Natalie Del Carmen Discusses Her New Single “Good Morning From Magnolia”

Driven by purpose, talent, and confidence, Natalie Del Carmen shows all young musicians how it’s done. The 23-year-old singer-songwriter is one of the brightest young names in Americana music. A native of Los Angeles, she graduated from the prestigious Berklee College of Music at 20 and immersed herself in honing her songwriting craft. It’s a career she has spent most of her life preparing for. At age eight, she was already showing her musicality, with her emergence coming last year with the release of her debut full-length Bloodline. The album succeeds in both observing the longstanding conventions of Americana and Southern music while also appealing to what listeners love about modern pop.

Part of Del Carmen’s musical identity is tied to paying homage to her roots. The title track to Bloodline pays tribute to her love of Nashville and its musical heritage. She credits the great producer Zack Burke for helping her focus her sound. Burke produced Del Carmen’s Tandem Songs EP, which embraced those classic Americana elements. She is about to release her new single, “Good Morning From Magnolia,” a song about her search for purpose and identity. Before that, she released the singles “You Weren’t Even Listening” and “The Highway” earlier this year. Del Carmen is currently working away in LA on her next musical endeavour.

We were able to tear her away briefly from her day job to discuss her creative process, performing live, her new single, and more.

Why did you decide to keep your own name rather than adopting a stage name?

Natalie Del Carmen: “Natalie Del Carmen is my birth name. I’ve always wanted to keep it that way when I started releasing music. I believe I’m named after Natalie Wood, my mother’s favourite actress, and I’m proud of what my last name represents in its ties to family.”

How would you describe your creative process?

“It can be pretty sporadic sometimes when it comes to actually writing the songs, but I try to be ok with that most days. Lately, I’ve been trying to find the balance between writing as practice and writing because I think I’ve thought up enough to talk about in one song that feels cohesive, worth sharing, and true. I oddly feel very in tune with all the creative planning on a daily basis, though.

I like to think about where I hope to be in a year’s time, the stuff that would make me excited to release and what all the visuals might look like. I’d suppose you can say the marketing and graphic design side of music gets me excited.”

Natalie Del Carmen “Good Morning From Magnolia” single artwork

Tell us about “Good Morning From Magnolia.” What was your experience of making it? What went on behind the scenes?

“‘Good Morning From Magnolia’ is a single I’m really proud to release in a lot of ways. The tune touches on topics lyrically that I’ve been hoping to get to eventually, like my journey of self-acceptance and purpose. Sonically, it feels like the most me tune I could put out right now that leans more Country, and that’s always a great feeling.

“After my last session down in Nashville for the song and hearing the final master, there was a sense of accomplishment for all of us as a team, I think. I’ve written a lot about love in the past because it’s the most accessible way to get your feelings across to a lot of people. ‘Good Morning From Magnolia’ is my first shot at releasing something that can’t be translated into a love song completely. So it’s been a welcomed challenge to still make it feel (hopefully) accessible.”

Who would you most like to collaborate with?

“Lainey Wilson has been a dream collaboration lately. She is definitely someone to keep up with in music. She’s inspiring, to say the least, and is really showing up for country music in a big way. There are so many women like her making strides in Country this year. She’s got a tune called ‘Atta Girl’ that’s a feel-good anthem for me on the daily.”

What’s the best criticism you’ve ever received about your music or performance?

“I’ve been told a few times over that my writing can feel ‘very wordy.’ For a long time, I contemplated that and tried to write shorter statements that had more space, but I ended up sticking to my guns. My favourite artists that I admire err on that side of quick, verbose writing to keep you hanging on every word (Noah Kahan). I’ve had really good advice about performing visually as well, and that’s been helpful.”

What’s the best show you’ve ever played?

“I played a set at a hidden bar in Los Angeles called Break Room 86. You had to go through a door that looked like a fridge to find this awesome bar in the back, and I had the bulk of my family and friends at that show, which felt really special. Anyone who takes time out of their weekday (especially in LA) to come out to a gig is a truly special type of person.”

What’s your favourite city or venue to play?

“Growing up here in LA, I love seeing shows and getting to play small spaces in this city. I have an inkling that I’ll plan out some Nashville shows in 2025 because it feels about time.”

Which do you enjoy the most: writing, recording, practicing, or playing live?

“Recording the songs has been my favourite part of the process, by far. Writing the tune is fun because you get to create the idea, but recording it opens doors for it to really be something. I love to work with new friends and folks, and ideas. I’d say nine times out of ten, the original demo completely evolves into something else, in the best way possible, especially in the Americana and country space.”

Who would you be most amazed to see front row at one of your shows?

“I’m amazed any time I get to see my folks. They’ve been on this road of music with me for the long haul. Brandi Carlile would be wild, too.”

Do you ever get stage fright? What’s your solution for it?

“I do, and I’ve realized recently that it has much less to do with the music than it is something completely irrational occurring. Tripping on stage, wrong key, alien invasion. Someone once mentioned in passing to me, ‘performing is just rolling with the punches the same way life is,’ and I think if I look at it that way, it’s just about holding down the music and thinking on my feet when I can. If I feel like I’ve had time to really prepare a set, that lessens the nervousness as well.”

Do you have any rituals before you hit the stage? If so, what are they?

“I suppose it isn’t a ritual, but I never go on stage hungry. That might be very different for a lot of people. I don’t know if there’s any science to it, but performing in food-coma style makes me very relaxed and at ease to think clearer while I engage with an audience.”

Your new single, “Good Morning From Magnolia,” has nearly arrived. Now that it is complete, how do you feel about it?

“People both close and new to me have felt like the song resonated with their own feelings of loneliness and self-acceptance. That’s all I can ask, really, because ‘Good Morning From Magnolia’ is a song I wrote about moving back to LA after school and feeling like I finally belonged somewhere again. Most people write music for themselves to grieve or process, that’s a given. But this song really was for me, and about my own college years, selfishly. It feels good to know there are more people out there who are introverted and confused about where they’re going in life. That’s why I make music.”

What is your writing process like?

“I always feel like I have to come to terms with something, or learn a lesson, or realize a situation fully to feel like I have enough to talk about. Most of my writing is probably long-winded, conversation-style lines that eventually feel thought-out as I get further into the song.

“A chorus, for me, glues a lot of what I’m trying to say together that might otherwise feel like jumbled stories or situations. But, that’s what I love about country or singer-songwriter in a modern sense, because you really can have seven different storylines or visuals that all evoke the same rooted feelings in the song and wrap it all up in a little bow in the chorus.”

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take three CDs with you for eternity (assuming there was a solar-powered CD player), what would they be?

“Sometimes, I think my answer to this question will change over time. But it never does. That must mean this roster of music is seriously scrumptious and timeless:

1. Gregory Alan Isakov – This Empty Northern Hemisphere (2009)
2. Izaak Opatz –  Mariachi Static (2018)
3. Brandi Carlile – The Firewatcher’s Daughter (2015)”