Natasha Waterman

Natasha Waterman: Rhythmic Acoustic Soul

According to Langfield Entertainment, “[she brings a] diva soulfulness to the stage…”; according to Exclaim! Magazine, she’s the “one to watch”; according to Bobby Cameron, she’s “Canada’s next big thing”; according to her fans, she’s simply Natasha Waterman.

And who is Natasha Waterman? Well, she’s the latest and freshest addition to the Hot AC genre with a: 21st century soul style Her music will groove you, her lyrics will touch you and her live shows will leave you wanting more.

Natasha began her career at the young age of 11. She was the eldest of two children in a single-parent household, and although money was often tight, freedom of expression was never in short. Coming from a musically strong family, she often turned to music. She would cope with the hard times by writing songs, letting words on a page be the outlet for the frustrations she felt towards an unfair world. As the years passed and her songwriting evolved, she began to realize her lyrics not only told of her own life, but reached out to others. People simply related to her songs and her stories because they could always pull something away that was speaking to them directly..

Natasha started emceeing at clubs in Toronto when she was 14 where, despite her young age, she quickly earned a local following under the alter ego, Mother Nature. As her skills became more and more fine-tuned and her music stylings evolved, she made the decision to move on as she embraced singing and songwriting as a better canvas to paint her expressions and emotions. She shortened her name to Nature and began to concentrate more on showcases, talent shows and contests, where she could further develop musically and vocally. She explains, “I look at my career in music like an inverted pyramid: in the beginning you know very little and the levels are easily accomplished. The higher you reach, the more there is to learn, the harder it is to elevate to the next level. Just when you feel that you’ve learned all there is to know, you then realize you’ve just graduated to the next level and the whole cycle starts over. I love this as there is always a new challenge and a new adventure.”

She performed as Nature in Toronto for a few years, and even though her fan base was strong she still felt like she wasn’t making a strong enough impact. She initially felt discouraged but gained hope from a new realization. Natasha knew she had the talent and the drive to pursue a career in music: “I learned that I have to throw the cards down and be the best I can be. Every time I get on stage, I have to let the audience in and share everything: the good, the bad and the ugly!” After this conclusion, she decided to go back to her birth name, and Natasha Waterman was reborn onto the Toronto music scene.

Since then Natasha has come a long way. Over the past 8 years she has performed at numerous events throughout Toronto. Some of the more memorable moments have been her performance at the 2002 and 2003 NABFEME Summit and the Harry Jerome Awards where she co-wrote the final theme song “If I Lead You Will Follow” with Washington Savage and Derek Brin. Natasha performed this song and was backed by the 80-member Yes to Life Choir. Natasha has also been actively writing for many projects, the latest of these being the 2005 Certified Gold debut album of Melissa O’Neil from Canadian Idol. Natasha co-wrote on Melissa’s 3rd single Speechless that was release in April of 2006 and was charted as high as 40 on the Canadian top 100. She also contributed three songs to Kalan Porter’s 2004 debut Double Platinum selling release and was fortunate enough to work with Canada’s own Song Writers Hall of Fame alumni, Randy Bachman.

Collaboratively, Natasha has worked with Toronto artists such as Ivana Santili on the Drop the Beat soundtrack, Brass Munk on their upcoming album, Choclair on Bumpity Bump Bump featuring Mr. Roam and Derek Brin with her Christmas release of Silent Night. The list continues with such names as Michee Mee, Rickoshay, Doc, Frankenstein, Mr. Cronks Luke Mc Master formerly of Mc Master & James and countless others. August 2003 marked the release of her Won by One video, which aired on Much Music and held the number one spot on Much Vibe for a number of weeks.

Most recently, Natasha has added a new dimension to her art that has allowed her to further evolve creatively, by teaching herself the piano and the guitar. She has integrated this into her writing and performances, as she reaches another height in her music pyramid. Natasha is influenced by such artists as Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks, Sade, Anita Baker, Amos Lee and Van Morrison, to name a few, and continually draws inspiration from these powerful performers and writers as well as many others. Natasha has just received an Independent Album Grant from Factor to record her highly anticipated debut full length album. You can hear more of Natasha on her www.myspace.com/na