NASHVILLE, Tenn.-”The Real Me,” penned by multi-Dove Award winning Curb singer/songwriter Natalie Grant, has been recorded by Clay Aiken on his best-selling new RCA/19 Recordings release, On My Way Here. The album debuted at #4 on The Billboard 200 for the week of May 24.

“‘The Real Me’ reflects my own journey of self-discovery and what God has shown me about who He is and who I am,” Grant says of the ballad, which was featured on her 2005 watershed release, Awaken. “God has a divine purpose for our lives, and there’s such comfort and peace in knowing that even when our lives are a mess, He sees the incredible beauty underneath.”

Last month Grant became the first artist in 13 years to win the GMA Dove Award for Female Vocalist of the Year three consecutive times. Her critically-acclaimed seventh recording, Relentless, released in February and was the highest debut and top album by a female artist on both Nielsen SoundScan’s Top Christian Albums and Christian Retail charts. With a formidable foothold at mainstream media and radio, Grant is a featured speaker and performer on the Women of Faith and Revolve Tours and is an outspoken advocate for victims of international human trafficking.

Check out Natalie’s version here.  Check out Clay’s version here.

so, I watched American Idol last night. I have a love/hate relationship with this show. I love the fact that it gives a voice and a chance to some really talented people who may have never had a shot without it. It gives a platform to some great voices that many times would have been considered “not-marketable” or
whatever. So I think that’s great.

I also love “Idol Gives Back” and the fact that they are using that platform and the millions watching to help people in need. awesome.

But then there’s the hate part of the equation. Excuse me while I step on to my soap box. I think it instills a fascination with “being a star” into youngins’ everywhere. That’s what they see. All you have to do is get in to the top 10 and you’ll have your picture in People Magazine, you’ll go on a tour and be a rockstar for a moment. I think it does the same thing for some of the contestants. Say they’re “#6″ and they become a household name, get picked up in limos, walk the red carpet a few times, and then the shows over, the tours over, they had a record deal for a second, and then the next season starts and they’re forgotten about. I think it’s unfair to some of them because it sets them up for unmet expectations and dissapointment. Just listen to a few of the past “cast-off’s” and it’s weird because their whole lives seem to revolve around their moment on American Idol. I don’t know, it just seems unhealthy to me. And then there’s the times on the show when they perform all together. It’s really bad broadway. And why do they have barry manilow nights? it makes me break out in hives. Did i really just spew all this in my blog? Sorry.

As you can see, it’s been building up for quite awhile. I’ve stepped off my soap box now! One great thing is that the show has given us some incredible people to listen to and look up to.
So now let me be a hypocrite for a while. There’s all these reasons that I hate this show but you can be guaranteed that I would never miss the finale. or the auditions. and a few shows in between. And so I’m back to last night.

Jason Castro - why did you forget the lyrics? You are so pretty and I want to love you, but this late in the competition you got to bring your best game.

Syesha - this girl has an awesome voice and she is GORGEOUS. and when she cried last night, i cried. Wait a second, I hate this show, remember????? And then there’s

David Cook. Is he getting a little arrogant? He seems to be. But he is my
favorite. I hope he wins because his voice has some grit.

Okay - and then there is the Archuletta kid. His voice really is amazing. So pure and beautiful. Can
he even drive yet? Exactly. And there is something troubling about him to me. i don’t know. Is he too perfect to anyone else? Hmmmm, the show sucks you in, doesn’t it. Okay, I love this show. No, I hate this show…no, I love it….no, I hate it….no, I love it.

Love it or hate it, it’s like a car crash….you just can’t look away.

xo,
nat

I just played at the Toad Suck Daze festival in Conway, Arkansas. Yes, you read that correctly: Toad Suck Daze. Don’t ask me what it means, I have no clue. But I said “suck” from stage many times and that made me giggle, as that’s not a word I often use during my concerts! Anyway, the weather was great, there were funnel cakes and we had a good time.

But, the day turned in to a real downer for one reason only: the “stuck on a truck at toad suck” contest. it’s this crazy contest where people have to keep atleast one hand on a new ford truck and whoever stays on the longest, wins the truck. we checked out the competition when there were 6 people left and they had been stuck on the truck for 72 hours at this point. they get a 5 minute break every hour, but still - 72 hours? they hadn’t slept in 3 days. so here’s the kicker. one of the girls in the contest is a fan of mine. she had said that she was bummed she missed my concert because she was stuck on the truck. her friend came and got me to sign 2 cd’s for her and I agreed to deliver them to her personally and cheer her on. right before we got there, i turned to her friend and said,

“now she’s not going to get excited and take her hands off the truck, is she?”

they assured me no. at this point, the contestants have been stuck on the truck for 77 1/2 hours. they were completely delirious. just as i arrive, some guy gets on the microphone and announces that i’m there, making a much bigger deal of it than was needed and the girl, completely delirious turns to see me and takes her hands OFF THE TRUCK!

No, no, no!!!! it was so awful. i thought people were going to start throwing stuff at me. i was just trying to be nice and do what i was asked to do, but now it looked like it was all my fault. i wanted to crawl under a rock. i was mortified. needless to say, i won’t be heading back to toad suck daze anytime soon!

have you ever had an embarrassing moment? tell me about it and maybe it’ll make me feel better!

feeling like a toad at toad suck daze,

natalie

Maybe you have seen this already, but it may be one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen. This little girl is singing, I mean “SANG-ing” the Lord’s Prayer. Too precious. I love her pronunciation. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it better.

What a night we had last night.

Very surreal, honestly. I got to perform with Wynona which was a life highlight for me. she is so talented and even more gracious. My band rocked, the singers were insanely awesome, and if I do say so myself, my shoes were “hot”! of all the Dove Awards I have attended, this was by far the best show. Great staging, production and diverse talent.

I am definitely not too cool to admit that I am a fan of christian music - always have been. it is an honor to be a part of the community of Christian artists. the pre-show included a performance by Phil Wickham. WOW.  If you don’t know his music, check it out. It was one of my favorite performances of the night.  What a shame that it wasn’t televised.

I was so proud of my sweet Bernie. He conducted the strings on the Casting Crowns performance of “East to West”.  He then went on to win song of the year for that same song, as he wrote it with Mark Hall.  Winning female artist of the year was special for me but I also felt several others in the category deserved it.  

The awards are sweet and I love that we take time to honor one another, but they do not define us. And in the end, they don’t matter. whatever “enlarged territory” they may bring me, I pray my art, and more importantly, my life, will represent the Christ i claim to serve.

Right after the show we went back to work. my bus rolled at midnight and carried us to Pennsylvania. Now we’re on to Ohio. I will post some pics when i get home.  I forgot my photo card reader, so i can’t get the photos off my camera. I am, after all, technically challenged.
Nothing but love for all of you.

xo,
natalie

Hey guys.  Just wanted to let you know that I have joined Twitter and am having a great time updating it.  It’s basically little text messages that I send out throughout the day explaining what I am up to.  You can join my little group by clicking HERE and “following me”.  I would love for you all to be a part of it.  

We had a great night at the Doves last night.  More on that in a little bit.  Have a great day!!

-natalie

I have a virus. What bad timing. My nose is all plugged up, my throat is killing me and my body aches. Somehow, I have to get better. I am desperate to clear my nose so i can sing tomorrow night on the dove awards with wynona. then i have 4 shows in a row following that. Pray for me if you think of it. So my sister told me about this thing she saw on Regis and Kelly. Turns out it was on Oprah, too. it’s called the Nasalflo Neti Pot. What?

If you would have told me that I would be pouring a pot of liquid up one nostril of my nose and let it drain out the other side I would have said, “uh, I don’t think so.” but that just tells you how desperate I am. So I mixed up the solution, tilted my head in just the right way, and started to pour. But my nose is so blocked, that it just ran into my mouth and i felt like I was drowning. but it did finally bring a little bit of relief. I am going to try it again in a few hours, so stay tuned. The Neti Pot….check it out.  If you’ve got a cold or allergies, it is suppose to be a miracle worker.

Sniffly and sneezy,
natalie

 
Natalie will be featured this Thursday on “The 700 Club”. Make sure to tune in. You can check their website to find out when to watch in your area here.

Okay - So check this out. My guitar player found this on youtube. Star magic?
Who woulda thunk?! It’s basically the “american idol” of the Philippines. Too
funny. for those of you who don’t know, they are singing my song, “Keep On
Shining”, from 2001. It was my first “popular” Christian radio single. Maybe now
i can get a T-shirt that says “I’m big in the Philippines.” Just kidding. I’m
actually humbled to know that the music is reaching around the globe, even if it
is old music.

Speaking of American Idol, do you have any favorites from this year? I haven’t

been following it much this year, and have only caught it 3 times, but from what
I’ve seen, I really think David Cook is great. Solid voice and very commercial,
relevant sound. Maybe finally a rocker will win it. What do you think?

-nat

I went shopping today. So theraputic. and I had some wonderful company along with me which made the day that much sweeter. Two of our dear friends from england are staying with us. Charlotte is speaking at the Mercy Ministries 25th Anniversary Conference this weekend, and her husband and kids came along. They are from Abundant Life Church in Bradford, England. check them out.

I met Charlottle at a conference i did in Los Angeles about 3 years ago. We hit it off brilliantly and became fast friends. It was a total God thing. Bernie and I have now been to their church and it changed our lives. Talk about examples of servanthood. They are relevant yet still totally true to the gospel. She’s the kind of friend who speaks truth into your life but isn’t overbearing. She can be fun and silly, yet never shallow. we all need a friend like that in our lives.

The truth is, I’m not good at having a lot of friends. sure, I’m outgoing and bubbly and seemingly a “people-person”. But the truth is that I’m actually quite a loner. Maybe it’s having to be “on” all the time, I don’t know, but I have few close friends. but those I have I cherish deeply.
Do you have that kind of friend? Do you have many friends or just a few close ones? Just curious.

As for me, I’m off to have a spot of tea, as my british friend would say.

xo,

natalie