Natasha Fisher

Natasha Fisher twirls in the confusion of getting over a past lover and struggling with trust issues. - Tiana Feng

Rising Thunder Bay pop vocalist Natasha Fisher is gearing up to release her debut album Her later this year, and if first single "Lie to Me" is any indication it will certainly be a release to look out for. Today, Exclaim! is happy to premiere the album's first official video.

"Lie to Me" was filmed in Thunder Bay and sees Fisher belt out her tunes in the forest. She's accompanied by traditional Native American dancers in the clip, which works well alongside the song's blend of traditional Indigenous sounds and modern electronic music.

As Fisher's official bio explains, "her artistic style is shaped by her cultural and spiritual First Nations heritage as well as the painful isolation experienced in Ontario's North."

Watch the video for "Lie to Me" below, and stay tuned for more from Natasha Fisher in the months to come. - Exclaim Magazine

Thunder Bay is known for its natural beauty and tranquility, but it’s also known for singer-songwriter Natasha Fisher.

“I started writing songs at a very young age … I think I was 10,” said Fisher.

“My parents always said that music was comforting for me and every time I felt sad or lonely, they could hear me making up songs.”

Now 21, Fisher spent her first 18 years in Thunder Bay and says her Ojibwe heritage has influenced her music.


“I wanted to take my culture of First Nations and mix the drums and the vocals and make something beautiful with mainstream singing,” she said.

Her musical journey began six years ago when Fisher started uploading videos to test the waters. The response was overwhelming with more than 200,000 views. After graduation she started doing hip-hop and R&B covers and this fall Fisher will take her music to the next level with the release of her first album entitled Her.

“Basically (with) the story of me moving from my small town of Thunder Bay to Toronto, it’s personified as a relationship break up,” said Fisher.

“I was so glad to have shared it and incorporated First Nations dancing in the video.”

Something else Fisher said she is passionate about is continuing to cultivate a mentorship role she created when she was just 15. She said she has travelled to First Nations reserves to connect with children and youth on subjects like anti-bullying, while providing songwriting workshops and encouraging children to pursue their dreams and develop their talents.

“It’s just building relationships and being a light people that see you and just being positive. That’s really my goal and I’m happy to be doing it at the level that I am now,” said Fisher.

“I’m so excited about the future.” - Global News

Natasha Fisher has already racked up over a hundred thousand views on YouTube for her videos of covers and mashups by artists like Drake, Rihanna, and The Weeknd, but now the northwestern Ontario singer is gaining attention for the release of her original song Lie to Me, from her debut album Her.

Fisher travelled home to Thunder Bay to premiere the song at that city's festivities for National Aboriginal Day in June, describing the experience as "amazing", especially because she was able to share the stage with her mentor and relative Classic Roots.

"We used to travel when we were both starting our careers to northern Communities to put on shows, so he's really helped me to be the best person I can be".

The 21-year-old says she has many musical influences, but was inspired by something more personal on her latest release - her Indigenous roots.

In her official bio, Fisher explained that "her artistic style is shaped by her cultural and spiritual First Nations heritage as well as the painful isolation experienced in Ontario's North".

Since moving to Toronto, she said she has become even more immersed in her culture, even while being miles away from her community.

Wants to inspire other young Indigenous artists

Ojibway heritage "influences my music, it influences me to be better person and to inspire youth...there's a lot of people hurting right now in northern communities and I just want to be able to inspire them to follow their dreams", Fisher told CBC.

However, integrating aspects of her Indigenous culture hasn't necessarily been easy.

Fisher said she has been criticized and questioned for the use of altered traditional sounds and traditional dancers in the music video for the single, when the song "has nothing to do with Aboriginal people".

But "the song features Aboriginal artists like myself and Nimkii, who is also a very talented hoop dancer, and I felt like that itself was so powerful. I just wanted to add in visuals and bring the culture to life through music in a mainstream way. I just want people who haven't experienced that to just see the beauty in it", said Fisher.

The video for Lie to Me was shot by Spun Creative in Thunder Bay, and includes scenes from Mount McKay and the surrounding traditional territory. - CBC

Natasha Fisher, Aboriginal singer-songwriter originates from the northern city of Thunder Bay, Ontario and has been sharing her music with audiences since her early teens. Natasha finds her expression in an Aboriginal influenced Electronic, Pop/R&B style which best lends itself to her creative wordplays and sophisticated vocalizations.

“Weather Girl” is a Pop-R&B song with dancehall and aboriginal influences. Featuring production from Levels, this song serves as the lead single in Natasha’s upcoming project “Her”. Stream the single below and don't forget to follow Natasha on social media.

Stream "Weather Girl" on Apple Music & more: http://smarturl.it/bnvfq1

Twitter/Instagram: @natashafisher_ - A night in the 6ix

She has thousands of YouTube subscribers, two killer singles, and she’s about to drop her first album. At 21, singer-songwriter Natasha Fisher is poised to make her mark on the Canadian music scene.

Fisher describes her sound as Aboriginal-influenced electronic pop R&B—a fitting blend of genres for the woman who captured international attention for her acoustic mash-ups of artists like Drake, Ginuwine, Fetty Wap, and Future. Her top video has over 200,000 views.

Although she has been singing and performing most of her life, she says it was nerve-wracking putting her first video up. The risk paid off, and she’s so glad she had the courage to do it. Not only did it lead to a management offer, but also gave her the confidence to leave home and take her career to the next level. That meant leaving home and family, and it wasn’t easy.

“When I first moved to Toronto there was a lot of loneliness. I adored growing up in Thunder Bay, and I love having that small town girl inside of me. But coming here, it’s so intense. I had no family or close friends around.”

Fisher took those emotions and shaped them into her first album, Her, which will be released later this fall. “[The album] is about where I am in my life, and moving from a small town to Toronto—almost like a relationship breakup,” she says. “It’s a bit about finding yourself somewhere else.”

This summer, Fisher returned home to debut her first single “Lie to Me” on stage at National Aboriginal Day. She also collaborated with Spun Creative and Wikwemikong First Nation hoop dancer Nimkii on a gorgeous video for the track, shot against the natural beauty of Thunder Bay and Mount McKay. “It was my first professional video, and I was definitely nervous,” she says. “Filming in my hometown with people I trust was huge for me. I’m super happy with the way it turned out.”

For Fisher, incorporating Aboriginal music and dance into her work is an integral part of who she wants to be as an artist. “I want to show the world how beautiful our culture is. I want to bring it more mainstream. You can definitely hear that influence on my album,” she says. She draws influence and inspiration from her cousin Classic Roots and electronic music masters A Tribe Called Red, and credits her dad for introducing her to solid classic rock like the Beatles and Supertramp at a young age. As she grew older she discovered hip-hop and R&B, and she feels that she brings pieces of it all to her own sound.

With her music, Fisher is also passionate about being a mentor to northern youth. Since she was 15, Fisher has joined one of her mentors, comedian Ron Kanutski, and others in visiting schools and First Nation communities across the Northwest, encouraging youth to keep positive and keep moving forward.

“I feel like just by being a positive person, it helps to show others what’s possible,” she says. “Perfect your craft, and work harder than anyone else is working because there are so many people racing for that same goal. But also let other people motivate you. At times I’ve felt defeated, but you’ve got to have faith.”

You can find Natasha Fisher’s music on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming services. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @natashafisher_ - Kat Lyzun - The Walleye

Natasha Fisher delivers a dreamy and soothing pop tune in “Only You”. - Tiana Feng - Ride The Tempo