Natalie Grant (Curb Records)
Five-time Dove Award-winning Female Vocalist of the Year Natalie Grant has been through a personal storm and now brings her experience to what she calls her “most personal record to date.” Curb Records releases Hurricane, Grant’s first project in three years, on Oct. 15.
As a mother of three, Grant suffered with postpartum depression following the birth of her youngest daughter. She struggled in that darkness while still touring for nearly two years until she began the creative process for the new release. And though her initial plan was to record 10 songs selected by her record company, she found herself inspired again.
“It completely switched around and I ended up writing more,” she says. “It’s just like the Lord when I planned it one way and it went the opposite, like a creative dam broke. This record was like therapy for me.”
Title track “Hurricane” was inspired by Grant’s personal life, as well as the story of Jesus walking on the water in the storm. The single was released in May and has become the fastest-rising single of Grant’s career, striking a chord with listeners looking for hope while facing their own storms.
Since her debut release in 1999, Grant has been consistent in her music projects and touring. Fourteen years later, she is still focused on making an impact on the culture in which her three young girls will be raised.
“This is a time when it could be easy for anyone to [stop and] say, ‘It’s been a great career,’ ” she says. “As a mom to three young girls, one of the reasons I want fresh music and relevant messages is because of them. They’re going to be looking to the girls I’m impacting right now.”
Though many of the songs are weighty, Hurricane is still upbeat in outlook and tempo. As a self-described “pop-music junkie,” Grant wanted to make “fresh, relevant” songs for today’s listeners.
“I wasn’t trying to reinvent myself, but right now I’m more sure of who I am than ever before,” she says. “Mostly, I was overwhelmed and in a dark space, [but] this record is a result of hope. I wanted that to be reflected in this record.” —DeWayne Hamby
