Back & Better than Ever

“I really dove 100% into the life of a mother and wife. It was a defining and revealing season, but I never, ever stopped making music. In fact, the songs were coming out of me,” Natalie says.

Despite the fact that life and music were on a roll, the decision to let that music outside the walls of her home was quite the decision.

“My husband has always been my biggest fan and of course, had been hearing my new songs. In December we were reflecting on the upcoming year and he just said that this was the year we were going to make my record. And that was that!” she says.

Once the decision was made, they found their missing component, producer, writer, musician Don Chaffer, most known via Waterdeep.

“Don really brought in that second opinion and ability to round me out in all the songs. He really was what I needed to give me the confidence to move forward.”

From her experiences of her past season of life comes Even Now, a six-song EP that tells rich stories of the transformation not only of a woman but also of a daughter of God.

“I realized that I had something to say. I had gone through an identity shift. I realized who he wanted me to be rather that who I thought he wanted me to be.”

While the music and lyrics seemed to flow, her new venture definitely came with some new experiences. With Larue, Natalie and her brother Philip did everything together and were under the auspices of a label. Now, having no label, she was able to be an individual and have creative control to make her idea a reality.

“This really was a different experience altogether. Not having any requirements from anyone let this be a positive experience, refreshing, and fulfilling,” she says.

Another difference Natalie has been adjusting to has been the necessity of building an online market. After realizing that the reality that everyone is tech savvy, she felt the need to be more hands on and much more personal not only on the album, but also in the album making process. Natalie used the ever-growing Kickstarter to fund her album and felt the need to make her fans feel a part of the recording process.

“This was personal journey for me and I wanted my fans to have a hand in this experience not just to present them with an album but share with them my journey.”

While the album-making journey has come to a successful close, Natalie’s new yet familiar venture has just started. Even still, she remains expectation free about the future.

“I really have zero expectations about what happens next. Ultimately, I want to simply start a conversation with people who can relate to me and my stage of life. What that looks like, I have no idea.”

One thing for sure, whatever does accompany Natalie with this new journey, this Natalie is the real deal.

“Walking away from music gave an opportunity for the Lord to fully solidify me in who I am. Music is a value part of who I am but it is certainly not my entire identity.”

Even Now is available on iTunes. Keep up with her music, videos, and success on www.natalielarue.com.