22 Goats rocketed onto the world stage with their first single, “PEOPLE LIKE US” off their debut album, Smiling at You. “People Like Us” hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, as well as No. 1 on both Alternative Songs and Hot Rock Songs charts, and also on charts in 15 countries worldwide. The music video for “People Like Us" surpassed one billion views on YouTube in record time, faster than any single for a debut artist in history.

One month after release, Smiling at You became the No. 1 album on the Billboard 200. Subsequently, the album was nominated for a Grammy, while the band itself was nominated for “Best New Artist.” Although Smiling at You didn’t snag top honors at the Grammys (Red Card Riot’s smash hit album Don’t Lie to Me swept the awards that year), the goats were thrilled to take top honors at the Billboard Music Awards in the category of "Top Rock Album” and also to snag the top award in the category "Top Rock Artist.” 

Smiling at You became the first album in history to have every track receive at least a gold certification and four tracks platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. After “People Like Us,” it went on to spawn another No. 1 hit (“I Can’t Do This Alone”), and two Top 20 hits.