Interview: Natali Yura
8 min read
With an infectious debut single under her wing in the delectable form of Scream For Love which was released earlier in the year, rising pop beauty Natali Yura is set to be one of music’s biggest breakthrough acts of 2014. With a evident knack for creating blood-pumping dance hits, Scream For Love has given Yura a taste of what’s to come and has provided us with the perfect introduction to a hit-making dancefloor diva.
Having worked with the likes of dance-pop DJ/producer Matthew Leface and Alan Nglish on her debut, Natali is about to take the music world by storm and we caught up with the singer to talk about her debut single and who she has regarded as her biggest influences. Here is what Natali had to tell us:
Brendon Veevers: How are you today Natali and where does our interview find you?
Natali Yura: Right now I am sitting in the Paris airport, flying to Belgium for a meeting, I was asked to record a soundtrack for one of my favorite DJ’s. My single Scream For Love is getting played in England and France, so I’m really elated at the moment and excited.
BV: Can you tell us a little about Scream For Love and the inspiration behind the single?
NY: You know, its very important that the songwriter and the artist have the same inspiration, a concurrence between them. You can convey your feelings yourself, or you can find their expression in the works of Shakespeare, for example. With me and Matthew {LeFace, producer] and Angelica [Vee, co-writer of Scream For Love] – there was a complete concurrence of the right time, people and place. I’m really grateful to have had the opportunity to have worked with them on this record. I think the song is about loneliness, about how no matter how many true friends you have, no matter how much your parents love you, there are still moments when you are left one on one with yourself; and the song is about how strongly we feel the need for such love in these moments. An inner scream, a scream for love that takes you to higher levels of being.
BV: How would you describe your sound and your style to those who may not have heard of Natali Yura?
NY: The album is a mix of ethnic and dance-pop; the album will have some classic elements.
BV: Are there plans for an album to be released and if so, what can we expect?
NY: Yes, we’re putting an album together, we have the first single, the album will come out when its meant to, sometime in the spring. New heat for the summer! We’ve already recorded some of it in Paris, and we’ll be recording the rest in Tokyo at the end of this month. We’ll experiment and try to expand our horizons. I think this is the most interesting part of a performer’s life, when we sit in a studio and discover new musical galaxies. Sometimes it seems that you have stumbled across something new, but then you realize that its a star that had its time long ago, and is no longer burning. It’s a bit hard without a telescope, you know! But sometimes, even ashes in the heart are useful.
BV: Who would you say are the artists who have influenced you the most?
NY: At the moment I’m trying to find my own lane. But there are many groups that I love and appreciate, when I was growing up it was A Ha, Destiny’s Child, Britney. I love the classics….As a kid growing up in the 90s and oh’s I loved so many different artists– the rock bands that were dominating at that time like Nirvana, Oasis, the Pumpkins, Radiohead, Coldplay, The Strokes, but of course like so many other girl in those days I was into “Girlpower”, I think Spice Girls were absolutely brilliant the way they always emphasized friendship above all, there was an innocence to it you don’t find often in pop today. The last time I found myself really shaken by an artist was when Amy Winehouse was owning the world – I loved her until the end and always will, that was devastating for me to see her pass. We won’t see another one like that for a while. But I’m excited about a lot of music that’s coming out these days. The artists I love blasting in my car are Disclosure, Martin Garrix, Lorde, AlunaGeorge, Grimes, M.I.A, Chvrches, Darius, M83…..there’s a lot of awesome stuff coming out right now and I think this decade of music is going to be extremely interesting as new walls come crashing down.
BV: Did you grow up in a music family?
NY: No, my family is musical in their hearts, not in their professions. My mom plays piano, but she is a journalist, always saving someone or other. My dad loves music and we always had the stereo blasting at home. That’s probably where the love comes from.
BV: Can you talk to us a little about how you became so passionate about music and a career as a recording artist?
NY: I have been singing since I was a child, I participated in all kinds of contests, and I do it because I cannot live any other way. When I was four I was already standing on a vanity with can of hairspray for a microphone and I was dancing so hard I fell and broke my arm, it took months to heal – love comes with sacrifice, as they say! I remember there was a period when I was about 9, I sang My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion NON STOP; I remember my mom had her birthday party in a restaurant, and there was a small stage with a microphone there, so I sang that song like 10 times, it was impossible to get me off the stage. Mom, I’m sorry!
BV: Is it important for you to be involved in the total creative experience when it comes to song-writing, producing and your image?
NY: Regardless of who you’re working with, you know whats right for you as a recording artist. Because at the end of the day, you have to make the collaborative work your own. As part of the process goes, I think you have to give your collaborators the freedom to explore, but it has to harmonize with that I know to be true inside of myself. That’s my guiding philosophy when collaborating with other songwriters and producers on this album. Total involvement is a must, or it just won’t work – but that doesn’t mean you have to breath down each other’s necks to make a good record. Sometimes giving your collaborators enough space and time to explore the concept on their own and come back to you with their ideas is the way to go, while other times the dynamic that happens from being in the same studio is electric. It just has to work and be real. The universe knows when something isn’t real, you know? As far as the work that happens after the songs are recorded, the image side of this business, I just stay myself and be true to who I am. But the image projection side of this, the propaganda side is honestly the least interesting part to me, because after everything is said and done, the music is all that matters– I’m doing this for myself and those who are meant to connect with my music, and that’s all I can hope for. Sometimes I honestly think the less image, the better, but I know to get the music heard, you have to be out there projecting, so there’s no avoiding it. But being myself is how I avoid falling into those “image” traps that unfortunately you can fall pray to in this business.
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BV: How will you know when things have really taken off in terms of your career – how did you define your artistic success?
NY: I ask a lot of myself so its hard to tell when something is successful, but if the desire to keep doing it day and night is still in me, then I know success isn’t far off!
BV: Are there any acts out there that you would love to collaborate with or tour with and if so, who would they be and in what capacity would you like to see a collaborative project?
NY: There are many artists doing their thing that have my respect, and with whom I’d love work with. Disclosure would be insane, they are just so on point. I want to continue to collaborate with Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, and with D-wayne, whose actually working on some new stuff for the album. Afrojack, Martin Garrix, Cash Cash, Martin Solveig, a lot of the artists on Spinnin Records would be amazing, they have such a great roster. I’d also like to work with some other left-field names, people you wouldn’t expect at first glance, but I don’t want to mention them now and jinx it before it happens!
BV: Where can fans keep up to date with what you are up to and what releases you are working on – any Twitter, Website or other platforms we can visit to keep up with you activities?
NY: Connect with me on Twitter, its @nataliyura, and on Facebook.com/nataliyura. My website is nataliyura.com, its under construction at the moment but the full version will be up soon. It will have my own blog, I’ll be leaking new music later this year as we wrap the album out, and I’ll be putting out mixtapes of jams I love to share with my fellow music fans. Watch out for that in the next month or so, I’m looking forward to it.
BV: Will you be heading out on the road this year to support the new material?
NY: I did a few club dates in Asia and Europe but next year will be a more extensive tour in support of the album. I’m already getting my swimming laps in, getting ready for the tour grind!
BV: What else do you have planned for 2013?
NY: Just to tear the club up with some amazing dance records, and deliver a really interesting pop album. To grow and discover new things and sounds, to continue on this journey along with my friends and fellow travellers, the fans.
BV: Thanks for your time Natali.
NY: Thank you!!!
::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
Brendon manages and coordinates the amazing team of writers on RenownedForSound.com who are based in the UK, the U.S and Australia.
