NATALIE JOLY and the Reckless Hearts. (Courtesy Photo)

Published in the September 16, 2019 edition.

WAKEFIELD — On September 7, Wakefield’s own Natalie Joly and Kyle McGrail, and their band “Natalie Joly & the Reckless Hearts,” took home the Song of the Year award at the New England Music Awards, for their latest release, “You Oughta Know.” “You Oughta Know” was written by Joly, and is performed by Natalie on vocals and rhythm guitar, Kyle McGrail on drums, Cory Paza on lead guitar, and BJ Knights on bass. “You Oughta Know” was also nominated for Video of the Year at this year’s New England Music Awards.

The England Music Awards is an annual event that celebrates the area’s best musical achievements of the year. Every year NEMA nominates over 100 artists and bands, spanning a variety of categories and genres of popular music in New England.

Natalie and Kyle, both graduates of Wakefield Memorial High School, have been playing and making music together for over eight years. Their latest band, Natalie Joly & the Reckless Hearts, began releasing original music in 2018. Their first single “Irresistible”was released in July of 2018, and their second single “You Oughta Know” was released in March of 2019. Both singles can be found on all major music platforms, available for purchase or streaming.

The music video for “You Oughta Know” was shot at the Subaru of New England warehouse, courtesy of car mogul, Ernie Boch Jr. The video was shot and produced by local talent, Dom Bruno and Jamison Kenney, also from Wakefield. The video is available for viewing on YouTube by searching “Natalie Joly & The Reckless Hearts – You Oughta Know”.

Says Natalie, “The most rewarding part of winning Song of the Year is that this song was recorded and produced 100 percent by me, the band, and my brother Mike. Everything was tracked in our home studios, and we mixed the song ourselves. Industry people say we’re crazy for producing our own music this way, so it’s not only amazing that we won this award, but it’s also a huge validation that the music that we are creating ourselves is resonating with people, and that we are moving in the right direction.”

Natalie has been a musician her whole life, attributing that love of music to being raised in a musical household. She began writing songs at the age of 8, and released her first CD at 15 years old. Since then she has had a one-track mind for success. She gigs out full-time to make a living, while leaving her days open for her original music. Kyle began playing drums at 15, and by 17 was solidified as Natalie’s drummer, playing on her first original album. As the band has evolved, Kyle has taken an active role in the writing and production of their music as well. “It would absolutely be easier to record in a professional studio,” says Natalie. “But no producer will ever care more about the final product of these songs more than we do.”

Joly and her band are committed to making music that’s true to what they love, which is rock and roll. Says Natalie, “It can be difficult to judge if you’re making the right career moves in this industry. Everyone has an opinion and wants to guide you in what they think is the right direction for you, but at the end of the day, we need to make music we love instead of trying to guess what people want to listen to. Rock and roll is all about being authentic. I think winning Song of the Year is a testament to our songwriting and recording skills, and our commitment to the kind of music we want to make.”

In addition to being one of the night’s winners, the band also opened up the award ceremony, which was held at the Mixx 360 nightclub in Malden. Currently, the band has three new singles in production that they intend to release in the coming months. Stay tuned.