We recently connected with Nicole Norton and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Nicole, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I have loved music since I was little. Singing has been part of me since before I can remember. When I really started to follow the Lord in my teen years, I felt that music wasn’t just enjoyable, but was a gift I had been given that I could use to give back to my Creator. It was then that I started looking at singing as a major way I could be effective for the Kingdom so I started taking opportunities to lead worship, sing for conferences, etc. I went to Belmont University for college in Nashville, TN to pursue music more full time and throughout those years living in Nashville, God took me through some difficult health challenges that I did not know then if I’d make it out or not. I found myself surrendering my passion for a time but God used that time to grow me as a person and to remind me that my identity was not in being a singer but that was just a piece of who I was. By the grace of God, I started to heal after about a year and a half and my passion for music grew stronger and my dreams grew bigger! I am a firm believer in using anything that I go through to hopefully help someone else or at least be able to relate to someone else and let them know they aren’t alone. I had started songwriting in college but for the most part was okay singing other people’s songs. I would write when the Lord gave me something to write but didn’t have the drive to be disciplined at it until 2019 when I was walking with a friend through the loss of her 7 week old baby. My heart was breaking for her. When you are an empathetic person, you feel what others feel, you put yourself in their shoes and you hurt with them. I had always struggled with that side of me because I never felt that it helped anyone. I was praying for this friend and asking God what I could do for her and others going through really hard things when He told me “you know how to write music, write for them.” It was then that my gifting and my passion to help people collided and I started writing like crazy. I joined several groups that helped teach me more about songwriting. I started co-writing numerous times per week. I started attending songwriting retreats. After a few years of doing that, I felt it was time to start releasing some of the songs God had given me. So in 2023, I released “Home Sweet Home”, “Smoke”, and “I Forgive You.” So far this year, I released “Gotta Let Go” and I’m preparing to release 3 more over the next few months! I love that I get to write, record and release honest music to the world that shares my love for the Lord and helps hurting people find hope! Outside of being a mom to my 3 sweet kids and a wife to my amazing husband, this is my purpose until the Lord calls me home and I am loving every minute of it!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am an independent Christian recording artist. I get to write, record and release music to the world! My story is full of loss, grief, and health challenges but also full of God’s faithfulness and joy and peace that is only explained through my relationship with God. I struggle on a daily basis with chronic fatigue, headaches/migraines, pain, GI issues and other symptoms but I refuse to let that stop me from getting up each day to do what I can with what I have. I am passionate about bringing hope to a hurting world and I love that music is such a powerful tool in that way. I have signed an agreement with a company that will be helping me get my story and music out in a more impactful way and I’m super excited about that. I am about to release 3 more songs in the next few months – one of which is a Spanish version! I am about to have some merch that will be available for sale that was designed from my song, “Smoke.” I keep my website updated at www.nicolenortonmusic.com and I keep people updated on Facebook and Instagram and soon to be Tiktok. You can also access my songs at https://linktr.ee/nicolenortonmusic. I have many more songs in my heart and I am working right now to get to a place where I can fund as many recordings as I want to and I can’t wait!!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Oooh, I would say having a good work ethic is vital. My parents showed me a great example of how to work hard and that’s a crucial piece if you want to excel in anything. If you look at anyone who is the best at what they do, they didn’t get there without hard work. Another skill in my particular area is vocal skill. I have had vocal coaching for several years and even though I’ve been asked numerous times why I still do vocal lessons, I always reply by telling them that there is always room for improvement! Third, working with people is a huge and necessary skill that is beneficial in any area because if you know how to treat people well, things will go much better for you. You will get more opportunities. You will have a reputation of being a blessing to work with and that is never a bad thing! Try to be a blessing in every interaction you have and it’s amazing what positivity that creates around you.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I have struggled with this often in my life because I’m a very driven person who tends to pack my schedule to the gills. When I find myself overwhelmed, I start by praying and asking for the Lord to help me with the things I can’t control. When it comes to the things I can control, I try to simplify. I find that most of the times I am overwhelmed, it is self-inflicted. In my mind, I am wonder woman and think I should be able to do everything I want to do. My physical body reminds me often that I am not able to do everything I want to be able to so I have learned to focus on the most important things and figure out which things don’t need to be stressed over. I also find it super helpful to make a list of everything that needs to get done and deadlines for completion. I then can more easily focus on the urgent and important and let the things that can wait, wait. I have also learned that I have to say “no” to more things because every “yes” you give, you are actually saying “no” to something else like family time, personal time, self-care time, sleep, etc. Lastly, if these things haven’t completely helped, I ask my husband to give his perspective on how to prioritize my day because he is great with perspective and can give me a better look at things. If you have a friend who is good in that way, reach out to them for help if needed!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nicolenortonmusic.com
- Instagram: @nicolenortonmusic
- Facebook: @nicolenortonmusic
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@nicolenortonmusic
- Other: https://linktr.ee/nicolenortonmusic
Image Credits
Bronwyn Gillespie Iago Souza
