NATI.
Scottish sensation NATI. is back and unstoppable. With her explosive new single “JOAN”, she breaks free from her folk beginnings and steps boldly into the world of alt-pop. Packed with raw energy, sleek production, and fearless storytelling, “JOAN” marks the arrival of an artist ready to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with today’s alt-pop powerhouses.
She will be joining Newton Faulkner's UK 'Octopus' tour from October 13th !
“JOAN” is now available everywhere.
Hi NATI., how are you? What's your story?
I am well. How are you? My story is I got bored during lockdown, sang some songs on TikTok and got lucky I think! Dreams came true in the subsequent months and, after a lot of hard work, here I am.
"JOAN" feels like a new beginning for you musically - what made you want to move to this new direction?
I like to challenge myself and in all my years doing music, I never liked staying stuck to one genre, both as a performer and as a listener. This, truthfully, is how I've always been. I like to play around with different genres and don't like to be boxed in. That's what makes it so exciting and fun! This was a challenge I gave myself of stepping outside my comfort zone and that wonderful happy accident turned into Joan. It doesn't mean I'll never write a pop/rock song or a pop song or a folk song ever again. I think that's the whole point of this for me personally. I've been lucky enough to have my wildest dreams come true and, were it all to disappear tomorrow, I'd want to find comfort in knowing I tried everything and explored every avenue I wanted to. Joan is definitely part of that. Who knows, one day I may write a metal song. I'd actually love to do that so don't temp me!
What' the story/inspiration behind this new song "JOAN"? Could you describe the songwriting/production process? Who helped you create it?
Joan was created as a complete happy accident. She was born out of pushing myself to tell a story that challenged my usual philosophy of keeping my songs in 1st person, so to speak. I was sick of writing about me. I went into the studio with Robin and immediately it was a different style of writing. A method I'd never done before. It was uncharted waters because I wasn't writing lyrics until the end of the day.
As I mentioned, I'm a very lyrics based writer so that's often where I start. With Robin, however, we mapped out the bare bones of the music (some drums, a little guitar riff and some shakers), then I hummed what felt like 75 different melodies and recorded them into different parts of this skeleton of a song. We then picked apart each melody and decided where they ought to go- "Okay so this feels like the chorus melody and this here feels like the pre melody"- it was such a different approach to song writing for me and I relished every second of it.
So with only a few hours left in the session, I panicked and realised I had barely any lyrics and could feel myself writing something autobiographical again. With the time limit ever looming and my love for this song ever growing, I just said fuck it. In the spirit of doing things differently, I'm going to tackle a type of song I've always wanted to do. And then, as if on cue, Joan started swirling around in my head. I
immediately wrote down the first 2 lines I thought of.
"Joan walks alone on Sunday nights
Hair is black, dressed all in white"
As soon as I got those lines I immediately fell in love with her and knew I needed to tell her story.
Joan is perfection personified. She's the kind of person you could sit and listen to their stories for hours. The kind of person who has lived 20 lives. The kind of person who has done so much, continues to do so much, someone who thrives in the face of any adversity and someone who you long to just sit with and go "What is your secret? How do you survive? How are you still here? How do you do all this in one day? You should write a book. Are you magic? Like what do you KNOW?"
To me, she represents what the ideal woman is to other women and not men. The idea of the perfect woman is silly to me anyway because nothing and nobody is perfect. Especially with today's standards.
Joan is magic. Joan is timeless. Joan is all of us. Joan is flawed, troubled, beautiful, light and dark. She represents the perfect woman to me which is perfect in itself because THAT... doesn't exist. And neither does she.
What's your favorite thing about this new song?
It's fun, it's unapologetic and can mean a surplus of different things for different people. Also the crunchy riffs and rattling symbols are to die for. I love that it's a song you can wiggle and stank face to.
What did you feel when recording "JOAN"?
Excited. Can't describe it, just humming with excitement all the way through.
What do you want people to feel when listening to it? What message do you want to deliver?
The message would be that perfection doesn't exist but it can inspire you. Joan is perfection because she doesn't truly exist. But your perception of her perfect can inspire you to make better choices. It's the same with anyone in your life you look at in a high regard.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
It's Joan!
*You're getting ready to go on tour supporting Newton Faulkner - as an artist/performer, how do you get ready for this kind of tour? What are the things you need to do before going on tour? *
Right now I'm preparing to play a new electric set with some new pedals. Truthfully, I'm terrified. It feels like growing a new limb and learning how to use it but I'm excited for the challenge. Newton Faulkner is kind of my north star and I've been privileged enough in the past to tour with him so another opportunity fills me with joy and gratitude.
Preparation wise, I try to pack as light as possible and have lots of distractions for long travel days. Books, music, games etc. Also you need to make sure you are physically and mentally ready for tour. It's the most fun part of the job but if you aren't prepared for how hard you're about to work, it'll catch up with you. Oh and also my immune system is the equivalent of a wet paper bag so plenty things to keep me warm, hydrated and healthy!
What does performing/singing make you feel?
Free. I feel like nothing matters and I can fully be myself, say exactly how I feel and feel safe in that space.
What biggest lessons have you learned since the beginning of your career?
Three things.
One, don't do it for clicks or likes or algorithms. Do it because you genuinely love it. I think artists nowadays (myself included) can so easily get lost and down and broken about numbers and that is a very fair issue. It's an uphill battle every day and a dude at the top pushing you back down a couple of miles. So if I didn't genuinely love music, creating, singing and playing live, I would have broken by now. Do this because it's your passion.
Two, I also I still believe that the best way to "make it" as an artist is to beat the pavements and play live. Let people see you, hear you, get to know you. Clips online are great but that connection you make in a room with someone you've just discovered is what lasts.
Three, I've also learned that magic doesn't need huge teams and lots of money to happen. My team is small and mighty and together we've made 2 original EP's, put on 5 online concerts, made and sold merchandise and done 3 tours. In doing so, it opened up so many other doors and opportunities for us. It's hard work but it is possible, it's wonderful, it's worth it and you can do it.
So in short, do it for the the love of it, play live as much as you can, don't stress over the numbers and remember that it doesn't matter your limitations. You CAN make it happen.
In your opinion, what would make the world a BETTER place?
How long have you got?
It's difficult for me to only give my opinion because I don't see myself as the smartest or most influential person in the world. I'll give you mine but I also asked my closest friends and I'd like to give you their answers too. The general opinion is more empathy, compassion, consideration and understanding. Also, a tap in your house that exclusively pours out cheese because that would be wonderful.
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