A-natural

A-Natural, a singer, songwriter, and producer hailing from New Jersey, is determined to spread his message of love, strength, and creativity throughout the world.

The word natural has various meanings. In the noun sense, it means a person with an innate gift or talent. In the musical realm, it means denoting a natural note when a previous sign or the key signature would otherwise demand a sharp or a flat; essentially it is bringing a note back to its original key. If you dig deeper, natural is equivalent to authentic. And in the world of art, nothing brings the audience greater pleasure than experiencing the power of authenticity from the curator. Our featured artist, A-Natural, embodies that and more.

One of the first questions I ask artists is when did they fall in love with music? For A-Natural, music captivated his soul at an early age growing up in a household with a gospel/jazz artist mother and artist/producer father who often took him to studio sessions. “I literally grew up in the studio or on the road with them for different shows. I think my earliest musical memory was sitting in a stroller on the side of a festival stage while my mom and her band played a show in New York City”, said A-Natural.

In the studio is where A-natural would become a recording pundit, learning the best ways to piece together a song from vocals and instruments to mixing and engineering. Later on, he strengthened his own voice by training in classical, jazz, and gospel fields throughout high school and college.

A-Natural first dabbed into his gospel roots, writing his first song at five years old called “Jesus Loves the Clown in Me”. He recorded the song with his dad on an old tape recorder while his father played guitar and he sang the lyrics.

Realizing there was a future for him in music, A-natural would go on to release several gospel projects of his own, and even produced many more for other upcoming artists locally and abroad. This work garnered the attention of various entities such as Shawn Stockman from Boyz II Men, Teddy Riley of BlackStreet, record labels such as Epic, Atlantic, and Def Jam, and even major artists such as Mack Wilds, B. Slade (formerly known as Tonex), and many more including placements on TV and in film.

Searching for this foothold in his music, A-natural has covered many different areas of sound and life.

A-Natural transitioned into the R&B world releasing his first R&B project two years ago entitled The Chronicles of an Over-Ambitious Fat-Boy, and then last year released a follow-up EP entitled #COAOAFB2 which garnered two wins at this year’s Independent Music Awards for Best Urban EP and Best R&B Song for my single “Thirst”.

Hoping to bring even more into his creative fold, A-natural is currently at work on the third installment of the Chronicles series due later this year featuring some of the industry’s biggest producers; a life-long dream of A-natural’s finally come true.

Recently, A-natural’s heart has been consumed with reaching listeners and other creatives who may have felt that they were overlooked by an industry based in commercialism and copycats. Considerably, A-Natural understands the importance of having work that truly defines the meaning of artistry. Like Us On Facebook “My mother always taught me that I am accountable for every word I write. Because I understand this concept and ultimately the call God has on my life, I know that my music is supposed to uplift, encourage, and provoke thought. I also know that I’m not your typical R&B artist, but that’s a good thing. I’m here to let those who are not typical become the norm. I’m here to let them know that they can still achieve their dreams even if they’re not what others are used to seeing.”, A-Natural said.

With inspirations from W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, Langston Hughes, and Nikki Giovanni, and even more modern names like Tyler Perry, Jay-Z, and Nick Cannon, it’s no wonder A-Natural’s music comments on the social climate of today. “I make it a point to always address what’s going on in the world in a way that is not only impactful, but attractive. We all know there’s so much going on in the world these days, and just like the Marvin Gaye songs we all love from back in the day, I believe there’s always a time to speak up about issues that affect us whether it’s about police brutality (“Speak for Me”), individuality (“Blonde Hair”), marriage equality (“Strange Love”), or even celebrating activism (“Go-Getter”).”

A-Natural says the biggest challenge he’s encountered during his musical journey is simply beating the odds despite the circumstances. “I spent about 7 years living in a studio with no bed, no shower, and no kitchen. I slept on a couch, and pretty much had my entire life controlled while I worked tirelessly recording, producing, writing, and developing other artists. Some people think living in a recording studio would be a dream, but for me it wound up feeling like a prison. Once I left, it took me a while to love that part of my musical life again. But I did, and now I look back and I’m grateful for that experience. It made me a much better musician and also a stronger individual.”

In a world where there are plethora of people chasing the dream of music, the advice he gives for upcoming artists is to know who you are and embrace it. “Whether in music, or in your regular life, it’s important to know who you are and embrace it. Only when you know who you are can you even entertain what anyone else thinks of you, and that point, it doesn’t really even matter. Love God, love yourself, and love your neighbor.”

When asked where does he see himself in the next five years, A-Natural said while doing music full-time is an aspiration, he wants to create platforms for upcoming artists to be able to achieve their goals, and share his knowledge and wealth with them. Most importantly, continue to send the message of love, strength, and creativity throughout the world. - Unheard Voices Magazine