Click here for printable version Contents The Songs from Natalie’s Australian debut CD ‘Yesterday’s Make-up’… Natalie signs with Go Grrrl Records and is released in the US... 2009 - Unisong's People's Choice Award Top 10 Winner - 'Paint Me Blue' voted by the public into No. 7 spot of 12th Annual Unisong International Songwriting Contest 'People's Choice Award'. 2009 - Unisong International Songwriting Contest - Second place Winner with 'Paint Me Blue' in the Country Category 2009 - US International Songwriting Competition 2008 - Semi-Finalist with 'I've Been Broken' in Performance Category and 'Nothing's Changed' in Country Category 2008 - The UK Songwriting Contest - Semi-Finalist with 'Paint Me Blue' and 'I've Been Broken' in the Folk and Country Category. 'Nothing's Changed' and 'I've Been Broken' in Adult Contemporary Category. 2008 - Singer/Songwriter Awards - named in Top 4 of Round 3 with 'I've Been Broken' 2008 - US International Songwriting Competition 2007 - Third Place Winner in 'Country' and Honorable Mention in 'Performance' Categories with 'Paint Me Blue' 2007 – US International Songwriting Competition - Finalist in ‘Country’ and ‘Performance’ Categories with ‘Paint Me Blue’ 2007 – US International Songwriting Competition – Triple Semi-Finalist - in ‘Country’ Category with ‘Paint Me Blue’ and ‘Emotional Day’ and ‘Performance’ Category with ‘Paint Me Blue’ 2007 – 7th Annual National Musicoz Awards in Australia - Finalist in ‘Country’ Category and Top 5 Finalist in ‘International’ Category/Songwriter with ‘Some Things Never Get Old’ 2007 - The John Lennon Songwriting Contest - Honorable Mention in Session 1 of Country Category with 'I Don't Want To Live Like That' 2007 – UK Songwriting Contest – Double Finalist - in ‘Country’ Category with 'I Don’t Want To Live Like That’ and ‘Pop’ Category with ‘I Want To Get Out’- Double Semi-Finalist - in ‘Country’ Category with ‘The Long Night’ and ‘I Can’t’. 2007 – US Independent Music Network (Los Angeles/New York) Country Countdown - Top 5 Chart position for ‘I Don’t Want To Live Like That’. 2007 – 27th Australian National Songwriting Contest - Finalist in ‘International’ Category with ‘I Know I (Can Win)’. 2007 – Singer/Songwriter Awards - Named in Top 4 of Round 2 with ‘I Don’t Want To Live Like That’ 2007 - Australian Country Music People's Choice Awards - Finalist in 'Most Promising Future Star' Category 2006 – US International Acoustic Music Awards (IAMA) – Finalist with ‘You Never Knew Me’ in ‘Country/Bluegrass’ Category. 2006 - Victorian & National Country Music Awards, Australia - Finalist in Duo (National Section) with 'The Long Night'. 2006 – CMC Top 20 Countdown (Australia) - #12 chart position for Country Music Video ‘Is It Just Me’. 2006 - Australian Country Hot 30 - #4 chart position for National Country Airplay with her song "Is It Just Me" 2006 - People's Voice Awards (ISC) - 8th with her song "The Long Night" 2006 – US International Songwriters Competition (ISC) – Finalist with her song “The Long Night” 2006 - US Independent Music Awards (IMA’s) - Winner of the “Country Song of the Year” with her debut American single release: “I Don’t Want to Live Like That” co-written with James Dean Hicks. 2006 - saw the emergence of artist/songwriter to US Country Radio with her debut single “I Don’t Want to Live Like That” co-written with James Dean Hicks. 2005 - CMC Top 20 Countdown [Australia] –- #1 Country Music Video with “You Never Knew Me”‘ 2005 - 5th Annual National Musicoz Awards in Australia - Winner of the 2005 Country Music Channels Best Country Artist Award; entered song “I Can’t”. And Top 10 Finalist in the Pop Category with her song “Are You For Real” also had co-written with Brian Maher. 2005 – US International Acoustic Music Awards (IAMA) - Runner-up in the Bluegrass/Country section with the acoustic recording of “I Want to Get Out” co-written with Jim McCormick. 2005 - Australian National Songwriting Contest - Contemporary Ballad Top 10 Finalist with her song “Intoxicated” co-written with Rod McCormack and Rick Price. 2005 - Victorian and National Country Music Awards - Hawking Brothers Best New Talent category with her song “Love You Anyway” co-written with Chaise Flanders. 2005 - CMC Top 20 Countdown [Australia] –- #1 Country Music Video with “The Long Night”‘Duet with James Dean Hicks. 2005 - 3 consecutive Country Tracks Top 15 hits (Australia); with her songs “I Don’t Want to Live Like That”, “The Long Night” and “You Never Knew Me”. 2005 - Tamworth Songwriters Association (TSA) - Semi Finalist nomination in the Songwriters Professional Section, with her song “Intoxicated” co-written with Rod McCormack and Rick Price. 2005 - The Tasmanian & New Zealand Songwriting Contest – 4 time Finalist and Winner of the ‘Country Ballad of the Year’ for her song “I Can’t” co-written with Brian Maher. 2005 - Australian Independent Country Music Awards - Female Rising Star FINALIST with her song “Love You Anyway” co-written with Chaise Flanders. 2004 saw the emergence of artist/songwriter Natalie Howard to Australian Radio. Redcliffe (Queensland) born singer-songwriter, NATALIE HOWARD divides her time between the Gold Coast Australia and Nashville USA. Before she could walk Natalie was following her mother’s footsteps – literally. On weekends, Natalie would play on the floor at her mother’s feet while her mother played songs for her own pleasure on the keyboard. It wasn’t long before Natalie was pushing the foot pedals with her hands and accompanying her mother. Natalie was introduced to a wide collection of pop and country music through her father’s record collection. Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, Patsy Cline, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Crystal Gale, Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty, John Denver, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Olivia Newton-John, Buddy Holly and the Beatles were all favourites in the Howard household and road trips just weren’t complete without Dads compilations of those artists for a sing-along down the highway. Although music was always in the back of her mind, it was the trade of graphic arts that became her first occupation.A bonus she says when it comes to designing her album covers and other merchandise. Natalie later took classical and contemporary vocal instruction and music theory and later landed work in local bars, pubs and clubs in cover bands in and around the Brisbane area. She received a grant through the RADF [Regional Arts Development Fund] in Redcliffe that financed a trip to America to write and record her first demo session. Thus, triggering a snowball effect that got her hooked on song writing. Natalie migrated annually to Nashville to continue building her catalogue of original music and developing her craft for singing and song writing for several years. Natalie writes from her own experiences from heartache to happiness. Her candid point of view combined with her female perspective makes for straight forward lyrics. “I have always preferred a direct approach over a vague message when it comes to my own music – that’s why I gravitate towards country music as my middle ground so to speak even though my musical background is swamped with a mixture of pop styles as well as more traditional country classics. If it [a song] grabs my attention on more than one level then I love it, no matter what the musical style of the song or artist! It’s the common experience deriving from the heart of the artist that I believe ultimately will seduce and satisfy a wider number of listeners naturally. I’m a huge sucker though for singer songwriters. She says, “at any given moment, you can find music in my CD player from the likes of Keith Urban, Bruce Springsteen, Shania Twain, Eagles and Don Henley, Rod Stewart, Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Chris Knight, Bono of U2, Aerosmith, Sheryl Crow, Bryan Adams, Stevie Nicks, Patty Griffin, Neil Finn, Kasey Chambers and The Bee Gees….and although she may not have written all of her early material, I do adore Olivia Newton-John, she is the one voice that motivated all that I am today in my music.” "Co-writing has been such a great gift. I have learned so much and I have been blessed, inspired and encouraged." Some of Natalie's collaborations include: Chas Sandford, Gary Burr, Katy Kiefer, Tim Johnson, Greg Crowe, Paul Taylor, Tony Ramey, Rob Crosby, James Dean Hicks, Ronni Rae Rivers, Jerry Castle, Rya Ehle, Ryan Tyler, Kevin Bennett, Arlis Albritton, Alan Bennett, Brian Maher, Rod McCormack, Dean Miller, Jim McCormick, Tommy Lee James and Terry McBride. How Natalie got to Nashville…. Natalie says, “I never really knew where songs came from. Or thought that there was such a place where songwriters congregated more than anywhere else on the planet so Nashville was never on the cards, it wasn’t a dream I had as a child to get there, I hadn’t even heard of the place until my parents got back from an overseas trip that included a two day stay in which they went to the Ryman Auditorium, home of the original Grand Old Opry, and saw some live music there. But the concept of Nashville and what it would come to mean to me still hadn’t hit me yet. One year later my mother and I planned a girl’s trip overseas together, so we went to the States and visited friends. We happened to stay with some friends who lived in Branson Missouri, a town known to cater to bus loads of tourists year round eager to be entertained by the likes of Mickey Gilley, Brenda Lee, Mel Tillis, Tony Orlando, Wayne Newton, the Osmonds and many other variety shows I thought this was all a bit ho-hum until I happened to be asked to try out to be a backup singer for the Anita Bryant Show and the thought doing something like that was exciting. I quickly made an acoustic demo tape and was accepted, but as fate would have it, the whole show was cancelled and Anita closed her theatre for undisclosed reasons. Although I hadn’t planned on living and working in the States, I was still disappointed because time was running out and we had to get back home. We decided to go do a little more quick sight seeing, so we jumped on a greyhound bus and landed in Nashville, Tennessee. We ended up extending our stay for almost two weeks and I was hooked – hooked on the writers and the whole lifestyle. My mum knew that I would be back and three months later I did return to Nashville after writing several songs while I was home and receiving a grant from the Redcliffe ‘Regional Arts Development Fund’ {RADF} to fly to Nashville to record some of my songs. It was an experience that only proved to stimulate my enthusiasm for the craft. When I arrived in Nashville, I didn’t really know a soul, at least not in the music industry. I spent one full year in Nashville the first time and since then, I have returned annually for different lengths of stay. Over this time I have developed friendships along the way with a lot of great songwriters and have been fortunate enough to write many songs with them. As an artist, I have only begun to emerge. I have predominately been a writer first but have since been encouraged to begin singing my own material. I have performed in conjunction with other artists and writers during their shows at the famous Bluebird Café and during the annual Tin Pan South songwriters’ week in Nashville as well as at various other writers’ parties and hangouts around town. “The long term goal here is to carve out a musical career that incorporates all my loves; singing, and song writing not only for me but for other acts. I think it is a great honour when someone else records your material.” Natalie Howard. The Songs from Natalie’s Australian debut CD ‘Yesterday’s Make-up’… Upon her Australian release of her debut single 'Love You Anyway' in December 2003, DJs nation-wide embraced Natalie's contemporary style and personality. The track gained Natalie a nomination as a Finalist in the Rising Star ‘Female’ category of the 2004 Telstra Country Wide Southern Stars Independent Country Music Awards in Mildura and a Finalist in the ‘Hawking Brothers Best New Talent’ category of the 2005 Victorian & National Country Music Awards. “Love You Anyway” is a promise of unconditional love that will stay true and constant through any times of change or struggle. The second track on this debut release, ‘I Want To Get Out’ is a song consisting of emotional imagery expressing the discontent someone feels when they are involved in an unhealthy relationship. “I have been in this situation before and I don’t think I even noticed how bad things were at the time, until I moved on. So I got to express my thoughts on the matter through the song.” Both tracks gained considerable airplay on Australian and New Zealand air waves and are featured on her debut album. In February 2005 Natalie received runner-up in the Bluegrass/Country category of the (IAMA) International Acoustic Music Awards with her acoustic recording of ‘I Want to Get Out’ which is available on the single EP release of ‘Love You Anyway’. In September 2004 Natalie won 1st and 3rd place in the ‘Open Ballad’ category of the Tasmania & New Zealand Song writing Contest with 2 songs that are on her debut album ‘Yesterday’s Make-up’. In addition she was placed as a Finalist in 3 other categories. Natalie’s follow up track ‘I Don’t Want To Live Like That’, a Country Tracks Top 20 Hit released in June 2004 [on NFS compilation No 89], is featured on her debut album ‘Yesterday’s Make-up’ produced by Michael Flanders of Brisbane. This track highlights Natalie’s approach to her brand of new style country, fusing rock guitars with a strong drum groove and a great melody. And the video clip showcases Natalie’s expressive ‘live’ performance and “Nattie-tude”, as she calls it! Co-written with guest singer-songwriter James Dean Hicks (Heaven Help Me-Wynonna Judd/Goodbye Time-Blake Shelton), 'I Don't Want To Live Like That' is about being the best person you can be - opening up to allow better relationships into your life. Natalie explains "Sometimes you find out what type of person you don't want to be, before you figure out what kind of person you do want to be (in a relationship)." 'I Don't Want To Live Like That' subsequently came in at the #14 spot on the 'Country Airplay ‘15 Most Played' tracks in The Music Network Magazine. Things have certainly been on a roll for Natalie, with a finalist nomination in the Rising Star Female category at the 2004 Australian Independent Country Music Awards and her sensational debut album 'Yesterday's Makeup' just hitting the racks across Australia. Natalie’s next release ‘The Long Night’, a duet co-written by Natalie with noted Nashville songwriters Terry McBride and Tommy Lee James, (who have worked extensively with Jedd Hughes on his CD 'Transcontinental') was sent to radio [on NFS compilation No. 93] in December 2004. Natalie is joined by Kentucky born and Nashville based artist/songwriter James Dean Hicks. With its modern blend of mandolin, fiddle and steel, this passionate duet captures the feeling of two people who share the same loneliness and deep longing for each other from a distance. 'The Long Night' entered the COUNTRY TRACKS TOP 30 CHART at #28 and climbed to #13, and reached the #2 spot on the Independent Country Music Chart; Mildura HotFM 100 Country Hits. 'The Long Night' was also a “Country Airplay - 15 Most Played” track, holding for 7 weeks and noted in the Music Network Magazine Chart. Natalie achieved her first #1 hit with her video clip, 'The Long Night', on the CMC TOP 20 COUNTDOWN CHART. Filmed partially on Coogee Beach, Sydney and in Nashville, by Golden Guitar Award recipient Ross Wood, this natural and passionate clip cleverly depicts the meaning of the song by keeping the singers separate from one another in all scenes. ‘The Long Night’ continues to be added to other Australian TV Networks for broadcast. 'The Long Night' also appears on the CMC COUNTRY 2005 Double CD set (released by EMI Australia August 2005) with 39 of the most popular tracks played on Country Music Channel (Australian cable channel on Austar and Foxtel Digital). CD 1 contains 21 favorites from Aussie artists, like Kasey Chambers, Paul Kelly and Keith Urban, & CD 2 showcases 18 hit tracks from the USA. 'You Never Knew Me' was released to Australian Radio August 2005 and is the follow up release to NATALIE HOWARD's two previous Country Tracks Top 20 Hits, 'I Don't Want To Live Like That' and 'The Long Night'. This fourth release off her sensational Australian debut album ‘Yesterday's Make-up’ is a quirky, tongue in cheek, upbeat acoustic driven toe-tapper that Natalie herself best describes it's catchy style as 'Newgrass'. This song is Natalie's own interpretation of Bluegrass Country and shows her sense of humour and versatility as an artist songwriter. 'You Never Knew Me', written by Natalie with Brian Dean Maher (Mindy McCready, Lila McCann, Lonestar) is a frank retort to an old flame. After realizing he's made a mistake in leaving her, he tries to smooth things over and get back together but she will have none of it! Natalie returned from Nashville to perform songs from her album 'Yesterday's Makeup' during the 2005 Mildura Country Music Festival and The Australian Independent Country Music Awards Presentation during the month of September. The music video for ‘You Never Knew Me’ celebrated 3 weeks at #1 on the CMC Top 20 Countdown over the Christmas period. Filmed by Golden Guitar Award recipient Ross Wood at a secluded location a couple hours drive south of Nashville Tennessee in the town of Cornersville. One scene required a birthday party sequence, so Natalie filled her video with a lot of her close friends, and a slap happy Bluegrass band. ‘Is It Just Me’ was released to the Australian Radio January 2006 [on NFS compilation No. 102]. Is It Just Me is the fifth release from NATALIE HOWARD's splendid Australian debut album ‘Yesterday's Makeup’. With three previous consecutive Country Tracks Top 20 Hits this Queenslander, December 2005 Musicoz Award winning artist and 2006 US Independent Music Award winner of the ‘Country Song of the Year’, is now certainly on a roll. Written by Natalie with noted Nashville songwriters Rob Crosby (MARTINA MCBRIDE/BROOKS & DUNN) and Craig Carp (ALAN JACKSON), in this song Natalie asks the question, "Is this a one sided love affair?". This is modern country, mixed with pop and rock styles that artists like SHANIA or KEITH URBAN lean towards. Natalie said about her new song, “It opens with an ear-catching sliding pedal steel hook and fusing guitars, it grabs your attention and gets you in the mood for summer with a spunky beat that makes you want to turn it up as you're driving down the highway with the wind in your hair. I just love this song, it always gets me in a good mood.” The music video for ‘Is It Just Me’ was filmed in the Lebanon and Franklin areas in Nashville by Aussie film maker Ross Wood. Starring Daytime TV Star actor Brian Gaskill [As The World Turns, The Bold and The Beautiful, Port Charles] with his beautiful wife, country singer/songwriter Tonya Watts. Airing from March 25th 2006 on CMC Australia. |