Biography
Natalie Hemby first drew attention through her songwriting for Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, and Toby Keith, supplying the tracks “White Liar,” “Only Prettier,” and “Automatic” for Lambert, the singles “Pontoon” and “Tornado” for Little Big Town, and “Drinks After Work” for Keith. With that catalog in place she stepped forward as a recording artist, issuing her debut album Puxico in the first months of 2017. Wider recognition as a performer followed when she united with Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires in the Highwomen; the group’s self-titled debut topped Billboard’s Country Albums chart in 2019 and cleared the path for Hemby’s second solo release, Pins and Needles, in 2021.
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 24, 1977, Hemby was immersed in music from childhood. She turned professional in the mid-2000s after signing a publishing contract at nineteen, then placed her first song when LeeAnn Womack recorded “The Bees” on Call Me Crazy in 2006. Eli Young Band cut “Mystery in the Making” two years later, yet her decisive breakthrough arrived in 2009 when Miranda Lambert co-wrote four songs for Revolution, among them the hit “White Liar.” That same year she also collaborated with Amy Grant, though Lambert remained the decisive connection, rejoining Hemby for “Baggage Claim” on Four the Record in 2011. Several hits followed in 2012 with Little Big Town, led by “Pontoon” and “Tornado.” In 2013 Hemby wrote with Sheryl Crow, Brett Eldredge, Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban, and Toby Keith, the last of whom took “Drinks After Work” into the country Top Ten. She reunited with Lambert and Little Big Town in 2014 for songs on Platinum and Pain Killer; after another strong writing year in 2015 she began shifting toward performing and released Puxico early in 2017, an album that reached the Billboard country Top 40 and the Americana/Folk Albums Top Ten.
In April 2019 Hemby joined the all-star quartet the Highwomen alongside Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires. At the time Carlile was fresh from three Grammy wins, Morris stood at the forefront of country-pop, Shires was extending her reach through the atmospheric Americana of To the Sunset (2018), and Hemby’s profile rested on contributions to Lambert’s The Weight of These Wings (2016), Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour (2018), and the soundtrack to A Star Is Born (2018). The Lady Gaga collaboration “I’ll Never Love Again,” written for that film, earned Hemby her first Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
The Highwomen made their live debut at Loretta Lynn’s 87th-birthday concert at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, then issued their Dave Cobb-produced self-titled album on Low Country Sound/Elektra that September. It topped Billboard’s Country Album chart and reached number ten on the Billboard 200. During the same period Hemby’s writing continued to appear on hits such as Jon Pardi’s “Heartache Medication” and Kelly Clarkson’s “I Dare You.”
She signed with Fantasy Records, which released Pins and Needles in October 2021. The album was produced by her husband, Mike Wrucke, who had previously worked with Miranda Lambert and Pistol Annies.
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 24, 1977, Hemby was immersed in music from childhood. She turned professional in the mid-2000s after signing a publishing contract at nineteen, then placed her first song when LeeAnn Womack recorded “The Bees” on Call Me Crazy in 2006. Eli Young Band cut “Mystery in the Making” two years later, yet her decisive breakthrough arrived in 2009 when Miranda Lambert co-wrote four songs for Revolution, among them the hit “White Liar.” That same year she also collaborated with Amy Grant, though Lambert remained the decisive connection, rejoining Hemby for “Baggage Claim” on Four the Record in 2011. Several hits followed in 2012 with Little Big Town, led by “Pontoon” and “Tornado.” In 2013 Hemby wrote with Sheryl Crow, Brett Eldredge, Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban, and Toby Keith, the last of whom took “Drinks After Work” into the country Top Ten. She reunited with Lambert and Little Big Town in 2014 for songs on Platinum and Pain Killer; after another strong writing year in 2015 she began shifting toward performing and released Puxico early in 2017, an album that reached the Billboard country Top 40 and the Americana/Folk Albums Top Ten.
In April 2019 Hemby joined the all-star quartet the Highwomen alongside Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires. At the time Carlile was fresh from three Grammy wins, Morris stood at the forefront of country-pop, Shires was extending her reach through the atmospheric Americana of To the Sunset (2018), and Hemby’s profile rested on contributions to Lambert’s The Weight of These Wings (2016), Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour (2018), and the soundtrack to A Star Is Born (2018). The Lady Gaga collaboration “I’ll Never Love Again,” written for that film, earned Hemby her first Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
The Highwomen made their live debut at Loretta Lynn’s 87th-birthday concert at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, then issued their Dave Cobb-produced self-titled album on Low Country Sound/Elektra that September. It topped Billboard’s Country Album chart and reached number ten on the Billboard 200. During the same period Hemby’s writing continued to appear on hits such as Jon Pardi’s “Heartache Medication” and Kelly Clarkson’s “I Dare You.”
She signed with Fantasy Records, which released Pins and Needles in October 2021. The album was produced by her husband, Mike Wrucke, who had previously worked with Miranda Lambert and Pistol Annies.
Albums
Singles
