Post by Adam B on Jan 12, 2006 10:19:21 GMT -5
Natalise Interview
by Adam Bernard
Her looks are stunning, as is her voice. Add in the fact that she earned her college degree from Stanford, and in only three years, and Natalise's resume becomes even more impressive. Maybe this is why she's been getting so much attention recently, especially in her home town of San Francisco, California. Of course, there's always some attention that's unwanted. "In the music industry especially I think you get approached by people who try to use what they have or supposedly have to advance their own personal lives," she notes. There's that Stanford education rearing it's head.
While she has the education, the looks and the voice, Natalise doesn't consider herself intimidating. "Maybe on paper," she laughs, "I think when you meet me I'm kind of a goof, I say 'like' a lot so I think that people aren't really that intimated. I don't use big words unless I have to. I feel like that's kind of lame when in normal conversation you have to use big words to prove that you're smart so I just talk normally."
Being an original is something Natalise prides herself on. Whether it's not flaunting her intelligence, or attempting to be that American music industry rarity, and Asian-American star. Natalise knows the list of Asian's in the music industry is slim to say the least, but she has her own theories for why this is. She explains "my parents weren't born here and a lot of Asian-American's parents weren't born here and when you're first generation your parents encourage you to not do something as risky as music or acting, they'd rather you be a lawyer or a doctor. I don't know about the rest of America but in my experience at Stanford most of the Asian Americans were in the bio core, the pre-med core."
Natalise majored in Communications, but her parents are just as happy to see her pursue her dreams of becoming a singer. "They're totally supportive," She gushes "I have a degree so in their minds I can always go to business school, I can always get a job. I only have a certain window to really pursue this dream so they're supportive of that." Natalise's parents aren't the only one's helping the cause, she points out "one of my friends put together my street team." And that street team has been hard at work promoting her sophomore effort, "I Came To Play," which is on Natalise's Stars823 Records in conjunction with Collateral Damage. Natalise also has a distribution deal with Koch for the record.
"I Came To Play" features a sound Natalise calls "pop urban crossover," saying "there's definitely pop melodies but there's all little bit of rock and a little bit of Hip-Hop. It's a little more gritty than Jessica Simpson." She continued, adding "I think basically the album is a reflection of the experiences of the last year and a half, leaving the last label I was with and going through sh*tty relationships. I think there is definitely some aggression there. I wouldn't say I'm angry I'd say that I'm normal. Everyone goes through sh*tty times, and you just sort of get through it." Natalise adds that the ladies will especially enjoy certain tracks on the album, noting "it's fun but specifically for the ladies, I want them to get the message to do your thing and not take sh*t from anyone. I feel a lot of young girls need to know that and need to be adamant about that."
The pop urban crossover sound of "I Came To Play" is much more along the lines of what Natalise was looking to do with her first release, but problems arose. "I had an album that came out about two years ago," she explains "and people could categorize it as dance music. I wrote about half of the album but most of the stuff I wrote on that album were all of the ballads but the rest of the album was dance and I didn't really want to do dance music, I didn't have a passion for it. This time around it's a lot more me, just my style. So far people have been pretty positive but we'll see what happens."
Creating an album that's true to herself and her vision required Natalise to go the independent route, however, which equates to a lot of work and stress. She notes "this time around I really wanted to have a say in everything and I wanted to control a lot of the things and there are times when it's so stressful because I'm dealing with the business end, the creative end, the rehearsal with the dancers, but at the end of the day I wouldn't have it any other way."
She may be a gorgeous woman with a slight valley girl tone to her voice, throwing in the occasional 'like,' but Natalise is not one to be underestimated. Many people call the music industry a game, and for Natalise it's one she's definitely come to play.
by Adam Bernard
Her looks are stunning, as is her voice. Add in the fact that she earned her college degree from Stanford, and in only three years, and Natalise's resume becomes even more impressive. Maybe this is why she's been getting so much attention recently, especially in her home town of San Francisco, California. Of course, there's always some attention that's unwanted. "In the music industry especially I think you get approached by people who try to use what they have or supposedly have to advance their own personal lives," she notes. There's that Stanford education rearing it's head.
While she has the education, the looks and the voice, Natalise doesn't consider herself intimidating. "Maybe on paper," she laughs, "I think when you meet me I'm kind of a goof, I say 'like' a lot so I think that people aren't really that intimated. I don't use big words unless I have to. I feel like that's kind of lame when in normal conversation you have to use big words to prove that you're smart so I just talk normally."
Being an original is something Natalise prides herself on. Whether it's not flaunting her intelligence, or attempting to be that American music industry rarity, and Asian-American star. Natalise knows the list of Asian's in the music industry is slim to say the least, but she has her own theories for why this is. She explains "my parents weren't born here and a lot of Asian-American's parents weren't born here and when you're first generation your parents encourage you to not do something as risky as music or acting, they'd rather you be a lawyer or a doctor. I don't know about the rest of America but in my experience at Stanford most of the Asian Americans were in the bio core, the pre-med core."
Natalise majored in Communications, but her parents are just as happy to see her pursue her dreams of becoming a singer. "They're totally supportive," She gushes "I have a degree so in their minds I can always go to business school, I can always get a job. I only have a certain window to really pursue this dream so they're supportive of that." Natalise's parents aren't the only one's helping the cause, she points out "one of my friends put together my street team." And that street team has been hard at work promoting her sophomore effort, "I Came To Play," which is on Natalise's Stars823 Records in conjunction with Collateral Damage. Natalise also has a distribution deal with Koch for the record.
"I Came To Play" features a sound Natalise calls "pop urban crossover," saying "there's definitely pop melodies but there's all little bit of rock and a little bit of Hip-Hop. It's a little more gritty than Jessica Simpson." She continued, adding "I think basically the album is a reflection of the experiences of the last year and a half, leaving the last label I was with and going through sh*tty relationships. I think there is definitely some aggression there. I wouldn't say I'm angry I'd say that I'm normal. Everyone goes through sh*tty times, and you just sort of get through it." Natalise adds that the ladies will especially enjoy certain tracks on the album, noting "it's fun but specifically for the ladies, I want them to get the message to do your thing and not take sh*t from anyone. I feel a lot of young girls need to know that and need to be adamant about that."
The pop urban crossover sound of "I Came To Play" is much more along the lines of what Natalise was looking to do with her first release, but problems arose. "I had an album that came out about two years ago," she explains "and people could categorize it as dance music. I wrote about half of the album but most of the stuff I wrote on that album were all of the ballads but the rest of the album was dance and I didn't really want to do dance music, I didn't have a passion for it. This time around it's a lot more me, just my style. So far people have been pretty positive but we'll see what happens."
Creating an album that's true to herself and her vision required Natalise to go the independent route, however, which equates to a lot of work and stress. She notes "this time around I really wanted to have a say in everything and I wanted to control a lot of the things and there are times when it's so stressful because I'm dealing with the business end, the creative end, the rehearsal with the dancers, but at the end of the day I wouldn't have it any other way."
She may be a gorgeous woman with a slight valley girl tone to her voice, throwing in the occasional 'like,' but Natalise is not one to be underestimated. Many people call the music industry a game, and for Natalise it's one she's definitely come to play.