Natalie Lauren Sims is a singer, songwriter, and visual artist who speaks all about love in her new song “Swoonin’.” The Tulsa native explains her songwriting process, her inspiration behind the love song, and ultimately what brought her to loving music. “Swoonin” follows Handle With Care LP which she released back in 2020.
AH: When did you decide that you wanted to start making music?
NLS: It was at 11, I’m not sure if I actually made an informed decision but I leaned into the inspiration and energy I felt flowing through me at that time. I just started releasing all the sounds and words I heard inside.
AH: Being from Tulsa which is rich in Black history, how would you describe how your upbringing influenced your personal style in music?
NLS: My uncle, the late Wayman Tisdale, was a world-renowned bassist and producer after his NBA career. He moved back to Tulsa and he bought me my first drum machine at like 13. Not only that did [buy the drum set] he would point out harmony parts in gospel music like Kim Burrell and Commissioned. I was getting my first lesson in melody and harmonies then.
AH: Let’s talk about your latest single, “Swoonin”, can you explain your inspiration behind the track?
NLS: Honestly, I started falling in love at a time when I didn’t expect it. It was the first time it felt healthy and safe and I felt like a kid with the most radical crush ever. It was non-stop swooning.
AH: You’re credited as a writer for “Swoonin,” can you explain the writing process for the song?
NLS: My creative partner is a poet and director, WJ Lofton. [We] rented an Airbnb in Atlanta [and] he came over and we played this record I got from Hyperviolet on freaking Trak Train (laughs). I always start by singing 4-5 rounds of melodies over the music top to bottom. I listen back to wait for the “one” to hit me. Then, I piece it together which melodies fit. WJ and I just started talking through this perfect adventure night of love and throwing lines back and forth. We used paper so we literally just both wrote random lines down and I sing them and saw how I felt about them.
AH: What is your favorite lyric or verse from “Swoonin”?
NLS: The first verse is simply because of the line “Knuckles play piano up your sleeve.” It’s crazy the way our hands walk across the body slowly when we first start exploring intimacy.
AH: Do you plan on releasing a visual for “Swoonin”?
NLS: My girl and I just got back from a 36-day trip living in Italy and I’m thinking I want to just do a montage of all that footage as the visual for “Swoonin.” Sometimes I’m nervous about sharing so much abt my actual life but celebrating this season is a first for me so I’m all in!
AH: What I really enjoyed about “Swoonin” was that it’s a “feel-good love song,” what do you wish for people to feel when they listen to the song?
NLS: Freedom and permission to say yes to love, loving themselves, or someone else without entertaining the fear of the unknown. I want people to really say yes to the moments that love or crushing present.
AH: On Instagram, you share a snippet of “Swoonin” featuring your girlfriend saying how nervous you were to play the track for her. Describe how was it to be so vulnerable and share the song with her?
NLS: I get awkward when I’m nervous and I can’t stop laughing so initially I just kept blushing and laughing trying to manage the nerves. Chelsey is the sweetest human I know so I knew she’d receive it well but I didn’t know if she’d love it sonically. Watching her listen and love it was a gift to me! Now she’s trying to request the whole album (laughs).
AH: You released Handle With Care back in 2020, will “Swoonin” be a part of an upcoming project or will it be a standalone single?
NLS: I have about 6-7 love/relationship songs that I believe would go well together as a Summer EP not an album though. There’s a lot happening in my life unexpectedly right now that has changed the course of my life and my music. So, I’m working on the album in real-time hoping to release it in the fall.
AH: Besides being a talented singer, you are also a very talented graphic designer and visual artist. Has any of your visual work inspired your music or vice versa?
NLS: All the time!!! Sounds come in colors. The artwork for “Swoonin” was inspired by the song and the fact that we were in Italy. So, that background is actually my own rendition of the Sistine Chapel. The idea is that I’m so in love I’m sitting inside one of the greatest art spaces in the world looking at a polaroid of this girl.
AH: What are some artists you would love to collab with in the future?
NLS: I’d love to collaborate with Dijon, Frank Ocean, Jazmine Sullivan, James Faunteleroy, Tierra Whack & Pharrell to name a few.
AH: What can your fans expect from you next?
Non-stop music and art all year. “Swoonin” as an EP and then my album.
NLS: Where can we follow you to keep up with all your latest projects and stream “Swoonin”? @natalielaurensims on Instagram, ThisisNat.com, and on all major streaming platforms.
wyexpect.com 
