We were lucky to catch up with Nat Stephens recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Nat, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I learned what I do by taking a step at a time. Managing stage fright was the first thing I realized I would need to do to pursue singing full-time. I started busking in Santa Monica, both the pier and promenade. I started off being absolutely fine that people passed me by, not paying attention to desiring an audience. After about a year and a half I realized I was ready for a staged show. I moved onto acquiring my stage legs first as a back up singer then moved on to hosting my own time slot. Just me and my guitar. Even though now stage fright still wants to take over, the experiences I’ve had developing that muscle really helps me to be able to be in the moment & perform. Now I have a residency every Wednesday night at Five on the Hill at the Hilton Universal and it’s second nature. I think if I would have been able to invest into guitar and vocal lessons early on, that perhaps it would have assisted the learning process more for sure. Also me being in a car accident second year of being in LA definitely was an obstacle to overcome. To push through the pain to carry my equipment to shows etc. That pain was hanging around for 5 years. Thank God everything is smooth now.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Hi my name is Natalie Stephenson, I go by Nat Stephens as an artist & singer/songwriter. I’m based in LA and Originally from Maryland. I create music for different platforms, mainly for my own music artistry and journey.
I’ve been singing since highschool and it always was seen as a hobby. From myself and the ppl around me. I wrote my first original song with my guitar at 16. I performed it for the first time at school and it was such a memorable feeling. I realized this is my outlet to process life. This is what I want to do.
September 2023 marked 10 years that I moved out here to pursue my dreams in music. It’s been quite a journey especially from the inside out. I started off with the biggest stage fright and fear of public speaking to being able to perform in many venues from Sofitel, Viper Room and The House of Blues.
I’ve released an EP called ‘Transparency’ on all platforms and my first music video both in 2020. I released my album called ‘Identity’, released in September 2023. To promote the album, I made a music video for the first single off the album, called “I’m calling out”.
Released in May 2023. That was a bigger production than the first music video for sure! I’m super proud of it!
My dreams consist of being a crossover artist between worship/Christian, r&b, and neo soul music genres. That my lyrics & music uplifts and gives hope through my perspective as a believer of Jesus Christ. To create a space of being seen as I am seen. Also to be able to support my mom, myself, future family by creating music. Whether it’s by artistry, songwriting for others, shows, or movies. I’m open!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
When people connect to songs I have written, that’s something I’ll never get use to. It’s such a powerful feeling and I live for it!
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Well, I’m definitely still building! Slow and steady wins the race is the advice I’d share since it’s the one I tell myself. Consistency is crucial as well! Going live on TikTok has been the fastest growth in my personal journey. I’ve been going live for the past two years and it’s cool to see people who still hang out who’ve been there since day one.
Contact Info:
- Website: iam-NatStephens.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamnatstephens/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamnatstephens/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamnatstephens
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCehj1-o7ny0dHNKGt0ANe6w
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1LsC9AkTzdIg5t3WqHbgk2?si=cuPm5KhHSRukTLj3_yt6EA https://music.apple.com/us/artist/nat-stephens/1290573072
Image Credits
Rio DeSanto, James has Friends Photography, Daniel Ordóñez