As Natalie Royal began her brief set at The Evening Muse during August’s Crowntown Showdown, high-pitched feedback drowned her vocals from time to time. Acting like a seasoned-veteran, Royal laughed it off and kept singing.
“It’s obvious that she’s dealt with something like this before,” was my thought. Then I talked with show organizer Eric-Scott Guthrie who informed me the 17-year-old, who lives near Weddington, is just getting started in the music world. My jaw dropped …
Guthrie might have been a little off, as Royal has been performing for years, but he was right that, at such a young age, she’s just getting started. The singer-songwriter’s talents for performance are sure to carry her a long way — her oustanding vocals are backlit by acoustic guitar or ukulele.
Yes, ukulele. “I got it for Christmas about three years ago — it was the most random thing,” Royal says from her home after school recently (she’s a senior in high school.) “Kind of like a joke, I tried it for a talent show in 10th grade. Everyone went crazy — ‘Wow, a ukulele!’ So, I guess I had to keep playing it.” Most of her writing and performing occurs with a guitar.
Her music “career” got started when she was in the eighth grade. Participating in various school talent shows, Royal has also performed at weddings and other events. Her first “real show” was at the Sylvia Theatre around the same time. She’s since played open mics and various venues around town, as well as an opening spot at Asheville’s Orange Peel.
“I’ve been doing something musically since I could speak,” she says. “My mom has been a huge musical influence for me.” Her family is all involved in music in some way — her mom performed at bars and coffee houses in college, her dad has played piano for years and her younger brother is playing guitar in rock bands.
Royal first picked up a guitar around age 12, so she could stop performing a capella and have some instrumentation to back her. She said performing with a stringed-instrument has always come naturally and quietly notes that she’s been playing violin since she was in the fifth grade. “I started writing my own songs when I was around 12,” Royal says. “Of course, now I look back at those and think that they’re awful. I’ll probably do the same thing when I’m 20 and look back at the ones I have now.”
While she says she’s tried just about every way possible to write a song, her most comfortable process is writing the melody first and the lyrics second. She says she battles moments of frustration at times — like most songwriters — but she “will eventually leave it like it is and be happy with it.” Her songs usually revolve around something going on in her life or around things she’s noticed.
Royal has done limited amounts of recording, but hopes to do more in the future. Her music combines a variety of styles — folk, Americana, pop. She says the songs on her MySpace page (www.myspace.com/natalieroyal) are relatively old. “I’ve done some amateur recording through ProTools at the house that my brother and I mess around on,” she says. “A guy down the street does professional recording and I’ve been there a few times. The songs on my MySpace were recorded with Greg Baker for a demo that I used to sell for $5. I’ve thought about doing that again with newer songs.”
Regarding the feedback incident, her reaction is no surprise when you hear why it didn’t phase her. “[My favorite part of performing is] when I’m really comfortable on stage,” she says. “I love it when I can mess up or something can happen and the audience goes right along with it and it doesn’t matter. I almost love it when there are mistakes and everybody can be supportive and responsive.”
As for her future, Royal is looking into Belmont University in Nashville and considering their songwriting major. She’s also planning on checking out some North Carolina schools. “If I go to a college with a music program, that’s what I’d like to do,” Royal says. “I’d love to keep playing my music in college and I know no matter where I go, I’ll find places to do that and play. I’m just going to see what happens.”
Royal is just one example of the variety of talent that exists around Charlotte, peeking out at open mic nights and showcases like the Crowntown Showdown. She certainly has a long, bright road ahead of her.
Natalie Royal will be appearing at Festival in the Park on Sept. 20 and at Artfest of Matthews on Sept. 27. The next Crowntown Showdown will be held on Sept. 17 at The Double Door Inn.
This article appears in Sep 16-23, 2008.
