Teen to compete in music contest

ST. HENRY - A St. Henry teen will compete in a statewide high school battle of the bands competition with a recording contract on the line.

Natalie Uhlenhake, 17, will travel to Columbus on Thursday to compete against nine other finalists in the 2020 Instaband competition hosted by Elementary Records, a student-run label at Groove U. Groove U, a two-year music career program in Dublin, chose 20 applicants from a large pool of applicants to advance to the semifinals.

The winner will receive a recording contract through the label, complete with a studio EP and music video, concert booking, album cover design, promotion and distribution and become an "instant band," hence the name Instaband.

Uhlenhake and other contestants auditioned with original songs, the cornerstone of the competition. The St. Henry High School junior performed two of her favorite originals that are true to her country-pop style.

The St. Henry native said music has always been in her blood. Whenever "Traveling Soldier" by the Dixie Chicks played while her mother was pregnant, she'd start to kick. Once Uhlenhake was born, her mom told her that her eyes lit up when she heard the song for the first time.

Uhlenhake started taking piano lessons in the fifth grade and later picked up guitar lessons when she was in seventh grade. She started writing her own music about three years ago.

"With my music, I've always wanted to send a message," said the country-pop crooner.

The teen is already performing her own shows at wineries, bars and breweries and coffee shops. While she mostly performs cover songs at gigs, she said she also sprinkles in some of her original work.

For the final round of the Instaband competition, Uhlenhake will perform two songs that are close to her heart: "Call it What You Will" and "When I Fall."

"Call it What You Will," a heartfelt original song accompanied by acoustic guitar, is an honest look at a relationship that Uhlenhake didn't pursue - a decision she said she still regrets.

Her second original, "When I Fall," is an intimate piano piece the St. Henry student said shows no matter the circumstance, Jesus Christ will always be there for her. While she wouldn't quite call it a Christian song, it speaks true to the singer's faith and style.

Uhlenhake said she almost always gets nervous before performing but can calm her nerves by trying her best to have fun with it.

Rarely does Uhlenhake's songwriting process allow her to finish a piece in one sitting. She said she normally thinks of lyrics in bits and pieces as they come to her, writing them down and revisiting them later to flesh out the rest of the song.

While lyrics usually come to Uhlenhake organically, the singer-songwriter said last summer she hit a rough patch and couldn't write. Months passed without any progress. At long last in November she had a breakthrough and was finally able to get out everything she wanted to say, Uhlenhake said.

She has been preparing for the competition relentlessly, practicing as often as she can and taking vocal lessons. The teen said she wants to be a young person who does something great, and the Instaband competition is just the start.

The Instaband finals will take place at Skully's Music Diner in Columbus at 6 p.m. Feb. 27. Tickets are required for entry and can be found at instaband.org. Uhlenhake will also perform as Minnie Fay in "Hello, Dolly!" With the Crescent Players in April.