Nara Smith reveals why she uses her iconic ASMR voice in videos

Influencer Nara Smith has gained more than nine million followers on TikTok for her DIY recipes, in which she makes traditionally store-bought items like cereal or sunscreen from scratch. However, in a recent interview with The Sunday Times, the TikToker explained why she always narrates her videos with a soft and quiet voice.

In the article published on Saturday, October 5, Smith revealed that she’s a “huge fan” of ASMR – which stands for autonomous sensory meridian response. Online ASMR content typically depicts people whispering and making various noises that are meant to be satisfying. While Smith admitted that she does use an ASMR style in her videos, her voice didn’t start that way.

“The voice started because my kids were asleep on me or next to me, so I needed to talk very quietly not to wake them up,” she told the Sunday Times. “Then I got a few comments of people loving it, and I was like, ‘Okay, let’s stick with it.’”

“I listen to ASMR a lot, so if I can tap into that, why not?” she added.

Smith also opened up about why she makes so many items from scratch, explaining that because she grew up in Germany, she isn’t used to the amount of processed foods in the US. The model noted that she wants to ensure her children – who she shares with husband Lucky Blue Smith – are eating healthy foods.

“I still feel a little foreign in America,” she said. “The food culture there is insane, everything’s so processed. I grew up going with my grandma and dad to the grocery store every single day. It was normal to make fresh bread, sometimes fresh pasta.”

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“Food in Germany goes bad in two or three days, whereas in America… We bought a lettuce in Costco once and three weeks later it was still as good as new. I didn’t want to go anywhere near it, wondering what might make it last so long,” she recalled.

However, Smith did reveal the one item that she hasn’t completely mastered making from scratch. “The only thing I struggle with making from scratch is sourdough. It’s quite a science: my starter is great – it’s the proving time in the heat of my kitchen that’s the problem,” Smith said.

The TikToker also discussed the criticism she’s received for having children young and being labeled a “trad wife.” A trad wife is short for the term traditional wife, meaning a woman who embraces roles such as cooking, cleaning, and caregiving for children while the man works.

“I’m not a trad wife. I’m a working mom,” Smith said, discussing the amount of work that goes into creating her TikTok videos. “I’ve addressed it several times, but people still want to run with that narrative. I wanted kids, but I did not want to compromise my career. I do work that allows me also to be home with the kids. I know that’s a privilege.”

“Taking care of my family makes me happy but I can do that and work – it doesn’t have to be one or the other,” she added.

She explained that both she and Lucky split up taking care of their children and household chores, with her working in the afternoons and her husband working in the mornings. “It took us five years to get to this point but now we make sure his needs are met and my needs are met by splitting our days,” Smith said.

“I’m in the kitchen filming for at least five hours, sometimes nine, every day. Once the kids go to bed, I edit.”