Today we’d like to introduce you to Nat Rezek
Hi Nat, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I spent the first 18 years of my life in Seattle, WA. That’s where I discovered my love for music and got started performing, actually in the iconic grunge venues up there where bands like Nirvana got their start. I got my degree studying creative writing which was huge for me as a songwriter, and then I moved to LA. Through each step of that journey I’ve been picking up new instruments, meeting new creatives like myself, and learning more about my identity as an artist through making many friends, picking up new crafts, and officially come out of the closet.
I spent my childhood writing and performing music by myself, but I ended up in a band in college, called Dinner With Me, which really changed a lot for me. That band is what made me realize that I was talented and that people genuinely connected with my music, and they pushed me to continue pursuing music after college. Unfortunately, the other two members of that band have different callings, so I moved to LA when I graduated and had to leave that part of my career behind, returning to solo work. It’s been really eye-opening and often very difficult to go back to working alone, but I’m about to release my first song under my own name and I’m looking forward to seeing where that goes. It feels like it’s been a very long road already and I’m only at the start of my career.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Yes and no. Many of my struggles thus far have been more conceptual than material.
In a lot of ways, I receive more support in pursuing a creative field than many people do, and I’m very aware of that. I don’t have anyone in my family outright telling me they’re disappointed in me for not getting a Fulbright or going to grad school immediately, and my college was supportive of music on campus, but I look around at some of my closest loved ones and I see how successful they are and I can’t help but worry that I will be struggling to “make it” for my entire life. And that comes with a degree of shame in our society, no matter how much we deny it.
Unfortunately, being an artist has always come with a degree of shame for me. The sort of music that I make is predicated on accepting my own raw and vulnerable feelings on a radical level and finding an audience that will do the same. It has always been hard for me to find people that are open and eager to feeling their feelings like that, and spilling my heart out on stage to the wrong audience often meant social ostracization when I was a teenager or not being taken seriously in adulthood. I would write songs about my parents as a kid and then I would have to sit in the car with them as they drove me home from watching me perform those songs and that is certainly not a comfortable environment. Sometimes I and everyone around me really question why I would subject myself to that sort of thing. In the eyes of a lot of people I am a smart, capable young person who is wasting my time by moving to LA with aspirations of becoming a professional musical artist and by making my emotions my career, and it’s been hard to live my life knowing that they feel that way, or that they might even be right. Deciding to commit myself to a vulnerable career that’s entirely devoid of consistency and certainty has been a trying decision in a lot of ways thus far.
That being said, my continued commitment to putting myself and my craft out into the world has already paid off in unimaginable ways. My wonderful producer, Sam Stallings, engineers and produces all of my solo work for free just because she’s passionate about it. That’s the sort of opportunity I never would have gotten if I hadn’t remained consistent in performing, even at the weirdest venues or to the smallest audiences. This has been said a million times before, but it’s moments like that–when I really connect with someone–that make it worth it.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist making music with a heavy emphasis on lyricism. I’m incredibly proud of my dedication to the craft of songwriting, and in an industry of growing commercialism, I’m dedicated to holding onto the authenticity that makes people really connect with the music that moves them.
I’m not very widely known for anything yet, but I’ll be releasing a song called “Fill” under the name Gnat at the end of March and I’m really optimistic that it will land with an audience that is genuinely invested in that sort of work. Amongst my small community and fan base, I would like to believe that I am known for creating a synergistic balance between warmth, artistry, and honesty. I am always doing my best to harness the power of open communication.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gnat.rezek/
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/gnat-553565008
- Other: https://gnatrmusic.bandcamp.com/track/fill
Image Credits
Phoenix Moon
Ben Jones
Sam Stallings
Sarah Weaver
