettes” release party at The Underdog felt like one of those nights.

On Aug. 14, Jaid packed into one of Nashville’s small, gritty music rooms to celebrate the release of her debut single, “Cigarettes.” No massive production. No arena. Just a room full of people watching an artist whose career suddenly seems to be moving very quickly. The release marked Jaid's official streaming debut and introduced a sound she calls “Swamp Rock” — mixing indie-rock grit, Americana and country soul.

Jaid Joice celebrating the release of her debut single “Cigarettes” at The Underdog in Nashville. Image by: Addison Claire Hilton

And I'm glad Heart of the Gulch got invited to be there for it.

A Pretty Damn Good Week to Be Jaid Joice

The timing of this party made the night even more interesting.

Four days after “Cigarettes” arrived, WME announced it had signed Jaid for global representation. WME's Jon Folk described her as an artist with unforgettable vocals, strong musical instincts and an authenticity that immediately connects with people.

That isn't the only person in Nashville paying attention.

Jaid Joice performing during her “Cigarettes” release celebration in Nashville. Image by: Addison Claire Hilton

During the celebration, Whiskey Jam founder Ward Guenther also gave Jaid a shoutout as one of the upcoming musicians to keep an eye on.

When you've spent enough time around Nashville, you realize moments like that matter. Careers rarely change overnight. Usually, you start noticing little signals stacking on top of each other.

Right now, there are a lot of signals around Jaid Joice.

Jaid Joice and Izzy Mahoubi

One of my favorite moments of the night was watching Jaid perform alongside her best friend — and friend of Heart of the Gulch — Izzy Mahoubi.

There's something different about watching two artists who genuinely care about each other share a stage, especially when both are carving out their own paths in Nashville.

We've had both Jaid and Izzy on Heart of the Gulch, so seeing them together outside the studio made this one a little more special for me.

I'm genuinely excited to see what these two get themselves into through the end of 2026 and heading into 2027.

A look inside Jaid Joice’s “Cigarettes” release celebration at The Underdog in Nashville. Image by: Addison Claire Hilton

From The Underdog to Cain’s Ballroom

Less than two weeks after the release party, Jaid found herself on another pretty ridiculous bill.

On Aug. 26, she opened a sold-out night at the legendary Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa featuring Charley Crockett and Evan Felker of Turnpike Troubadours.

That's quite a jump from celebrating your debut single inside The Underdog.

And the road isn't slowing down. Jaid's official EPK says she's preparing her debut album while heading into more dates supporting artists including Avery Anna and Muscadine Bloodline.

That's what made this particular release party worth documenting.

Maybe a few years from now, “Cigarettes” at The Underdog will simply be another old Nashville show.

Or maybe it'll be one of those nights people wish they'd been in the room for.

I'm happy I was.

Sometimes Heart of the Gulch is behind the interview desk.

Sometimes we get invited to some cool shit.

This was definitely the latter.