Natalie Sims facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Natalie Lauren Sims
Sims as a panelist at Legacy Conference 2016 in Chicago, Illinois
Born	(1984-06-25) June 25, 1984 (age 41) Tulsa, Oklahoma
Nationality	American
Occupation	Recording artist song-writer painter graphic designer music executive writer
Employer	Native North Cobra Music Group Reach Records
Musical career
Also known as	Natalie Lauren Suzy Rock
Genres	Christian hip hop R&B
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Collide High Society Rostrum Syntax Native North
Associated acts	COBRA Sho Baraka KB Joseph Solomon Swoope Lecrae

Natalie Lauren Sims (born June 25, 1984), also known as Natalie Lauren and formerly Suzy Rock, is a multi-talented artist from Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is a musician, songwriter, graphic designer, painter, writer, and music executive. As a solo artist, she creates Christian hip hop and R&B music. She has released a studio album, many singles, and extended plays. She has also been featured on songs by other artists.

Natalie is also part of a group called High Society Collective. This group includes Sho Baraka, Swoope, and J.R.. They released an album called Circa MMXI: The Collective in 2012. Her first solo studio album, Handle with Care, came out in 2020. It was released through Rostrum Records. She released five singles from this album, including "Meditate" and "Something Something". A live version of the album was released in 2024.

As a songwriter, Natalie has written for many famous artists. Her songs include "Work", "Change Your Life", and "Bounce" for Iggy Azalea. She also wrote "I'll Find You" for Lecrae featuring Tori Kelly. She has worked closely with her friend KB, helping him with his music. She has also written songs for Chris Brown, Tedashii, Keke Palmer, and many others.

Beyond music, Natalie is a visual artist and graphic designer. She has designed album covers for artists like Deitrick Haddon and Juanita Bynum. Her paintings have been shown in art galleries in Los Angeles and at Christie's in London.

Her Early Life and Music Journey

Growing Up in Oklahoma

Natalie Lauren Sims was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1984. She grew up there as the daughter of Charles Sims, Jr. She started writing hip hop music when she was just 11 years old. At 14, she became a Christian. Her hip-hop career officially began in 2002.

In 2007, Natalie moved from Tampa, Florida, to Atlanta, Georgia. In 2009, she met Iggy Azalea, who was just starting out. They shared a studio space. Later that year, Natalie released a mixtape called So What under her stage name Suzy Rock. She also sang on a song called "Runaway Train" by Rachel.

Collaborations and Design Work

In 2010, Natalie worked with Lecrae on his album Rehab. She sang on the song "High" and helped write "Killa." That same year, she designed the cover for Deitrick Haddon's album Blessed & Cursed. She also helped with the art for Juanita Bynum's album More Passion.

In 2011, Natalie wrote songs and sang for Tedashii's album Blacklight. She also worked on Trip Lee's album The Good Life (2012). She sang on the song "Fantasy" from that album. She also featured on the single "Hello" from KB's album Weight & Glory (2012).

New Projects and Big Opportunities

In 2012, Natalie released a music and teaching series called Dirty Little Secrets. She also worked on Lecrae's mixtape Church Clothes and helped write songs for his album Gravity. She also did graphic design for the movie soundtrack A Beautiful Soul.

Her group, High Society, released their first album, Circa MMXI – The Collective, in January 2012. They also released a single called "Young Again."

While on tour, Natalie got a call to help Iggy Azalea write her album The New Classic (2014). She decided to cut her tour short and flew to Wales in December. After a short break, she went to London for more writing sessions. She later shared that she wrote many songs during this time, including "Work." "Work" sold over a million copies in the US.

In 2013, Natalie changed her stage name from Suzy Rock to Natalie Lauren. She appeared as Suzy Rock on a song by Sho Baraka. She then appeared as Natalie Lauren on a compilation album called Gurl Code. This album featured many female Christian hip hop artists. Also in 2013, Natalie began working with KB and the production team Cobra. They worked on the EP 100.

Expanding Her Creative Work

Music, Design, and Awareness

Sims in 2014

Natalie continued working with KB and Cobra in 2014. They traveled to Cape Town, South Africa, to record KB's album Tomorrow We Live (2015). Natalie also signed a deal with Kobalt Music Group as a songwriter. She partnered with Reach Records as a creative director.

In April 2014, Natalie started a project called Red Eyes and Blue Skies. This project was mainly for cancer awareness. She released an EP of the same name in two parts during Cancer Awareness Week. On October 23, 2014, Natalie released her third EP, Cliff Notes, for free. It shared different love stories, some based on her own life.

She also started a webcast series called Mic Mondays. In this series, she talks about different parts of the music industry. Natalie also sang on and wrote songs for albums by Tedashii, Trip Lee, Swoope, and Jackie Hill-Perry. She helped write "SuperDave" for Christon Gray's album School of Roses.

In 2015, Natalie contributed to Chris Brown's album Royalty. She co-wrote the song "Blow It in the Wind." She also co-wrote the Keke Palmer single "I Don't Belong to You." Natalie and KB also announced they were working as a team to advise and produce for Joseph Solomon. In late 2015, Natalie joined the Queens United Tour, an all-female tour. She also sang on the DJ KB song "Queens" with Jackie Hill-Perry.

In 2016, she sang on songs "Mixed Signals" and "Perfectly Human" from Da' T.R.U.T.H.'s album It's Complicated. She co-wrote three songs for Lecrae's 2017 album All Things Work Together. These included "I'll Find You" featuring Tori Kelly, which was certified platinum. In 2018, she sang on the song "Fall Away" by Jackie Hill-Perry.

Recent Work and Messages

In 2019, Natalie appeared on the song "Catch 22" by Swoope. On June 25, 2019, she released the single "Meditate" from her album Handle with Care. This was through Rostrum Records. The next single, "Something Something," came out on January 17, 2020. Natalie said she wrote this song for her mother and for anyone who feels "unseen and tired." A music video for "Something Something" was filmed in her hometown of Tulsa.

In early 2020, Natalie moved back to Tulsa to care for her parents. On June 18, 2020, she shared a message on Facebook. She said she wants her life to invite others to explore God. She wants her space to be safe for everyone. This includes people who are Black, Christian, doubtful, broken, creative, women, questioning, independent, artists, undecided, and still growing.

A third single, "Just Breathe," was released on May 29, 2020. "Back to Love" followed on Juneteenth (June 19), 2020. Natalie described this song as a celebration of freedom and safety. On July 1, 2020, a fifth single, "Bra Off," was released. This song encourages women to feel comfortable and simply be themselves.

Her album Handle with Care was released on July 17, 2020. Natalie said about the album: "There are so many communities I am a part of and love. The Black community, followers of Jesus, all play a significant role in my life and I want my music to be in support and love of them all through the arts."

In 2023, Natalie's painting "Pink Dream" was shown at Christie's in London. It was also featured at Tulsa's 2023 Juneteenth celebration. Her painted work was also part of an exhibit in Los Angeles. On March 22, 2024, Natalie released a live version of her album Handle with Care.

Discography

• Handle With Care (2020)

Other Creative Contributions

Natalie has also contributed her skills to many other projects, including: