NATALIE BROWN

Interview 17 April 2002

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Hi Natalie, how ya doing.

Doing great thanks!

If we start with the album 'Let the Candle Burn' - it's been out for a while and accessible through your site and the net. Tell me about the album, how it came together and how it's gone/going down. Which cuts are your favourites.

The album has been out since November 2000, just about a year and a half. The album came together as collaboration with producer/writer Jeremy Rwakaara. We co-wrote all of the songs together (except one which was a previous collab of mine) and Jeremy produced it. It was recorded and mixed/mastered in San Francisco. It was a great experience for a first album and I was very blessed to meet Jeremy and to have him share my vision for my music at that time. I grew and evolved musically while recording that project and I am very proud of it. The album has been received very well on both the local, national and international levels. We achieved a good amount of US airplay, international airplay, industry attention, we were recognized with an award and of course the features and interviews have really helped in spreading the word about the music. I am really happy the album was received so well.

Since I co-wrote all the tracks on the album my favorite song really depends on what mood I’m in. Right now I’m listening to ‘You Make Me Feel’, ‘Confused’ and ‘You Pierced My Soul’ a lot tho.

Tell us about some of the things that have happened, what successes have there been.

There have been a lot of great things that have happened as a result of the work on this album. Some of the major accomplishments for this album were: topping internet charts, having my music on nationally syndicated radio, being featured in the Promo-Only Rhythm radio series, placing in the 10^th Annual Billboard Songwriting Contest, winning the Just Plain Folks R&B song of the Year award and having the album come in as runner-up for R&B album of the year, being highlighted in Billboard and doing showcases such as 2NMC in Nashville and the Grammy Urban Symposium in Atlanta. There have been so many wonderful opportunities for me to share my music with fans and industry people as a result of the attention this record has brought me and I am very thankful.

Where are you selling to - what 's the overseas reaction been like?

The album has been available for national and international sales on my website and that has been a great way to sell the record. I also sell at live shows.

The overseas reaction has been absolutely incredible. Actually, so incredible that I am really hoping to work things out to release or license my next album for distribution out there. I also plan on going to Europe, Africa, Australia and Japan to do some shows when the new album is done and we start touring. I have been pleasantly overwhelmed by the encouraging response to the music from fans overseas.

You also had good radio exposure all over the US right?

Yes, having ‘Run Away’ released on the Promo-Only Rhythm Radio Series got me into the Top40/CHR/Urban station formats and to DJ’s at top clubs across the USA. It was a fabulous opportunity for some great exposure. Another great bit of radio exposure was having a few of my songs included in the Nationally Syndicated "Digital Download" Show through Mp3.com. That program is heard on 190 stations throughout the USA.

You wrote a lot of the album with Jeremy, tell me about the songwriting process, and tell me about the 'team' around you. Where do the ideas come from and what songwriters do you like.

Well my ‘team" consists of Jeremy and myself. We hired session players for the live instruments we used on the record. Basically, I write the lyrics and create the melodies and Jeremy creates the tracks. I do all my own background vocals and Jeremy does virtually all of the instrumentation. We have many ways of writing together. Sometimes I will bring him a song with the words and melody and he will create the track around that. Other ways we write are to come up with a track that I write the words and melody to or I will give him a lyric that inspires him to create a track that I will then go and create a melody for. I’m pretty much inspired by everything that goes on around me and to me in my life. Anything can become the seedling for a song.

Many songwriters inspire me. Some include: Elton John, Joe, Marvin Gaye, Diane Warren, James D. Wheatherly (he wrote ‘Midnight Train To Georgia’ for Gladys Knight and The Pips), and so many other great writers. I listen to a lot of old school and new school and learn a lot from all the people who have contributed to making music great.

Do you use the same people 'live'.

Jeremy is the music director for my band. For the shows we did for Let The Candle Burn we hired people for specific gigs. For the local shows (SF) we used some of the same people, but this was harder for us to do for out-of-town shows, so we hired people from those cities. For my new album tour we will most likely hire a permanent band and do more extensive touring. I’d prefer to have the same people play for me so that we really can vibe off each other and become tight both musically and personally. Bands should be like family in my opinion.

How much live stuff do you do, is it mainly local, or do you tour at all.

I did shows all over the US to support Let The Candle Burn. I started to get a lot more East coast gigs last spring and found it really hard to fly the whole band out, so sometimes I did the performance to tracks if I could not get the whole band to the event. I made the move out to the Washington, DC area to record my new album and put my new a band together in November. We are a lot closer to more states now and travel is much easier.

Who are your influences, and what do you aspire to.

I am influenced by everything from English folk songs, classical music, funk, gospel, old school R&B, hip-hop, rap and everything in between. I grew up listening to a lot of different styles of music. My parents are both British so I listened to a lot of English folk and rock as well as a lot of Jazz and classical. Growing up I was really into Motown, gospel, soul, contemporary R&B and pop. I actually got my start in the business singing Gospel music and then it progressed into me doing Contemporary R&B stuff.

I see myself evolving in many ways musically. I am challenging myself to write lyrics differently and also to explore my voice and it’s capabilities when I record. I see voice as an instrument and I like to use my voice in that way to create interesting textures in the background vocals as well as strong and interpretive lead vocals. I really aspire to keep getting better and evolving musically to incorporate all of my influences to produce a unique interpretation of melody, beats, sounds and lyrics.

You're very much in the R'n'B mould yes.......

Yes R&B is the main source of inspiration for my music and the genre I feel most natural expressing myself in. The next album is a progression for me and will explore my R&B and soul roots more than Let The Candle Burn did. I am very excited about this next project.

Tell me about the label....is there just you......anybody else coming along.

Identity Records is an independent record label based out of Washington, DC. It is a fairly new label, established in 2000 and so far I am the only artist on their roster. I respect the fact that they want to concentrate on putting out my records right now and not stretch their resources thin by signing too many artists. There will be more artists on the roster in the future I’m sure, so keep on the look-out.

What about your background, where you from, where are you now. From Canada to SF.

I was born in Ontario, Canada, moved to Manitoba and then British Columbia. From there I moved to California in late 1995 and just this past November I moved to the Washington, DC area.

What is your musical background? Did you cut anything prior to this album.

I grew up singing in choirs and acting in theatre. I got really involved in the Gospel and Contemporary Christian Music scene when I was 14 and started gigging then and singing for youth groups and special events. This led me to my first tour with Gospel recording artist Ron Kenoly. That opportunity is what brought me to the USA. I started to write in 1996 and took some piano and basic music theory. I never had any formal vocal training prior to 1997 and it was then that I started to study with David Stroud in San Francisco (Rosie Gaines and Terry Ellis of En Vogue) and then Seth Riggs (Stevie Wonder, Deborah Cox, Tamia) in Los Angeles. I really learned a lot about the science of the voice and how to keep my voice healthy by singing correctly. I had never stepped into a real studio until 1997 and it was freaky for me. I was so used to the live vibe and the studio environment was very hard to get used to after singing live for so long. In time, and after doing a lot of session work I became comfortable. In 1998 I signed my first deal. That fell apart, but that is how I met Jeremy and we ultimately put Let The Candle Burn out together. It’s been quite a ride!

As far as recordings go, this is my first full-length CD. I did some gospel recordings for my church choir (in the basement of the church!) when I was younger and recorded some demos prior to recording Let The Candle Burn, but nothing was ever officially released.

Is music full time for you right now

Yes- music has been a full-time thing for me for 5 years now, ever since I decided to go pro. I need to dedicate all my time and attention to my music and promoting myself as an artist. This is my life career.

What's happening now.......still promoting the album ?...or is there anything new in the pipeline.

I am back in the studio now writing and recording new music for my sophomore album, which I hope to have released in late Fall 2002 or early Spring 2003. I’m taking more time with the writing and recording as I have changed and grown so much since I first started writing for Let The Candle Burn. I really want to express myself and my new philosophies and discoveries on this album. It will be more influenced by my soul, jazz and R&B roots and I think people who enjoyed the music in Let The Candle Burn will really feel it.

What are the chances of seeing you in the UK.

The chances are very high. I have dual British/Canadian citizenship, so the UK is also home to me as I have family there.