Natalie Del Carmen Explains Her Songwriting Process & Talks About New Single ‘The Highway’

This music artist is an icon in the making!

From her beautiful voice to her amazing songwriting skills, Natalie Del Carmen is definitely someone you need to add to your favorite playlist. Our personal recommendation of which one of her hits to add first is her newest single “The Highway”.

We had the amazing honor of speaking with Natalie about Harmonies & Hindsights, her favorite song she’s released so far, and more!

When did you first realize that you wanted to pursue a career in music?

N: “I trust that music in my life came about because of my own innate curiosity for it, and through the encouragement of my family as well. I think that’s why choosing this as a career has also felt right: I’m curious about it (still) and there’s so much more to learn. The emotional support I’ve graciously had to keep pushing and pursuing music is really what has sparked me to feel like I could do this (and also the day I began learning guitar at 12 playing Folk/Singer-Songwriter tunes in my bedroom).”

Tell us more about your amazing new single ‘The Highway’.

N: “I’m someone who doesn’t always have structured ideas going into a song, but I do feel like I end up grasping what I want to say in the end through trial and error. I’ve always tried to have well-thought-out ideas before putting pen to paper (or thumbs to my Notes app, these days), but I found meaning in “The Highway” somewhere in the middle. I think the tune is accessible, or so I hope, because it can mean a lot of things: moving on, turning back with regret or the forgiveness we give ourselves to feel, be sad and then tread on. I imagined being on a road trip while writing the song because I feel like the world passes you by so fast in a car. That’s the same feeling I get when thinking about time and the process of grieving against such a fast world. “The Highway” is meant to be bittersweet, in that sense.”

What do you enjoy the most about the songwriting process?

N: “I’ve been told many times that the key to songwriting and being a great writer is writing daily, consistently and pushing to keep a constant flow going. There is absolutely truth to that and it works for so many people because, in theory, the more you do something the better you get at it. While I’m not as structured as I’d like to be with songwriting, I love to journal personal nonsenses on a daily basis, so I suppose I’m always thinking about something. But, my favorite part about the songwriting process is how it comes, and how it goes. I find a great idea somewhere in my lamer ideas, and a song comes together. Then I struggle to do it again. But I always trust I will, and then I happily wait until that happens again.”

If you had to choose, what is your favorite song you have released and why?

N: “When I think about details like production and musical parts, “The Land Up North” really brought
me into loving those Americana & Country elements that go into a tune like that. There’s instrumental lines in there that weave in and out of each other, and pedal steel is just a killer instrument. I learned that on this song. I’m proud of “The Land Up North” for those reasons, though “Bloodline” will always have emotional stakes for me. The tune reminds me of friends, and working with such great folks down in Nashville. Ultimately, I wrote the song about the people I love who have chosen to love me all the same.”

How would you personally describe the music scene in LA?

N: “I grew up here, so it’s funny to feel like I’m just starting to understand it. It’s much different than
Nashville, I think, especially in the Singer-Songwriter & Americana genres. I love being here in LA because it feels like home as much as I’m just starting to dip my toes in the music world here. I love LA because it’s dynamic, too. There’s a lot of people doing a lot of different things. Something about Nashville I hope to see more of in Los Angeles is the intimacy of the music there… Writers Rounds and such.”

Tell us more about your amazing podcast Harmonies & Hindsights. What inspired you to start the podcast?

N: “I’ve got a close pal named Carson Ezell, and he is a very dedicated hard-worker who really just
inspires everyone. He started moodmixer, a podcast channel for myself and a few other wonderful folks, to talk about what we love to talk about. I titled my segment Harmonies & Hindsight’s because it’s a channel that surrounds music, living in LA and getting to talk to people who inspire me about music and beyond. While it’s fun to talk about concepts I enjoy, I really love video editing at the end of the day. That is half the enjoyment of getting to make these videos, too.”

Who would you love to have on as a guest on the podcast?

N: “The mental list is so long. I’m trying to get all my pals in music on there so they have a place to share how they’ve started and where they hope to be in the industry. There are some artists I love that feel out of reach, though I hope to reel them in one day to play a few songs and talk about their musical life. I’ve discovered some artists in 2023 that have blown me away completely.”

Where can we follow your amazing journey?

N: “You can keep up with all my random endeavors and musical pursuits at www.nataliedelcarmen.com!”

Make sure to stream ‘The Highway’, available now on all music platforms!

Je’Kayla Crawford– Founder and Director– Je’Kayla has been a journalist for years and decided to start a publication of her own, New Scene. When not helping her team and working on the monthly issues, you can find her watching a movie on Netflix or baking using a viral Tasty recipe.