When 2015 began, many taste-makers (including those at Hot Press) predicted Natalie Prass for big things. Drawing comparisons to Dionne Warwick, Carole King and Karen Carpenter, the Richmond, Virginia-based musician’s timeless tunes have struck a chord in plenty of hearts already and her self-titled debut certainly warrants the hype. What might surprise some though, is that this “overnight sensation” has actually been perfecting her craft for years, with her just-released first record recorded back in 2012.

“There were various reasons the release date kept getting put back, which all seem kinda silly now,” explains Natalie when we meet up for a natter. “We all laugh about it these days and I think it worked out for the best. I’m so thrilled people love it.”
Recorded with the Matthew E. White and Trey Pollard-founded Spacebomb collective (who also serve as a label, studio space, in-house musicians and possible tea and sandwich-makers), the lushly-orchestrated opus harks back to when Bacharach was king and has an evergreen sound.
“Our goal was to make a timeless record. One that wasn’t buzzy or trendy. If these songs came out 10 years from now, they’d still be good. Admittedly there were times where I got so frustrated because I wanted the album to be out and thought ‘these songs are getting too old now,’ but I had to put a lot of trust in them and put a lot of trust in myself. Which was maybe even harder to do. I wrote these songs hoping they’d be classic tunes that people wouldn’t get sick of hearing and would want to listen to forever.”
Described by Prass herself as a “break-up” album, we wonder if it’s hard for her to re-live that heartache every night on stage.
“Sometimes....the songs are old now so I’m okay these days, I’m over it,” she laughs. “Performing them is just part of being an artist. You learn to disconnect yourself from it and not drive yourself nuts. “
Speaking of break-ups, Prass recently split, in the creative sense, from Jenny Lewis. Up until Christmas 2014, she had been playing keyboards in Lewis' live band, but has since left in order to focus on her solo career. Was that a tough conversation to have?
“Jenny was so understanding. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how the record would do. We had the release date and I was still planning on playing for her and wanted to do both, but it became obvious that it was going to get really complicated. I had a nice chat with her and it was bitter-sweet. We’re still friends. Any time she’s in a pinch and I’m available I will gladly play for her.”
Leaving Jenny Lewis, touring as a solo star and ditching her alternate career knitting sweaters for dogs haven’t been the only changes in Natalie’s life either. She also recently left Nashville, her home for almost a decade, and moved to Virginia in search of inspiration.
“I’d been there nine years and needed a change. Sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone to stir up new ideas and new feelings to keep things fresh. I’d been living on a tour bus for almost a year and now was the time to do it. My last show with Jenny was right before Christmas, then I booked my ticket to Richmond and couch-surfed until I found an apartment. All I had was a bag of clothes and my gear!”
Currently on tour supporting Ryan Adams across Europe, Natalie returns to Ireland in March and hopes things run smoother than they did when she performed at Whelan’s a few weeks ago.
“I ended up with the flu. It was terrifying. The crowd was very supportive. I was able to sing, like 50% or something, and I changed some melodies. We still had a great show and everyone loved it. It was our first gig with the band and a real baptism of fire. I can’t wait to come back. We’ve a day off in Dublin. The last time I was there just for hanging out was for St. Patrick’s Day, so I’m looking forward to actually seeing what it’s like when it’s calmer [laughs]. Not that I didn’t enjoy Dublin when it was heaving with partiers. That was a blast.”

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