FOLLOWING a commensurate performance at this year’s Readipop and a set alongside Noel Gallagher at Pennfest, Natalie Gray has just been announced as one of the performers at this year’s Reading Pride Love Unites Festival in September.
Gray has performed at a number of Pride festivals, including London and Southampton, and has recently released a single, Live in Love, with LGBTQ+ rights charity Stonewall.
“I’m at every Pride and rally, and I really wanted to continue to be a huge ally for the LGBTQ+ communities.
“I wrote Live in Love with Jack Craig and Luke Burnett-Smith, both Reading boys, about being who you are and embracing what makes you you.
“Music is such an escape for me and a way to feel close to myself, so I wanted to release the song to support the charity which is helping LGBTQ+ causes.
“Especially with the level of hate towards particularly the trans communities at the moment; we have no right to judge anyone, and Stonewall is doing amazing work with incredible people.”
Proceeds from the single go to the charity, and Gray said: “BBC Introducing played it, and there’s a dance remix which has gone out with Jovan Bloom, so the response has been amazing.”
After her upcoming performance at Reading Pride, Gray is tipped to set out on a tour in September.
“I’m releasing a ton of music: a follow up to Live in Love is set to release in September, called One More Night.
“And then I’m going on tour with I Am Boleyn, where we’re mix-and-matching the bill for a partnership of women in music.
“I love to be able to support other women in music, and it’s going to be a lot of fun, so I’m very excited by it.”
Much of Gray’s work supports a number of charities, and said: “I’m very lucky to be able to do what I do for a living, and to be able to say that I wake up every day with a smile.
“I’ve grown up in a privileged position, and when I was a teenager I realised that that just isn’t the same for everyone.
“So if what I do can help anyone, I felt like that was where I was meant to be; music was my own escape after I was diagnosed with PTSD a few years ago.
“And if music is one of the things that gets me through the day, and many don’t have the support networks I have.
“So I try to do as much as I can to say thank you for the opportunities that I’ve been given and to make the world a nicer place for everyone.”
Natalie Gray is performing at Reading Pride on Sue’s Main Stage when the event returns on Saturday, September 2, in Kings Meadow, Reading.
She will also be setting out on her tour with I Am Boleyn in September, with dates in London, Brighton, and Sheffield.
Full details about Natalie Gray’s live shows and upcoming music are available via: natgraymusic.com
