Bristol-based singer/songwriter Natalie Holmes writes lilting, haunting and yet somehow invigorating pop, with honey toned vocals and an incredible depth to every song. An independent artist building her fan base entirely from scratch, she kick-started her musical career by uploading songs and now has over a million hits on YouTube, thousands of subscribers and a loyal following on social media. Although just into her twenties, Natalie has clocked up four successful EP’s: The Simplest Things, Child, Over & Out and her most recent release, Calm Places, all of which featured in the iTunes and Top 10 Singer/Songwriter Charts.
In 2016, Natalie was asked to accompany trance legends ‘Above & Beyond’ as the new female vocalist on their Acoustic II world tour, performing to sold out audiences at the Hollywood Bowl, Royal Albert Hall and Sydney Opera House to name a few. Since Over & Out, Natalie has been writing and making plans for her next solo release, taking time to hone her sound before making her comeback. On top of the A&B tour, the last 12 months have seen her travelling all over Europe, showcasing her existing material to a new audience and trialing new songs.
Now likened to Joni Mitchell & Tori Amos, Natalie first began writing songs on piano and then as a self-taught guitarist. The young artist moved to Leeds in 2011 to study, taking full advantage of the opportunity to make a name for herself in a new city. Natalie performed whenever and wherever she could, including main support for Lewis Watson on his UK tour, a notable show in 2013 at the Leeds 02 Academy with distinguished singer/songwriter Gabrielle Aplin, and successful shows to promote her EP’s.
Things continued to cook when popular UK TV show ‘Made in Chelsea’ featured Natalie’s song, Backwards in one of their episodes. Shortly after this, leading American ice cream brand ‘Breyers’ chose her cover of The Youngbloods hit Get Together for their national TV commercial. Natalie has also been attracting the attention of BBC Introducing in the South West and West Yorkshire, plus celebrity blogger Perez Hilton who featured her song Safety Net, saying “she’s a real artist!”
October 2014 was host to Natalie’s debut headline tour, where she silenced attentive crowds up and down the UK and went swiftly on to play a string of shows with acclaimed acoustic artist Sam Brookes.
Described as one of the most consistently astounding new songwriters the music world has seen in ages, Natalie admits that her latest EP, Calm Places, marks a real milestone in her life, where she realised the importance of sitting back and taking care of yourself, making time for all the things and people you love. Listeners have said that she’s coming back with a new edge of maturity on every release, transforming her music into something truly new and unexpected.