Musicians Featured: Natalie Reis
February 23rd, 2022
Natalie Reis on the Cathartic Power of Music
I am so excited to share the conversation I had with the incredibly talented Natalie Reis. Natalie is a singer-songwriter and music therapist from Burlington, Ontario. We chatted about her song writing process, how music can be a form of cathartic release, and why it’s important to ensure that communities have access to music.
Keep reading below and make sure to check out her EP, Bones on Fire.
Emily Weatherhead, Founder
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EW: So how did you first get started with music, and how did it lead you to where you are today?
NR: So, when I was three, I used to walk around the house just humming constantly. From that age, I was like, “I want to be a singer. This is what I want to do.” I wanted to be in vocal lessons ever since I can remember. My parents got me into piano lessons around six, and vocal lessons around seven. A couple years into that, I started writing too, but the first few songs were really, really bad.
I remember writing this song that was called “Life is a Mystery” – it was not good at all! I sang it for my Dad and he was like, “What’s the story here?” There was absolutely no story, no narrative. But I kept writing from there, and ever since then it’s just kind of been my life. Everything that happens, I write about it.
“There’s definitely things that I’ve written that are…more for those cathartic moments. When you’re not able to get it out elsewhere, you can get it out through listening to music.”
EW: What moments in life is your music made for?
NR: That’s a good question. My music is made for moments of nostalgia, when you’re looking back on certain times that make you smile and you’re kind of cozied up. When I write music, it’s my journal, it’s everything. That’s where I feel like I can express myself most openly – I feel deeply when I’m writing. And so I hope that other people can feel deeply when they listen to it, too.
There’s definitely things that I’ve written that are a little more intense in terms of their emotion. So those are made more for those cathartic moments – when you’re not able to get it out elsewhere, you can get it out through listening to music.
EW: How do you think that music can build community and connect us?
NR: Oh my gosh, in so many ways. I feel like specifically though song writing and listening to music, there’s this kind of collective, universal language that’s happening. And it’s interesting, because you can sort of find your people through certain genres of music, and certain ways of writing. I know that I see myself though other people’s writing, and I hope that people can find their own songs that they can see themselves in. I feel like there’s this unspoken community almost, where people can come together just by connecting through lyrics and through the things that they feel through listening.
“People can come together, play music, and not even have to speak - the music just speaks for itself.”
But then I think there’s also, of course, the greater community aspect of performing. I know for myself as a musician, when I come together with other musicians, there’s this kind of insane sense of community just within us playing together. Sometimes we won’t even talk, we’ll just come and play music for a couple hours. And that is just the coolest feeling. That’s always such a reminder that people can come together, play music, and not even have to speak – the music just speaks for itself. And then of course, through music therapy and everything else, there’s that sense of community, too.
I always think of myself as being a consumer, and being at live music or a concert. And there’s just something – a way that people connect when there’s music involved. And it feels like there’s a feeling that’s transcending the entire experience – nobody can really explain it, but everyone knows that you’re talking about. I love that. Whether I’m the one playing music or I’m the one listening, it feels like that’s always there.
EW: I’ve seen you play live and you’re amazing – how do you feel when connecting to an audience in that way?
NR: My mind immediately went to this one place I played at in early December. It was this little brewery and I’d never played there before, but the people there were so engaging. I love when I’m playing something and I look at somebody in the crowd, and I can see that they’re nodding their head, or they also know the words and they’re singing along. I love that so much.
One of my favourite things, just being the little independent artist that I am, is being able to play new stuff, or new original material, and seeing how people receive it. It’s always interesting to me to what people kind of pick up on from a song.
“I’ve been taking those lyrics and then thinking about the image I want to evoke…and just seeing how I can get that image to come to life.”
EW: A huge part of what I love about your music is your lyrics – what is the song writing process like for you?
NR: I feel like it’s kind of changed a lot since I started song writing. More recently, what it’s been for me is writing poetry. It’s kind of just a stream of consciousness, where I try to sit down almost every day and just get thoughts out, anything that’s sort of on my mind. Then I’ll look back on it, turn it more into poetry, or pick out certain lines.
I’ve been taking those lyrics and then thinking about the image I want to evoke, or the feeling that I want to come with them, and then I’ve been trying out different chords and just seeing how I can get that image to come to life.
EW: You were talking a little bit earlier about music feeling cathartic, and it being like a journal. Is there something about music that gives you permission to express yourself in a way that you maybe wouldn’t do otherwise?
NR: Yes. I feel like I’m a fairly open person, but when it comes to things that feel more vulnerable to me, I feel like I’m not as expressive verbally. So I’ve always found that music is that way for me to express those things.
I think it’s me being able to feel the music. Guitar, but especially piano, is very visceral for me, and I really feel the music – I’m often kind of moving as I’m playing. There’s something that makes me feel like I can be much more vulnerable in my lyrics and what I say when I’m playing, as opposed to just saying those things out loud to other people.
“I truly believe in the ability for music to enhance peoples’ quality of life. Whether they’re writing music, or making music, or just listening to music, it can be so cathartic in so many ways.”
EW: Yeah, absolutely. So, with the pandemic being a barrier to live music lately, a lot of musicians are turning to online platforms to stay in touch with their audience. Your TikTok is super creative, and your videos have a combined total of over 17 000 likes – what has it been like to connect with people in that way?
NR: It’s been very interesting. One of the things that I love about TikTok in particular is that I’ve been able to connect with a lot of other indie artists. I’m sure that some of them can relate to feeling a little bit isolated, especially right now with the pandemic. But TikTok has been really, really cool for seeing other people’s creative processes from home, and how they’re continuing that right now. Being able to connect with other musicians has been a huge benefit, for sure.
EW: Do you have any final thoughts about the importance of making music accessible to our communities?
NR: Not just from my singer-songwriter lens, but from my music therapist lens, I just see such an importance for ensuring access for all populations, no matter where they are, or where they’re at in their life stage. I truly believe in the ability for music to enhance peoples’ quality of life. Whether they’re writing music, or making music, or just listening to music, it can be so cathartic in so many ways. And so I think that accessibility should be something that has a lot of significance placed on it.
EW: Absolutely. What’s coming up next for you? Is there anything else you’d like to share with our audience?
NR: There will be a new song coming out soon! It’s one of my favourite songs lyrically that I’ve ever done. In the mean time I’ve been writing a lot of stuff, and hopefully I’ll be able to get back in the studio and record some more music! So that’s what’s coming up.
