Natalie Grant
Natalie Grant Bio
"I have dreamed in my life, dreams that have stayed
with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they have gone through
and through me, like wine through water, and altered the color
of my mind." - by Emily Bronte, British Novelist and
Poet 1818-1848
The world is full of dreamers. And rightfully so, God created
us that way. But at some point in our lives, we have the choice:
to keep the dream for sleeping, or to wake up and live it.
For Natalie Grant, critically acclaimed artist and three-time
Dove Award nominee for Female Vocalist of the Year, the choice
was to awaken.
Awaken, Natalie's second Curb Records studio album, is the
follow-up to her hit-laden label debut, 2003's Deeper Life
(which featured the mainstream radio/film soundtrack hit "No
Sign of It"), and the critically acclaimed 2004 Integrity
Music release, Worship with Natalie Grant and Friends. Unearthing
a deeper, richer, risk-taking artistry, Awaken is more self-aware
and socially conscious and finds Natalie Grant writing and
singing the songs of her life. Not because she's supposed
to; not because it was on the calendar to record again; but
because her heart was jolted into a reality she didn't know
existed, because she had an encounter with the worst imaginable.
Awake To Reality
Oddly enough, it was an episode of the popular NBC drama
"Law and Order" that first pricked Natalie's consciousness
about the horrors of human trafficking. "I knew that
the cases portrayed on 'Law and Order' are always based on
real issues," Natalie recounts. "But I couldn't
believe what I was seeing 10, 11, 12-year-old girls in cages,
shipped over to America to be used as sexual slaves, forced
into prostitution. As I sat there in my comfortable home,
sipping my tea, I thought to myself, 'There is no way that
is true. I mean, maybe somewhere else in the world, but not
here in America.' I had never even heard the term 'human trafficking.'
Natalie says that night was a 'Divine appointment,' one that
would change her life forever. She immediately sat down at
her computer and was horrified to learn that each year more
600,000 people are sold and abused worldwide, with at least
14,000 shipped to America. "Homelessness and poverty
are tragic enough," she says, "but some of these
children are kept in cages and forced to perform heinous,
unfathomable acts 50 and 60 times a day. And you never hear
anyone talk about it."
That night on the Internet, Natalie found an organization
devoted to rescuing children from prostitution and giving
them a home, an education and the skills to make a living
on their own. She called the organization's office first thing
the next morning and expressed her desire to help. Within
a matter of months, Natalie and her husband traveled to India
to visit the red-light districts, to witness human trafficking
up close, and to see what is being done to stop it.
"I was walking down the street in Mumbai, in broad daylight,
when my eyes locked on a little girl, maybe 6 or 7 years old,
peering out of a cage, looking at us on the street below.
It was beyond my imagination," Natalie says of the experience.
"I'll never forget that moment. That was her life. Every
day people walked by, and they didn't even notice her."
That experience, coming in the middle of a restless, stressed-out
season for her, completely changed the trajectory of Natalie's
life, awakening her out of complacency and passivity and into
a life driven by compassion and passion. And it has forever
changed the way she approaches her music.
"This has really been a pivotal season for me in my
artistic and creative journey," says Natalie. "In
every way personally and professionally I've been in a real
place of self-discovery, learning a lot about myself and what's
really important in my life. The more I know myself, the more
I'm writing from my heart. I've realized that in the end,
it's the power in a song that stands the test of time, and
that's what I focused on with this project."
Perhaps that explains why Awaken is the most unexpected,
honest and compelling project Natalie's ever created. Produced
by her husband, Bernie Herms; Phil Symonds; Shaun Shankel;
and Rob Graves, Natalie wrote or co-wrote half of the songs
on Awaken, along with a supportive roster of such notable
songwriters as Stephanie Lewis, Trina Harmon, and Matthew
West.
"More than anything," she says, "I wanted
to be challenged, to take risks, to go to the edge of myself
beyond my comfort zone, to reach for whatever my artistic
limit is. I'm more alive than I've ever felt before, and it
was important for me to have that come through in the music."
In the end, although she never aimed for a thematic center
for Awaken, one inevitably surfaced. "It's amazing how
that happened," she says, "how it all came together
in the end, but it makes sense. My spirit has awakened to
the need to make my life count for something other than myself.
Life is hard and sad and messy and there won't always be answers.
I've come to understand that it's okay to ask questions but
at the end of the day, we choose to have faith, to believe
that God is good."
Awake, My Soul, and Sing
Undeniably, the 12 cuts on Awaken reveal Natalie's ever-evolving
passion for powerful songs that express the truth of that
revelation in her life. The project's title-track is a full-on,
power-pop exclamation-of-a-prayer to God to shake up the status
quo of our lives, to wake us up to live passionately, intentionally
every day.
The stirring second single, "Held," captivates
with its lyrical depth, revealing the promises of God in times
of suffering. Written by Christa Wells in the wake of losing
two loved ones, "Held" takes the "hand of bitterness"
and reveals where God is when prayers seemingly aren't answered
and when life doesn't make sense.
"The Real Me" is a piano-driven affirmation of
how God sees us, Natalie says. As transparent as any lyric
can be, "'The Real Me' reflects my own journey of self-discovery
and what God has shown me about who He is and who I am."
Co-written with Trina Harmon, with lush strings courtesy
of the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, "Home" is
Natalie's musical response to the plight of the children trapped
in human trafficking and prostitution. "It's a song that's
based around this issue, but it's also a song for everybody,
no matter who you are or what your story is. We all need a
place to belong. We need that feeling that we are safe, and
that we are in a place where we can rediscover our dreams
and deal with the brokenness in our lives."
Awaken also features "Bring It All Together," an
old-school gospel duet with country music icon Wynonna Judd,
a vocalist Natalie says "not only has a voice the size
of Texas, but is the perfect person to deliver a song about
restoration and God's grace in our broken lives."
Awake and Full Speed Ahead
Throughout the album, you'll hear a woman who's fiercely
determined to use her influence to compel others to see the
tragedy of human trafficking and to get involved. Toward that
end, Natalie has established The Home Foundation to raise
both awareness and funds to help the victims of human trafficking.
"I really believe that through my concert ministry, I
can bring more awareness to this tragic issue," Natalie
states.
In 2005, Natalie also continues her partnership with Women
of Faith in a powerful new way as she helps launch "The
Revolve Tour," WOF's first nationwide conference for
girls in the 7th-12th grades. In addition to sharing music
from Awaken, Natalie will be a featured speaker, discussing
self-esteem issues and sharing more about her own past struggle
with bulimia.
In fact, Natalie has written The Real Me: Becoming The Girl
God Sees (W Publishing/Transit) a book that addresses these
issues from a spiritual perspective, encouraging girls to
accept God's view of them and His purpose for their lives.
"The book is my story as honest and as transparent as
I can tell it, but it's also a tool to help girls understand
the truth of how God feels about them versus that pop-culture
myth of perfection we've been bombarded with all our lives."
As Natalie stands poised to write the next chapters in her
life, music and ministry, her heart is set on staying fully
awake and fully alive, making every moment count, and living
her dream to make a difference in the lives of those she can
reach. Through the stereo; from the stage; next door, and
around the world. Courtesy Curb Records
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