“Learning how to trust the process of unraveling”: An Interview with Music Artist Natie
Natie is a one-of-a-kind artist from Reunion island, who has been building her full-time music career in Brooklyn for the past decade and change. Being a fixture of the artist community in these parts, I’d heard about her, read about her, talked to her briefly at social gatherings, but I’d never had the privilege of hearing her perform until last August. She took the stage at Sisters, a restaurant in my neighborhood that has a well-reputed music venue in the back. I knew, when I left, that I’d travel any distance to hear her sound again. I was glowing, entranced, somehow more alive than when I first sat down at Sisters that day.
The exact mechanics of how Natie commands even a small space this way are still a mystery to me, but I know she combines her classical music proficiency with her production chops–making use of technology such as a looper–to layer the striking whine of a string, her sonorous voice, and integrations from accompanying musicians until she immerses her audience, and we’re all swaying along with her on stage. Influences from her Reuinonese and Spanish background inform some of the sound, and multilingual, poetic lyrics speak to the artist’s emotionally-charged personal experiences. Being in a room with Natie on stage is the type of experience we’re all looking for when we seek out art that shakes us to our core, in real-time.
She was generous enough to speak with me last September at another local spot and tell the story of how she arrived on stage Sisters, as well as her involvement in the Brooklyn community post-pandemic through hosting Sunday Art Hangs, currently hosted at Umbra restaurant.
Listen to Natie’s instrumental track “Ter La” as you read:
KATE: You're a producer, a musician and a violinist–per your website–and it was mentioned at your performance at Sisters that you're classically trained. You began playing the violin at the age of six at the Conservatory of Music in Reunion, where you’re from.
Tell me a little bit about your career path as a musician, and a song artist as well. When did you start experimenting with making your own music, and what made you decide to come to New York?
NATIE: So, the two didn't happen at the same time. I actually didn't think I was going to be in New York this early. I got here in 2014–I was 22, 23? Yep, 23, because it’s been ten years. So I thought that I was gonna come here once I already had a catalog of music, and I was more established. But when I got here, it wasn't even a dream to make my own music. I just wanted to accompany the artists who I listened to. So at the top of my vision board was Alicia Keys, right? And I feel like I–I don't even want to say believe, because I don't think it's a belief–I think it's a fact–manifestation is just something that I've been working on and practicing.
KATE: You mean an actual vision board, right?
NATIE: Yes!
KATE: You know, it was actually (our mutual friend) Sadaf who inspired me to make a vision board for the first time last year. And I did, and it was so weird how things on the vision board actually happened.
NATIE: Oh my god, right?
KATE: When I made it, I thought that I didn’t believe in that stuff, you know, but now I'm a convert. I just updated mine a few months ago.
NATIE: It should always be in progress, you always kind of revisit it. You know, sometimes people have a negative connotation with vision-boarding. But I think it's just kind of launching a direction. I haven't played with Alicia Keys–but I ended up going on tour with Beyoncé and Jay Z! And in the process of setting this direction for myself, I made choices. I try to be in the spaces that maybe would allow me to meet the right people. I focused on the music that I needed to learn, or the skills. So in that process, the first version of me making my own stuff was me going to see The Kennedy Administration, who had a residency in the West Village. And I would go and just take it all in. And then the next day I was going on a jog, and I could still hear their version of songs that are so famous, like “September.” And I would just take a bass line or just a line from the hook, and loop it, and then from that, create my own cover. But really it wasn't a cover of the song because it didn't even follow the whole progression anymore. I wasn't really realizing that I was making a new song, but that was me starting to put sounds together in my own way.
KATE: So songwriting came about somewhat organically for you in this way, in 2014?
NATIE: More like 2016. Because when I got here, at first, I was still studying classical music, and then it took some time to just branch out and start playing in different ensembles. I was a part of this jazz fusion band called “The Sketchy Orkestra,” and it was amazing, but it really kicked my butt. So I was practicing for those different projects, and then eventually I made my way to my looper. It was like this little freedom, this playground moment in my structured discipline, and it was so different from my practice with classical music, or just my practice with music in general. It became a state of flow.
“I love how with the looping, it's easy to generate ideas, because it puts you in this little trance. It's like, after a while, I don't feel like I'm trying to make a line. I feel like it just unravels because I've been listening and it feels as if all these other parts are already there, and I'm just catching them.”
KATE: Does that still influence the way that you make music now?
NATIE: Completely. I feel like it's just been a practice of trusting that more. And also realizing that when I do take another approach, like, let's say, “Oh, I think it would be cool to write a song about this or that,” like I've been wanting to write a song about ego for a long time, and in this particular style, well it doesn’t work. I want to write that song, but every time I try with this specific intention, it falls flat.
But all the other processes of just unraveling, that's the stuff that I keep and that I like, and that turns into, “yeah, this is my song.” Learning how to trust that–it was so completely different than the way that I first learned music. Finishing my first song, and wanting to put it out and build on that, was when I was on tour, because that's when I got the sampler. I was on the bus a lot, or just traveling. So I was just with my headphones, making beats, learning how to use it. And also just, you know, in such an inspiring environment with musicians, dancers, stylists…
KATE: What was it like being on tour with Beyoncé and Jay-Z?
NATIE: It was extremely intense. It was a crew of hundreds of people, it was like a little village, traveling the world together. And, you know, there's the intensity of the show–because it was only massive stadiums. You know, processing those emotions, and then the human social life of this particular situation of being on tour around the world with these people, and then all the creative stuff: the inspiration from seeing, of course, how Beyoncé does it. She's just so skilled in many different areas. She's not just a great singer and dancer. I remember rehearsals where she could tell, like, oh, you need to switch to this lens, to capture this shot, at this moment.
KATE: Like a natural-born artist?
NATIE: I don't think that's natural. I think that's her just studying her craft and knowing that if she wanted her vision to come out a certain way, she had to know everything about everything. So that was inspiring, traveling around with other musicians. I started making beats every day and learning the sampler. And then once I got off tour, that's when I was like, “Alright, I'm gonna release my first project.” That was 2019.
KATE: So about three years after you started experimenting. How did you get from A to B, besides the tour? Did you have any particular mentors or inspirations?
NATIE: I did a master's degree at The New School in Arts management and Entrepreneurship. So there was a performance aspect, but a lot of it also was about how to survive as an artist!
“In that program, there was a woman who became my mentor. She gave me advice that kind of turned on the switch: she was like, book your gig, and then you'll get ready, which felt so counter-instinctual. Like, no, I want to be ready before I decide to go. And she was like, no, just book the gig and you’ll have to get ready, you know… and so I did.”
And of course, so many things went wrong on that gig, but that was the beginning of me actually putting it out and learning so much more. From all those mistakes, I was learning more about my gear. That advice just created so much exponential growth.
KATE: It’s like exposure-therapy: just putting yourself through it, and giving yourself permission to just do it.
NATIE: Yes, permission, and yes, daring to do it and then truly learning from it. Not just giving up after. Just telling yourself, “Oh, okay, I need to figure that out. How do I do that? That didn't work out, okay….” I used to record all the shows and then listen back. It was a painful process, but a necessary one.
KATE: So in the past five years, what’s been taking place as things ramp up?
NATIE: In terms of manifesting, I think that a lot of things have unfolded like I wished. One thing that kind of shifted in my time in New York is that when I arrived, that was on the student visa, and very quickly, I was able to get an artist visa, this is my third one now. So you know, that can feel affirming. It’s not an easy status to get, you know, and being able to maintain it throughout the years: that's good. Being able to go from like, doing any little job that I could find to try to pay bills, to only doing music related things is affirming, for sure, and a privilege.
“At first, the way I was paying my bills wasn't all around music. So now being able to do that solely from music–everything that I do–whether it's performing, creating, teaching, I feel like there's a lot of purpose in it. I can align with it, it makes sense. So that feels fulfilling. Of course, I want more. I think that we are here because of that desire.”
I think that all of us are here because we’re big dreamers. I hope that more opportunities come and I can share my music on a bigger scale. But I think I have to recognize all these things that are already pretty solid accomplishments.
KATE: Yes. There's ambition, and there's also actual pleasure that you take in the everyday of making music. It's not just for one end.
NATIE: No, no, it has to be for the joy that the practice of it gives me, for sure. It's such a high to be on stage, once you have it.
KATE: What kind of jobs were you working before you became a full-time musician?
NATIE: I taught French. I picked up dog poop. I was a personal trainer, I was a secretary.
KATE: When did you finally reach a point where you were able to support yourself from your music and your performances?
NATIE: The tour with Beyoncé ended up being a year and a half of consistent work. I didn't have to pay rent, I didn't have to pay for my food, most of the time, I didn't even have to pay for my clothes. So I was able to really save, and that helped set me up. Then I got off tour, finished my masters’, and I had serious savings, so it was possible for me to invest in putting my own music out.
I was really lucky, the way things lined up and the timing. I could be making more money if I took a part-time job or something. But the freedom that I do have, and like I said before, the meaning in everything that I do, it feels right.
KATE: And you're a teacher too?
NATIE: I teach music production and songwriting. I've worked at different organizations, mostly non profit organizations that bring the arts into communities that don't necessarily have access to it. I like it a lot.
KATE: That sounds really rewarding. You're teaching, which really energizes your brain in a different way, and then you still have time to make music as well.
NATIE: It balances things out: it's just being able to give back in that way. It just grounds me, instead of getting frustrated or caught up in the “artist struggles,” that are valid sometimes, but not always in phase with the world’s issues.
KATE: When did you start hosting Sunday Art Hangs?
NATIE: That was 2021, kind of coming out of lockdown. I was supposed to have a EP release show at the original venue before lockdown started. But it didn't make sense, after so much time had passed, for me to still do that show, but I did want to create a “hang” for artists to come together, inspire each other, share where they’re at, and share their struggles. It’s a community–that's exactly what it's been, and I hope that it can continue to be that in this new venue.
We were doing it twice a month, so we really grew a little flow. Some bands have formed there, or some people have had their first showing of their work–so it's felt good. I came up with the concept and I ran it, but it wouldn't be a Hang without all the other people involved.
KATE: What was your relationship to work and money growing up, if you care to share? What sort of conversations did you have with your parents? You mentioned in your website bio that your father was a jazz musician, so I imagine he was probably encouraging your interest in music to some extent.
NATIE: It’s funny, because of course he nourished my love for music, for sure. He put me on stage with him when I was a teenager. But he wasn't so keen on me coming to New York, and he warned me a lot when I chose to make music my career, because it was really hard for him financially.
But my mom taught me about budgeting really well from a young age. I feel like that was just like a skill that I kind of started with, even when I was a student. Growing up, I wasn't spoiled, but I had what I wanted. I had new clothes and books at the start of a new school year, you know.
“With that, my mom still instilled a certain kind of value and correlation between work and money. So I feel like I was equipped, you know, solid. But I also recognize that I've been pretty privileged in the sense that I've never missed a meal or something because the bills were too tight. I always just found a way to figure it out.”
KATE: I know what you mean, I think this place makes a person really resourceful.
I was gonna ask you, how did you get the gig at Sisters? What is it like navigating agents or booking gigs for you right now?
NATIE: You know, I have been reaching out to Sisters for years! For many, many years. It wasn’t even rejection, it was just getting ignored: no response. Sometimes that can be really discouraging. And you can be like, “Wow, why is nobody replying? How do I get through?” I can't even say, “Oh, they don't like my music. Or you know, it's not a good fit for this venue.” They're not even reading my messages. And I'm not sure how, or why, one day it opened. But I know that I didn't give up. Sometimes I would get upset and be like, “Ah, forget about them.” Then, every six months or a year, I would come back around and email them. And one day I got a response. But then most of it was still left to me: organizing everything from promoting the show, to setting the price of the tickets, which system we’re gonna use to charge people, how we’re splitting the money for the different acts…all the logistics of it were still left to the artist. At that venue, I mean, not everywhere is like that.
KATE: Yeah, but you're sort of self-managing, which is annoying. It would be nice to have someone.
NATIE: [Laughs] It would be so great. Of course, it's taxing to do this type of work, but I can do it. And if, if the opportunity is something I'm really looking forward to, then I will do the work. It feels worth it. But I do feel like maybe a booking agent would just have the keys to open the doors that I can’t. The contacts that will not open my email for years. Because that’s what they do, that’s what you pay them for.
KATE: Is there a stigma around that in the music industry? If someone is representing themselves and trying to book a gig–pitching a show or something, if they don’t have a third party…
NATIE: I think there is. I can't fully say, because I haven't had the experience of having somebody that represents me to truly see how much a difference it makes. But it’s been pointed out to me.
KATE: I have to say, the show at Sisters was amazing. I have never seen a performance of that caliber in such a small, intimate space. It's hard to even find the words, but it surprised me how complex and immersive the sound was, just hypnotizing, transportative. I feel like you could have that experience easily at a big stadium concert too, but this was a tiny little Brooklyn room. I was amazed at how you did that.
What are your aspirations for the future?
NATIE: I have personal growth as a musician that I want to see, and that, in itself, I think might lead to more opportunities. I want to make sure that I always start from that: how great of a musician I can be. From that, I feel like everything else will align. But I'm thinking about what the next project is going to sound like. I want to start creating music with artists from Reunion, and artists from here, and see what that sound can be like past me doing it–more collaborative. I would love to take this trio that I've started, and go on tour with them and play different festivals. That's not fully in my control, so we’ll see, but that would be great.
KATE: What's your dream festival–is there one in particular?
NATIE: For a long time, I really wanted to do AFROPUNK. And I tried some band competitions to get in. I don't know if I have one dream festival at this point: Newport jazz sounds cool, you know, by the water. But overseas, too…I played one in Reunion, it was the 20th anniversary of this festival, and the only other time I went was when I was fifteen and I went to see my favorite artist. So that was really special. I didn't think I was ever gonna play this festival. So maybe life will surprise me!
KATE: What is the sort of practical advice that you have for musicians or emerging artists, starting out here?
NATIE: Go ahead and do the things that you want to do. If there is a type of show that you envision, that you want to be a part of, maybe you can start putting it on on a smaller scale. Like I said earlier, it's in doing that, that the learning curve is so much faster. This is such a bubbling space of other creatives that want to do things. So you'll also create your web, your network, of people who have similar visions. So do it, just go and do it. Put it on. Put the show on. Make the song. That’s how it’s gonna grow.
“Some people choose the career path that takes care of their bills, just a job that they do, and they have all these other things in their life that fulfill them. For me, yes, music is my career, but it’s also my life and my biggest teacher. Me striving to be a musician is also me striving to be a better person. When I aim to be authentic and honest in my music, it’s because I’m trying to be more myself. Saying it’s a way of life sounds so cheesy, but it’s more than a career. It informs everything that I do.”
Natie is a creole musician/singer-songwriter from Reunion island, based in New York City. After a world tour in Beyoncé & Jay-Z's band in 2018, Natie launched her solo career with the release of her music video "Identity" & her debut EP "In the Key Of Fall." Through her music, Natie aims to share the experience of being creole (mixed race) and uprooted, with authenticity and grounding, in the hope to foster more openness and belonging. With these values in mind, the artist is curating the first edition of Kréol Fest, a 3-day celebration of creole culture from around the world taking place in NYC. Her new multilingual/soothing EP “Home: a place within aux parfums d’ailleurs” came out in Spring 2024.
Recent performances include Global Fest with the Ragini Ensemble, Summerstage with Ganavya, and a solo performance for 100 Years 100 Women at Lincoln Center. She just performed in her home island this June for the festival Sakifo.
Recent studio live + Recent festival stage