New album for Glenwood songbird

NATALIE Rungan, an award-winning Glenwood singer and songwriter, will release her new album Grace is Shouting, this Friday.

The performer, who started her music career whilst singing hymns as a little girl in church, will move away from her her recent jazz and R & B offerings in Grace is Shouting to return to gospel music and embrace the Christian pop rock genre.

Since the last quarter of 2014, Natalie says she felt the need for a change in direction with her songwriting and musical career. With three jazz albums under her belt, Natalie started writing songs for her local church, based on sermons that her pastor, Mervyn Jean-Louis was teaching at the time.

Natalie said she was surprised at how the songs flowed effortlessly, using texts from the bible, in a genre that she had never pursued before. However, she says it hasn't been an easy road leading to the album release. Earlier this month her father, also a musician passed away. “It was really upsetting having my dad ill, but after his passing I knew he would want me to go forward and much of the making of the album was shared with him despite his illness,” she said.

Her track, Until the Day we Meet Again has also been very healing, she added.

“I was influenced by Bethel Music, Israel Houghton, Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman. Grace is Shouting is a 10-track album, which is a collection of songs that is an expression of my heart towards God and the church,” she explained.

It isn’t a surprise that after years in the music industry Natalie felt a pull towards writing gospel songs, with her involvement in church music teams nationally and internationally, both in the areas of training and singing. Natalie spent countless hours paying attention to combinations of simple melodies and arrangements, with the aim of producing songs that appeal to as wide an audience as possible.

“I hope that even a church with a junior music team would be able to play my songs, which is also the reason why the chord charts and lyrics for all the songs will be available for free download on my website (www.natalierungan.co.za),” the excited singer said.

All ten tracks have been written, produced and arranged by the industrious singer who has her master’s degree in Music. Natalie also financed the recording of the album, which she believes is an investment in her life as well as others. The album will be launched at Natalie's church NCF North Church in Tongaat on Friday, 27 November 2015 as well as on iTunes.