Natalie Layne
Still Running To You EP
Release Date: Sept. 9, 2026
We all have a story of transformation. The journey is rarely a straight line. For some, the conversion is dramatic, immediate. For others, metamorphosis is a slow burn. For singer-songwriter Natalie Layne, her becoming has been steady, constant and sure. Her story isn’t about the prodigal who strayed and found her way back home; her story is about the one who stayed. Layne is one of the fortunate few who’s known Jesus her whole life and loved Him with her whole heart from the very start. Her next installment of music, Still Running To You (Centricity Music), celebrates the power found in the long game of faithfulness.
Layne’s five-track Still Running To You — a precursor to her sophomore LP, due in 2027 — follows her acclaimed full-length debut, All Joy, which propelled “Grateful For” around the world, notching half a billion impressions on YouTube and TikTok. Additionally, the introductory project garnered a Top 10 hit courtesy of the title cut, which earned Layne a K-LOVE Fan Award nod for Breakout Single of the Year. Pandora also named the rising songstress an “Artist to Watch” on their prestigious all-genre list. Meanwhile, Layne secured her first GMA Dove Award nomination as a co-writer and guest vocalist on Selah’s “You Don’t Leave Me.” Furthermore, she’s performed at Bonnaroo three times, collaborated with Francesca Battistelli and toured with Danny Gokey, Brandon Heath and Tenth Avenue North, in addition to headlining her first tour in 2026.
The classically trained musician is now poised for her next era, giving fans a preview of what’s to come with five fresh recordings, all of which she co-produced. Intentionally narrowing her circle of collaborators, Layne stuck to an intimate group of trusted co-writers to craft her new collection, which beautifully dovetails off of All Joy.
“There are still a lot of joyful songs, but also, it’s just a more mature version of that sound. There are new colors for sure,” she reveals of Still Running To You. “I’m having more fun making music than I ever have in my life right now, and I think people will hear that, too.”
Fusing elements from the classic ’90s Christian music that raised her and the Gospel, jazz, funk and R&B that provided a consistent soundtrack in her childhood home, Layne’s enjoyment of the creative process and the company she’s in is obvious from the first note.
The Colorado native chose to track every selection with a live band of seasoned players in one room, giving Still Running To You an organic and communal tone. “I want this music to last for a long time. I want it to feel timeless and meaningful,” Layne explains, “but I’ve learned we can’t do anything meaningful alone. The making of it has been really, really sweet. It’s been healing to do it with people I love who are so creative. I’m just having a blast.”
With the help of heavyweights like David Spencer, Kyle Williams, Jeff Pardo and Ethan Hulse, among others in her tight inner circle, Layne set out to create a follow-up that felt like a natural next step of growth, both lyrically and sonically. “I’ve never had to compromise who I am,” she says of her artistry. “I think we’re in a really exciting time in Christian music, too, because it’s getting so much more diverse; and people love to just see artists being themselves.”
Layne’s penchant for funk and her deft musicality surface in the dynamic EP opener, “Big World.” A vibrant first act, accented by bright horns, “Big World” stands tall as a strong uniter that affirms our commonalities as children of God.
“It’s just such a fun song that reminds me we’re all connected. We can connect with each other through faith and music, and it’s such a gift to get to do that,” she observes. “I think about people’s stories as they walk in the doors when we’re playing a show, and I remember that just for a moment, we can forget about all of our problems and disappointments and be in the same space together.”
Deeper into the tracklisting, Layne calls “You Stayed” “one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written.” “In a world where it’s probably easier to leave or give up or dip out before stories are totally finished, the Lord really shows us what it looks like to stay,” she says of the message behind the anchor selection she co-penned with David Leonard and Matt Armstrong. “The power of staying is really valuable. Actually pressing through and sticking around for the long haul is where the gold is found.”
“You Stayed” beautifully complements the EP’s namesake, “Still Running To You,” which closes the set and seamlessly interpolates “Blessed Assurance,” a familiar hymn that’s become Layne’s personal anthem. Thematically, the lead single — which she wrote with David Spencer and emerging artist SOFYKA — articulates her testimony of never losing sight of her True North.
“I want church kids to know their story is really meaningful. Maybe it’s not as much about what God has brought them through but about what He’s kept them from. Every salvation story is a miracle, for sure, and everybody has the story they’re meant to have. They all show different characteristics of God, and I think the story of a church kid shows Him as a protector and a provider from the very beginning,” she offers. “I hope this song connects with kids who have grown up in the church, because it’s really special that we can say, after all these years, we’re still running to Him.”
Layne’s latest collection isn’t just for the church kids, like her, however. Still Running To You is for anyone in pursuit of Jesus — even the ones who are still working out their faith, one step at a time.
In fact, when she’s in the thick of the creative process, Layne holds an array of faces in her mind’s eye. “I’m writing songs based on my life and songs that are real to me, but I hope they relate to everyone. And so in the studio, I’m thinking about how I can tell my story in a way that also relates to the people who are going to be singing it. I’m thinking: What could God do with this idea?” Layne shares. “We’re more likely to remember a story than facts someone tells us. So writing our stories into songs is like a super power, I think. When stories and songs come together, that’s memorable. Music is a great connector.”
It’s a bridge that continues to connect Layne with listeners across the globe in ways that feel satisfying, if not surprising. “It’s just crazy. The radio stations that I grew up on are now playing my songs. That is mind-boggling to me,” she reflects. “I feel so grateful to be doing what I’m doing now in ways that help people. It’s fun to be living out the dreams that you’ve been dreaming since you were a little kid.”
The kind of dreams you only realize by staying. The kind of dreams you achieve when you never give up hope. The kind of dreams that come true when you keep surrendering them to a God who can take them further than you ever thought possible. That’s the gold of the long game.