Singer, songwriter and worship leader Natalie Layne mostly had a smooth musical journey. She started playing piano at 3 years old. Her family and friends supported her pursuit of music as a career. As a senior in college, she won a music contest that literally had record labels clamoring to talk to her.
“It’s kind of been a lifelong thing for me. I fell in love with music when I was really young. I think I just grew up saying I would do something in music,” she said.
All this has led to Layne’s debut EP, “Amen,” released July 28.
Any negativity from others was countered by Layne’s belief that the Lord was “calling [her] to do — to try,” an attitude she learned from her family that told her, “Go for it. Let’s watch what the Lord can do.”
But as soon as it started, the momentum paused. The waiting began.
Though the record labels had quickly rushed to talk to her after winning the contest, there was no rush about actually producing a contract.
Questioning
In the meantime, Layne was invited to a writer’s retreat where artists were brought together to write songs for a week and even though that went well, it still took about three years before Layne finally signed a contract.
During that time, Layne tried to stay positive but still questioned God about what was going on. Everything finally came together. She had a team and was about to release a record. Her first tour was coming together. And then COVID-19 shut everything down.
“People tell you when you’re in the middle of the waiting part that God’s timing is perfect. But that almost hurt in the middle of it. I thought that this was where He was leading,” she said.
This experience was part of the inspiration for the joy emphasized throughout “Amen.”
Understanding that it’s easy to have joy when everything is coming together, she also knows finding joy is difficult when there are roadblocks in the path or when you’re walking through pain or grief.
But Layne is adamant it’s still possible.
“We’re all learning that joy doesn’t just mean having a smile on our faces all the time,” she said. “It’s not the same as being happy all the time. Joy can exist at the same time as pain and grief and hard things because it’s rooted in Jesus, who doesn’t change.”
Another songwriting focus is for those who, like her, grew up in the Church.
‘Story to share’
Believing that “every artist has a story to share,” sometimes Layne would hear a radical testimony of someone delivered from a drug addiction or was miraculously healed and wondered how her testimony could compare.
She believes it’s important to recognize those who stayed.
“It’s really powerful when a church kid decides to stay. A lot of times it’s harder to stay in the Church than to leave because there’s a lot of pain and hurt there.
“But I believe God’s doing a lot in the Church these days, the global Church. I love the stories of believers who have made a commitment for themselves to just stay, to stick around. I think it’s just as powerful of a testimony,” she said.
Even though Layne’s main message is geared to lifelong Christians, she also has a heart for those in the “deep, dark places.” She has gotten feedback from some who said that her songs put a smile on their faces or made them think about God when they previously hadn’t.
Like these two very different listeners — lifelong Christians and the unsaved — there are also distinct sides to another part of her music.
Layne writes, records and tours as a contemporary Christian artist and also leads worship. Though both use the musical gifts God gave her and both are displayed on a stage, they are not the same.
“It feels like totally separate things in my brain,” she said. “Performing as an artist is sharing my artistry with people, my creativity, songs that I’ve written most of the time. Leading worship at church is like, we’re just all part of the same thing, doing it together.”
Strength source
In spite of starting music at such a young age, Layne still gets nervous the majority of the time before getting on stage.
“It reminds me I can’t do it on my own strength. I actually need strength from God every time. It doesn’t matter if I’ve done the same show 100 times. There’s still something in me that says, ‘Okay, I can’t do this by myself.’
“It actually serves as an indicator and a reminder to me of those things, and so I’ve grown to be grateful for the nerves even though they’re still annoying at times.”
Through the success, the waiting, the joy, the struggles and the nerves, Layne is thankful for what God has done.
“I just want to encourage people that it usually takes longer than we think or hope but when we know that God’s timing is perfect, it really is. What’s happening now is far beyond anything I ever could have imagined.”
To learn more about Layne, go to natalielayne.com. “Amen” can be found anywhere music is sold or streamed.
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