We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Natalie Joly. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Natalie below.

Natalie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I was always drawn to music as a young child. I was singing as soon as I could talk and started taking piano and guitar lessons at about 6 years old. I would come home from school every day and play music for hours just because I loved it and wanted to learn every song I loved. I had binders full of songs, ranging from The Beatles to Tom Petty and every single Taylor Swift song that had been released. I do remember a specific moment when I was about 11 years old when it hit me that I could actually “do music” as a job someday. I was playing a song with my father, I believe it was an Eagles song, and my friend looked at me and said “wow you could be famous some day” and I just remember realizing in that moment that all of my musical heroes were once kids just like me who wanted to be a musician for their career. That was when I started to get more serious about, building up my repertoire and beginning to write songs, and I started gigging out when I was 14 years old.

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

I am a singer, songwriter and music producer. I wrote my first song at 8 years old and released my first album when I was 15. Ever since my first album, I’ve had a love of music production that has grown to become one of the main focuses of my career. I play guitar and piano and have always written my songs on one of those instruments, but in recent years I’ve also picked up playing bass as well as learning how to program digital instruments like strings and drums. I’m at the point now where I’m fortunate enough to have my own home studio where I write, arrange, and track all my own songs which has truly become the most gratifying part of my career. There is nothing I love more than entering the studio with a small idea, and leaving at the end of the day with a finished demo that may soon turn into an official release. I have loved the freedom this has given me to experiment with all sorts of new ideas, as well as be able to collaborate with new people at any time! I moved from Boston to Nashville last January to focus on my original music and am so delighted to have established a team of people to help me bring my songs to life, the first of which will be out on 11.11.22 and is called “What Will Be”. This is my first song produced in Nashville – all of the guitar, bass and vocals being done in my home studio, drums tracked by an incredible local drummer, and mixed and mastered by some of Nashville’s finest. I think my unique writing and production workflow is what sets me apart from other artists, and is also the part of my career that brings me the most fulfillment!

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I think something that took me too long to fully understand is that you yourself don’t need to know everything. There are so many people that are SO good at what they do that are happy to guide you or work with you, rather than trying to figure everything out on your own. It took me a while to learn that it’s okay to ask for help! And it really makes your life so much easier to be able to focus on what your true craft is, and to lean on other people for guidance in their areas of expertise. It’s also so inspiring because the more people to work with, the more new ideas start floating around and you all start to help elevate each other which I love! Also, if you don’t know someone that you can reach out to for a specific problem or question, YouTube is always there for you. Almost every question you could possibly ask has been answered by someone on YouTube or an article found in a Google search. You don’t have to always go through the trial and error by yourself, look up videos, read articles, listen to podcasts, find an expert to reach out to and take the help! It’s only going to speed up your process and decrease the frustration of trying to have it all figured out.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I absolutely love reading books of all kind, but primarily mindset or business books are my favorite! These are a few that stand out to me…

1. The Success Principles by Jack Canfield – This book is so well-rounded and gives incredible guidance in every area of your life from business to relationships to motivation and everything in between!

2. You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero – This was one of the very first self-help books I read years ago and it changed my life and set me on a whole new path. It helps you find out what might be holding you back, what limiting beliefs you have, and gives you actionable steps to get past those things. It’s also fairly small and an easy, lighthearted read – highly recommend!

3. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki – This book completely changed the way I view finances and the meaning of success. As an artist it’s really easy to get totally caught up in your craft and forget you still have bills to pay LOL this book helped me grasp finance in a whole new way that my creative brain really held onto!

I also find biographies or documentaries to be incredibly inspiring. Learning the backstories of people I look up to and hearing the hurdles they overcame really sets a fire in my heart and grounds me in why I began doing this in the first place. For music documentaries, I highly recommend The Defiant Ones and Echos in the Canyon – if you ever need inspiration I promise you will find it in those two.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.nataliejoly.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nataliejoly/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NatalieJolyMusician
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/nataliejoly

Image Credits
Kenzie Maroney (Nashville based)