First
came a highly sought after white label. The A&R bidding war, heavy radio
rotation and critical acclaim that followed couldn't have introduced a debut
artist with more aplomb. Last year's Top 40 hit 'Come Into My Room' set
the scene for the arrival of Nathan, one of the UK's most promising new male R&B
vocalists.At the tender age of 17 such accolades could have easily gone to an artist's head. However, Nathan has always had his eye on the bigger picture. Now, at the age of 19 he is about to make good on that promise and deliver his highly-anticipated debut album, 'Masterpiece'.
Fresh from going to the gym at 6am and loving interviews, here’s Nathan…
You’ve had tracks like They Can’t Take Me Away being played on specialist shows but for those who don’t know, what have you been up to since the success of Come Into My Room?
I’ve basically been recording the album and getting it ready for about two years since Come Into My Room. A lot of work has been put into it by a lot of different producers. We’ve got a full album of about seventeen tracks.
The album’s called Masterpiece, is that how you feel about every track on the album?
I recorded the track Masterpiece which I recorded shortly after Come Into My Room, we just liked the name so it ended up being the working title of it and make the album around that name. We wanted every track to be a masterpiece.
Are there any tracks that really stand out to you?
We didn’t approach it like we were making an album it was more like making singles. They all stand out in a certain way to me and because they’re my songs as well I have a soft spot for them! The album is more like a package.
Who did you work with on this album?
I worked with the people who produced Come Into My Room called Cyclone Productions who did a few tracks on the album. They made me into a proper artist and groomed me and showed me the way. I also worked with a guy called Michael Daley who produced one of the first ever songs I wrote called “What’s Your Name.”
What was it like working alongside Salaam Remi?
It was great because he’s a legend! He’s produced tracks like Killing Me Softly for the Fugees. He’s such a humble guy and the nicest dude, definitely taught me a lot. He did two tracks on the album.
What kind of feedback have you received on the album so far?
I haven’t really received any bad feedback unless you’re going to give me some now? [No, not at all] Most people have said it’s a really good album and it’s consistent which is a big compliment to me because not many people have that many tracks on one album.
How did you make such a swift changeover from V2 to Mona Records?
I don’t know to sum that up. It was more about what suited me and putting on the right glove to fit me. Everything is working better right now and the company is suited to the artist and put the right amount of faith, time and money into the project.
What do you think the advantages of an independent label are over a major?
They’ve definitely got more to prove and they are trying to establish themselves as much as I’m trying to establish myself so they want to make it work. That’s the biggest plus of being on an independent label.
How are you going to make your presence felt on the UK music scene this time round?
Since Come Into My Room I’ve tried to make songs bigger and better or at least on the same level and Cold As Ice has got a totally different sound to show my diversity. I want to show different sides to the coin and expand to let people I’ve got more than one different mood.
Walk me through the video concept of Cold As Ice…
It’s showcasing girls that are cold as ice! Instead of doing a storyline video we wanted to do something a bit more loose and fun to showcase different personalities and my reactions to them. We’ve got the girls looking good and me looking…erm…kind of surprised at them!
Would you like to think Cold As Ice will make Top 10?
I would never say it definitely would, but I hope it gets what it deserves and we get a good result. Come Into My Room charted at #37 and a lot of people said it didn’t deserve that but I hope Cold As Ice does.
New single “Cold As Ice” released 11th September 2006
New album “Masterpiece” released October 2006
www.nathanofficial.com
By Rashmi Shastri - Aug 2006