User:Natalie Jeans (Musician & Author)

Natalie Ellis Jeans (born September 13, 1983) is an American gospel musician, songwriter and children's author. She released her first children's book, Always in my prayers, Forever in my heart in January 2020. Her first single, Move In Silence, is scheduled for release in February 2020. She will release the extended play Private Collection in April 2020, as an independent artist.

Early life
Natalie Jeans was born as Natalie Nichole Ellis on September 13, 1983 in Lexington, TN. Her parents are Teresa Ellis Jones and Nathaniel Estes. She grew up in a Christian family and accepted Christ into her life at a very young age. Her maternal grandparents were an early influence in her love of God. Her grandfather, Preace Ellis, Jr. (1931-2006) was a preacher and her grandmother, Ruby Jean Ellis (1939-2018) sang in the choir. She began singing in their church choir Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church and joined a community choir called the Agape Choir at the age of nine years old. She was the youngest lead singer in the choir. The first solo she ever sang was “I’ll Fly Away.”

She moved to Nashville, TN in 2002 and attended Trevecca Nazarene University on a basketball scholarship. After two years, she transferred to Middle Tennessee State University and joined the Olive Branch Missionary Baptist Church praise team in Murfreesboro, TN. After moving to Memphis, TN in 2010, she attended St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in Collierville, TN. She was a member of the praise team and one of the lead singers in the choir. Jeans is currently one of the leaders and members of the praise team at Breath of Life Christian Center in Memphis, TN, where Dr. Sammie Holloway is the Pastor.

She grew up writing poetry and won first place in her 5th grade poetry contest with a poem called “Courage.” Poetry was an outlet for her to express her feelings. She wrote her first song, Thinking Back, at the age of 17 and recorded it with a local musician, Kalton Willis. Although the song did not go any further than a CD, she continued writing and singing. In college, she would sing hooks for local artists. She worked with Christian Hip Hop Artist, Derek Minor, on a couple of projects while at Middle Tennessee State University. Jeans credits her grandmother, Ruby Jean Ellis, for her love of singing and music. After the passing of her grandmother in 2018, she recorded a private project titled, Why I Sing, which included all of her grandmother’s favorite gospel songs. The project was only shared with her close friends and family.

Music career
She started her music career in 2020, with the independently self-released single Move In Silence. This was followed by the release of her EP, Private Collection, on April 24, 2020. She connected with producers, Alex Teamer, out of Los Angeles, CA and Chris Adams, out of Raleigh, NC to complete this project.

Author
She attended Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN, where she studied Psychology and had plans of becoming a child psychologist. Although she did not follow her plans of becoming a child psychologist, she did follow her passion and is now a children’s book author.

Her first published book, Always in My Prayers, Forever in My Heart, is written from the perspective and experience of her son, Chase, after the loss of his baby sister. This was a difficult life experience for Jeans and her husband, Ryan, but it was more difficult for Chase. He simply could not understand the situation, so she decided to try and explain things through storytelling. She read it to Chase and not only did he love it, he also received clarity.

Her upcoming project is a children's book collection, which will be released in the summer of 2020. Chase is her writing inspiration, and she credits him for many of her book ideas. All of her books are Chase approved.

Personal
Jeans is married to Ryan W. Jeans, a State Farm Insurance Agency owner in Bartlett, TN. They met in college and the two married in 2010. They had their first child, Chase Anthony Jeans, in 2013. Chase was born four months premature with a severe brain bleed and was later diagnosed with Hydrocephalus. Since birth, Chase has undergone several surgeries due to his condition; He is their miracle child. In April 2019, she delivered a baby girl, Cooper Danielle Jeans, who was stillborn. Her first children's book, Always in My Prayers, Forever in My Heart, and gospel EP, Private Collection, are both dedicated and inspired by the loss of her daughter, Cooper.