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November 24, 2009
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Home > Music > Interviews > 2008 |  
Relentless Living
The hectic pace of music, ministry, and motherhood are all in a day's work for Natalie Grant and her tireless passion to reflect the love of God to a new generation.




I wanted the message to be more direct and clear and I think the result is a more Christian [lyrical base] than I think I've ever included before. The older I'm getting, it's becoming clearer that I'm not ashamed of the gospel.

What served as inspiration for these more overt messages?

Grant God has been doing so much in my life these last few years. I was asked to be an artist and speaker on the Revolve Tour, which was started by Women of Faith for teenage girls between seventh and twelfth grades. I came in when they were starting it three years ago. It was so funny because I was so afraid whether or not they'd like me, but really, it was like reverting back to my junior high days, which I guess you never outgrow!

Through that first year of touring, I had the chance to hear the hearts of these girls and also heard about all the lies culture was selling them—which ones they were facing and falling for. There's always an anonymous question and answer session and it would really blow your mind what these churched teens are asking. The song "Make a Way" was inspired directly by s girl named Brittany, who met a guy online and he raped her. We hear about it every week on Dateline, but it's really an epidemic all over the country. She had been raised in a Christian family, but didn't really buy into it and told me that she truly met Christ for the first time during a Revolve event.

I realized after hearing that story that God used me to be part of changing somebody's place in eternity. It's not just a career where I get to stand up in front of people and sing songs into a microphone instead of a hairbrush like I used to do growing up. [This work] actually has the potential to change lives.

Did impending motherhood also rub off on the new content?

Grant Though I recorded a lot of this album while I was still pregnant, that actually motivated me to be more aggressive and make an "anti-lullaby" record. When someone starts to have children, a lot of times people assume, "Now they're going to sing about fluffiness and happiness and warm fuzzies and they'll probably slow down and stay home." Motherhood has definitely changed me, but it's actually given me a greater passion to not slow down in any way. If anything, it's fueled me to do the opposite. Now I have two precious little girls who will grow up in a crazy culture, and I have the opportunity to not only speak into that culture, but help steer a generation. The girls I speak to now at Revolve are going to be the role models for my daughters!

How does the fact that both you and your husband are both in the music industry shape your family dynamic?

Grant It's awesome and it's challenging in the sense that we both have crazy schedules. He's a producer and songwriter who's currently finishing up another record and sleeping about two hours a night. It's hard when we both have a lot going, but I thank God we have an awesome nanny who loves the Lord and our babies, which makes it easier despite our crazy schedules. But we understand one another. We're not in 9-to-5 situations. When the clock strikes 5, neither of us says, "Why can't we be a normal family?" It also helps that he's his own boss—if he wants to come on the road, he can fly and see us.




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