A Front Row View of Natalie Cromwell

Natalie Cromwell is a singer, songwriter, teacher, musician and worship leader out of Minneapolis, MN. Her love for people, God and good music is contagious. And she is absolutely drenched in talent! 

Natalie specializes in leading worship, but keeps up with the best in a variety of genres. She’s shared the stage with southern Gospel’s Gordon Mote, Ernie Haase and Signature Sound and Gaither Vocal Band’s Wes Hampton. And recently, Natalie performed to a sold out crowd of 18,000 at “Joyful Noise” sharing the stage with CCM artists, such as Jamie Grace, TobyMac, Matthew West and more. 

“My style is primarily worship because I am a worship leader, but my personal music is worship with a southern gospel background. It can sometimes have a country feel to it and sometimes it’s pop,” Natalie explains. “I just write whatever comes out and there is no certain genre that I fit into well, and I’m ok with that.” 

Writing whatever comes out is serving Natalie well. She wrote every song on her latest project, UP TO SOMETHING, impressing some of Christian music’s top songwriters. One such writer is Sue C. Smith. Sue says, “UP TO SOMETHING puts a smile on my face. There are moments that are hymn-like and divine, and others that are fresh and quirky and “pop-py.” There are songs that feel like Broadway and others that are simply timeless. These lyrics make me think without wearing me out. And these songs make me want to corner her in a room and make her promise that she will write a dozen or so with me!”

Another noticing Natalie’s potential is Reba Rambo McGuire. “I love Reba,” Natalie says. “Usually if I am in town (Nashville) she’ll have me over for coffee. She is like family! Her Writing Room Workshop has really transformed my writing. Reba is also a creative writer. She writes poetry and short stories. I had never been interested in that kind of writing until her workshop. She has opened my eyes to a different way of songwriting and it has improved a lot.”
 
Natalie’s talent certainly doesn’t stop with performing and songwriting. She has an unforgettable voice, is a great musician and she’s a producer! Gordon Mote produced her first album, THE REASON, but Natalie took the producer’s chair for her latest. “It was scary and exciting, but I love the whole creative aspect of it. I also want to start producing more,” Natalie admits. “But- I am my worst critic, and it is good to have that kind of an ear to help yourself improve instead of staying stagnant.” 

Natalie says it’s hard to choose a favorite on the album, but she is especially proud of “Psalm 23.” She commented, “Production wise, that was the hardest song to figure out how to get it exactly right to best serve the song. It came together better than I imagined.”

When Natalie isn’t performing, creating or leading, she is teaching. She coaches worship teams, leads workshops, teaches private lessons and leads music camps. When it comes to helping others with songwriting Natalie says, “It’s so crazy because people are coming to me for expertise and I still feel like I’m kind of a baby! I don’t feel qualified, but lately I’ve been getting song after song to be put on hold and it makes me think…’Ok, I guess I’m doing it!’” 

Wise beyond her years, Natalie understands the importance of nurturing her spiritual life. When asked what the Lord has been teaching her she responded: “I will never finish learning about patience. My number one strength is that I’m futuristic, so I’m always looking at the next thing and bigger picture thinking, ‘what’s next?’ Since I’m always dreaming of the next thing, I sometimes get impatient. I’m learning His timing is perfect. God is also teaching me to trust Him. He always lines up things that are always better than I could have imagined.”

Natalie is enjoying every step of the journey in the ministry. She’s building relationships with industry peers, she’s involved in songwriting communities, and she’s connecting well with friends and fans as she serves. Her future looks incredibly bright, but she wants everyone to know the reason behind all she does is simply to honor Christ. “At the end of the day, my big thing is- what I’m super passionate about is… for God to be glorified. If it wasn’t for Him, I wouldn’t have a voice to sing or a platform to speak. I love leading worship and I love performing, but it always comes back to- I just want to give Him glory.”

For more information, visit Natalie’s website at http://nataliecromwell.com and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

About Rhonda Frye 324 Articles
Throughout her career and ministry, Rhonda has served at SGNScoops.com, GospelMusicUpdate.com, and SouthernGospelUpdate.com (as Editor in Chief). She has also published articles in Singing News Magazine and CCM Magazine. As a music journalist, Rhonda interviewed numerous well-known artists (such as Bill and Gloria Gaither, Larnelle Harris, Phillips Craig & Dean, Jason Crabb, and many more). She has also covered the GMA Dove Awards, KLove Awards, The National Quartet Convention, Harmony Honors, GMA Hall of Fame, and other special events. Rhonda is also a songwriter and worship leader.