From Stamford to Charlotte, NC, the pop/r&b artist and versatile singer-songwriter Natalie Carr pays tribute to her beneficial and detrimental decisions with a serene single, "Fate."
Artistically residing between the sounds of r&b and pop, Natalie Carr creates music for those who desire something greater to relate with. After her career's launch in 2019, Natalie Carr quickly amassed a loyal following while keeping them entertained with vulnerable and honest lyricism, depicting our everyday struggles and situations.
Highlighting her latest single, "Fate," Natalie Carr touches on past moments that aren't the easiest to look back on but helped her decision-making grow and mature. Co-produced by JMac and Raymond Maxwell (and mixed by Dillon Lawter), the single offers a relaxed mid-tempo groove to accentuate and highlight Natalie Carr's in-depth lyricism.
When listening to "Fate," the song peacefully opens with a soothing synth arrangement, mid-tempo snaps, and Natalie Carr's lush vocal stylings. As she begins describing past situations that weren't necessarily beneficial for her well-being, Carr later offers us a highly emotional vocal portrayal to emphasize life's jagged path.
Listening to the sonics, the team of producers truly fueled this single with incredibly relaxing and laid-back elements, allowing listeners to embrace Natalie Carr's vulnerable lyricism. Through lyrics like "I tried to see the bigger picture, but I'm stuck inside it," Carr alludes to feeling trapped in a preceding situation while seeking ways to grow and mature with past experiences and mistakes in mind.
Listeners can learn a thing or two from Natalie Carr as she explores 20/20 hindsight with her latest single, "Fate," now available on all digital streaming platforms.
Hello Natalie and thank you for joining us at BuzzMusic. We highly appreciate the relatable themes and calming tones within your latest single, "Fate." What inspired you to write about past situations and mistakes?
I tend to be really vulnerable when I write music. ‘Fate’ came from a place of authenticity, of acknowledging the broken parts of my story and rectifying them by continuing to be present in my life. You’ll rarely hear me write songs for myself wherein I ‘flex’ or make myself out to be someone I’m not. It’s more comfortable for me to live in a place of truth, whether that be the problems I face or the mistakes I’ve made in the past. I’ve always had a hard time writing happy music haha, I love to hear it, but it just never feels totally authentic to me.
What did you want your audience to learn or take away from your vulnerable lyricism within "Fate?"
I wanted ‘Fate’ to be about the wrong turns (literally) not killing me. Honestly, I never intended it to be hyper-meaningful when I free-styled it initially. However, as I thought about the parts of myself that reveal themselves in these lyrics, I realized that the song might hit more deeply for some listeners. I want my lyrics to resonate with people and make them feel seen or validated despite their demons or shortcomings. We have all done things and been things that we are not proud of, and oftentimes, we bury that shame so deeply that we fail to recognize what it’s trying to communicate to us. If my lyrics in ‘Fate’ (or any other song) help one person feel less alone or self-critical, then I’ve done my job as an artist. You can mess up and be the worst version of yourself, hurt yourself and people around you, and still come back from that and be better. That’s the takeaway with ‘Fate’— you’re still six feet above for a reason.
We've heard that you tracked your vocals and engineered the single, "Fate." What was that solo process like? Do you feel that engineering and tracking your vocals helped the song feel more authentic and personal?
Great question! So, quarantine really forced me to learn different recording software and depend on myself since I couldn’t physically be with my team as readily. My mix engineer (and recording engineer sans-Pandemic), Dillon Lawter, taught me to use ProTools, and my good friend Justin Aswell (also a mix engineer), set me up with Logic. I had never really taken the time to record myself or acoustically treat my space, but now it’s my preferred way of cutting vocals. It gives me a lot of autonomy in discerning which takes are solid and in determining the overall tone. I had actually cut ‘Fate’ a while back and never fell in love with the record because I was singing it as if it weren’t mine (if that makes sense). So, I recut it with an airy/more relaxed tone, and I think this gave the record some new life. It sounds more intimate and personal, and I think it translates really well in the mastered version.
Could you break down the creative and collaborative process for "Fate" when working alongside producers JMac, Raymond Maxwell, and Dillon Lawter?
Yes, J-Mac is my producer. He is always looking for tones and sounds that fit me and my style. He had been getting some melody ideas from Raymond, and heard this bell loop that Raymond had made, and was like “this is for Nat!” He wanted to keep the drums more of a laid-back, hip-hop vibe and laced a pretty dope bassline over it as well. I liked that it was open enough for the topline to really stand out, but still vibey enough for it to be catchy. Dillon then came up with the idea of sampling my vocals over the hook to give it more drive and beef it up, and I thought it would be cool to low-pitch my vocals to give it a ‘swell’ kind of feel. It was a group effort to tie this one together, and we sat on it for a long time until we realized that there is something special about it. It’s not the most hype song in my repertoire, but I hope it’ll speak to listeners.
Are the soothing and calming sonics within "Fate" a familiar sound for you? Or do you usually explore deeper and darker sounds as well?
I love the mid-tempo drive of ‘Fate,’ and when I’m in the mood, I can write to this kind of production all day. However, as a writer that works in all genres and listens to every type of music under the sun, I love to explore all kinds of sonic elements. I have some released/unreleased material that’s very pop, some songs that are more alternative r&b, some that are acoustic, and some that might even be considered pop-punk. ‘Fate’ is definitely a calming record. Its trope is the chill, cool girl in the room. She’ll offer her opinion when she feels that it’s necessary, but she doesn’t dominate the conversation. You can depend on her to listen and she’ll never judge you lol.
What should we anticipate from the forthcoming music video for "Fate?" How will you emphasize the song's theme through the visuals?
I’m really looking forward to releasing the accompanying visual for ‘Fate.’ It’s definitely the most hands I’ve had on deck when it comes to making a video, and it has the most moving parts and planning going into it. I’m insanely fortunate to have such passionate and talented people on my side (shoutout to Michael Finster, Dylan Hahn, Christina Gregor, Michelle Wheeler, and Rodney Eldridge) who are working tirelessly to bring this baby to life. The concept was really born from Michael’s vision— we want the ‘present’ Natalie to visit the ‘younger’ Natalie in various regrettable scenarios, harping on the idea that bad decisions could have cost me my life and sanity, but have not. It’s going to be a bit darker and a bit more real, hitting close to home with viewers that can relate to these situations. I’m honored to have the opportunity to work with these individuals and I can’t wait to unveil this one soon!
What made you want to plan and execute an unplugged acoustic release for "Fate?" Should we expect a more emotional take on the original single?
I’m going to be doing an unplugged version of ‘Fate’ via GrindHaus Studios, located in Charlotte, NC. They were kind enough to invite me in, and I think ‘Fate’ will translate really well acoustically. I’m going to be playing guitar, so I’m hoping that lends it an emotional, stripped-down feel. I may experiment and do something different vocally, as well!