Nell Smith Song ‘Billions of People’ Arrives Ahead of Posthumous Album

Nell Smith isn’t ready to let go on “Billions of People,” the latest single from the late musician’s posthumous album Anxious, set for release on April 11. The singer-songwriter started building the song out with Canadian band Shred Kelly in September 2022 after visiting England while on tour with the Flaming Lips.

“We met every week to work on songwriting together and, if I remember correctly, Nell brought the chorus of ‘Billions of People’ to the session,” Shred Kelly shared in a statement. “About 30 minutes in, she got a message from someone who she had a connection with who was leaving town and she said she was going to bike down to the bridge to say goodbye and be back in a few minutes. She wasn’t sure when she’d see them again. That fuelled the inspiration for the verses of the song that we wrote that day, and the rest of the song came together pretty effortlessly.”

The song arrives alongside a music video that pieces together footage recorded prior to the young musician’s October 2024 death. Smith was 17. “It is still very painful when I realize Nell is gone,” the Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne previously shared. “I keep thinking I’ll check my text messages from her. I’m sure she has a new drawing or new piece of a song or a new photo of her cat… and then I remember she is gone.”

Bella Union will release Anxious to honor Smith, who was hard at work on the album but wasn’t able to see any of it released. “It’s a beautiful thing but tinged with so much sadness because she will never get to know how much people enjoy it,” the post announcing the record on Smith’s official Instagram reads. “Nell was suffering from imposter syndrome and didn’t realize how great this album is … We are so sad she is not here to witness it but are so happy and grateful that she left this amazing gift to help us all remember her.”