Young musician already living dream

Musical talent comes naturally to Natalie Henrikson. Whether it’s playing some keys off of the piano or strumming the keys to her guitar, music is her way of life.

Tonya Henrikson, Natalie’s mom, said that “Natalie would dance as a little girl to Disney movies, and she would sing along to them as well. From that point forward, we had a feeling she would become something special.”

Little did they know, they were in for the ride of a lifetime.

Around a year ago, a fellow student at Athens Junior High School heard about Natalie’s music. This student was the son of a radio host. When the radio host found about Natalie’s music, he thought at first that it would be just another teenager who thinks they have a talent but in reality cannot sing to save their life. When he heard her sing, his mindset was completely changed. He knew that people needed to hear her music.

After this revelation, the radio host invited Natalie to perform live on the radio. You would expect her to have been a nervous wreck, but you would have been wrong. Natalie was unfazed.

Fast forward to August 2018 at the Illinois State Fair. She got the chance to perform at the powerlight festival, a Christian music festival organized by Greg Cooper.

She performed one of the six songs off of her album titled “No More.” Prior to her performance at the fair, she was selling her very first studio album “Natalie Grace.”

“It’s the heart that she puts into her music that really separates her from other young artists,” said Tonya Henrikson. “She takes her life experiences, and she puts those life experiences into her music.”

Dylan Surprenant can be reached at [email protected].