NATALIE MERCHANT UNVEILS
NEW VIDEO FOR “BIG GIRLS”
KEEP YOUR COURAGE OUT NOW TO CRITICAL PRAISE, FIRST ALBUM OF NEW SONGS IN NEARLY A DECADE
EXTENSIVE HEADLINING TOUR UNDERWAY
April 18, 2023—Today, Natalie Merchant unveils a new video for “Big Girls” directed by Matthew Shattuck—watch here. The track, featuring Abena Koomson-Davis (The Resistance Revival Chorus), is taken from the artist’s new album, Keep Your Courage, out now to critical acclaim on Nonesuch Records—listen here.
“I was completely taken by [Abena’s] personality, her voice, and the mission of the chorus,” says Merchant. “I hadn’t even written the songs, but I loved the way that our voices blended and wanted us to sing together.”
Produced by Merchant, the new LP is the artist’s ninth solo studio album, and the first of all-new material since 2014’s self-titled record. An exploration of love and passion, Keep Your Courage is receiving extensive praise.
In celebration of the new music, Merchant is currently on a major headlining tour performing on stages across the world, including several appearances with local symphony orchestras. Full schedule below.
“That lush, layered contralto voice can belong to only one person.”
“Her highly literary, ambitious songwriting, and that voice, that burnished alto thatshe has is imprinted on all of our minds.”
“Her passion is for forgotten people, problems, and sounds.”
“A bittersweet, orchestral folk escapade. Keep Your Courage speaks volumes for the cohesive, eternal quality of Merchant’s ability to weave romantic, folk-rock ballads rich with organ, brass, and tidal waves of strings all anchored to simple piano melodies. This album is infused with an existential and effusive desire to create unity in a world that can be so alienating.” ★ ★ ★ ★
“Produced by Merchant herself, the collection is a lush, stunning record”
“Has some of Merchant’s best songwriting, with melodies that veer fromGaelic to Middle Eastern, delving into horn-driven soul, melancholy ballads, pure pop and defiant sisterhood anthems.”
“Since Tigerlily, her five-times platinum solo debut, she’s led one of the mostindividualistic careers of any artist of her standing. Keep Your Courage is her first of all-new material in nine years. It’s also her most beautiful in decades.” ★ ★ ★ ★
“Welcome return of a unique voice. Merchant’s first complete album oforiginal material in nearly a decade is … an album contemplating what it is thatkeeps us plodding forwards despite everything. Merchant’s conclusion is, as always,wittily expressed and beautifully sung.”
“Her gossamer singing voice is even more resonant”
“Simply put, the album is marvelous…full of ambitious musical passages,thoughtful lyrics, and fantastic vocal performances centered on the need for love and meaningful human connection.”
“On Keep Your Courage, Natalie Merchant gives mythical tales of triumphand bravery a modern folk twist.”
“Natalie Merchant weaves a spell, spinning out silken webs of captivatingmelodies and imbricating us in ethereal tales that traverse the fragile borders between the spiritual and the physical.”
Natalie Merchant Tour—U.S.
April 18—Pittsburgh, PA— Byham Theater
April 19— Charlottesville, VA— Paramount Theater
April 21—Philadelphia, PA—Kimmel Cultural Campus
April 22—Hershey, PA—The Hershey Theatre
April 24—Greenville, SC—Peace Center Concert Hall
April 26—Clearwater, FL—Ruth Eckerd Hall
April 27—Fort Lauderdale, FL—with The South Florida Symphony Orchestra
Au-Rene Theater – Broward Center for the Performing Arts**
April 28—St. Augustine, FL—The Saint Augustine Amphitheatre
April 30—Atlanta, GA—with The Atlanta Symphony at Atlanta Symphony Hall**†
May 9—Portland, ME—Merrill Auditorium
May 10—Boston, MA—Emerson Colonial Theatre†
May 11—Boston, MA—Emerson Colonial Theatre
May 13—Cleveland, OH—Keybank State Theatre
May 14—Cincinnati, OH—Taft Theatre
May 16—Carmel, IN—The Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts†
May 17—Ann Arbor, MI—Michigan Theater
May 19—Chicago, IL—Chicago Theatre
May 20—Milwaukee, WI—The Pabst Theater
June 2–3—New York, NY—Lincoln Center for thePerforming Arts—Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center**
June 25—Newark, NJ—New Jersey Performing Arts Center**
June 28—Providence, RI—Veterans Memorial Auditorium**
June 30—Washington, DC—John F. Kennedy Center for The Performing Arts**
July 1—Washington, DC—John F. Kennedy Center for The Performing Arts**
July 8—Chautauqua, NY—Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater**
September 20—Spokane, WA—Martin Woldson Theatre at The Fox
September 22—Seattle, WA—Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
September 23—Portland, OR—Keller Auditorium
September 26—San Francisco, CA—The Masonic
September 27—Saratoga, CA—The Mountain Winery
September 29—San Diego, CA—Humphrey’s†
September 30—Los Angeles, CA—Walt Disney Concert Hall
Natalie Merchant Tour—Europe
November 2—London, UK—London Palladium
November 3—London, UK—London Palladium
November 5—Glasgow, UK—Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
November 6—Manchester, UK—O2 Apollo Manchester
November 8—Dublin, IE—3Olympia
November 11—Bath, UK—The Forum
November 13—Amsterdam, NL—Carré Theatre
November 14—Brussels, BE—Cirque Royal
**With symphony orchestra
†Sold Out
Album artwork
Keep Your Courage Tracklist
1. Big Girls
2. Come on, Aphrodite
3. Sister Tilly
4. Narcissus
5. Hunting the Wren
6. Guardian Angel
7. Eye of the Storm
8. Tower of Babel
9. Song of Himself
10. The Feast of Saint Valentine
Bonus Content
11. Spring and Fall: To a Young Child (from 2010’s Leave Your Sleep)
12. Butterfly (from 2017’s Butterfly)
13. Giving up Everything (from 2014’s Natalie Merchant)
14. Frozen Charlotte (from 2017’s Butterfly; original version on 1998’s Ophelia)
