Friday 19th January 2007
Born in the UK, Nathan and his mother moved to Jamaica when he was just 2 years old. His mother was just establishing herself as a reggae artist and after a year in Jamaica she relocated to America to develop her career while Nathan remained in Jamaica with his Grandmother. At the age of 5 the pair headed to New York where they settled until Nathan turned 11.
For the past eight years the young singer has resided back in Britain. The culture and music of both Jamaica and America, however, remain firmly embedded in his taste and style. “I grew up listening to my mum singing and have always been around music, whether it was in Jamaica, New York or the UK and I take inspiration from everything I see, hear and do” Nathan states before listing Alicia Keyes, Marvin Gaye, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Michael Jackson as his most listened to artists on his iPod.
In 2002, and at just 15, Nathan decided it was his time to shine, entering himself into the Choice FM’s coveted Rapology competition where he covered Usher’s ‘You’ve Got It Bad’. The teenager totally stole the show, overwhelming both the audience and the judges and taking the top prize – the opportunity to write and record his own song with producer Michael Daley. It was at this time that Nathan wrote his very first song ‘What’s Your Name?’ which will appear on his debut album ‘Masterpiece’.
Nathan’s uncle - already in the music business - took the teenager under his wing and introduced him to Omar McNaught who became and remains his manager four years on. Invaluable studio time with various underground UK producers (including Syklone Productions) commenced and the bright newcomer began to hone his song-writing skills. His debut single ‘Come Into My Room’ was in fact the very first track Nathan wrote with the Syklone duo.
Between his studying and song writing Nathan was invited to perform alongside the legendary Alicia Keys and Mario, yet despite the distractions of his burgeoning career he left school with a clutch of GCSEs results – including an A in music (not surprisingly his favourite subject).
His live performance, growing catalogue of songs and smooth vocals brought him to the attention of major labels and, following a hot bidding war, Nathan was signed to V2 Records in conjunction with VCM (Vibes Corner Music). ‘Come Into My Room’ was released in March 2005 and secured him a top 40 hit and critical acclaim.
Shortly after the release of ‘Come Into My Room’ Nathan was snapped up by independent London based label Mona Records and has been in the studio for the past year working on his debut album ‘Masterpiece’. Working with Syklone, Full Crew and Snowflakers (Blazin’ Squad, Friday Hill, Lemar, Jamelia, Keisha White, HQ & Hi Life) Nathan has recorded a remarkable album that showcases him as an exciting young British singer and songwriter. And whilst he was adding the finishing touches to the record in Miami with Salaam Remi (Fugees, Ini Kamoze, Nas, Ludacris) his track ‘They Can’t Take Me Away’ was all over urban radio making the A list on 1Xtra and getting spins on both Choice and Galaxy.
The album will be released in the Autumn of 2006 following the release of the single ‘Cold As Ice’ in September with ‘They Can’t Take Me Away’ as the B side. Already ‘Cold As Ice’ is A listed on 1 Xtra, being supported on XFM, and the Salaam Remi mix is being played on Choice FM along with ‘They Can’t Take Me Away’.
David Jensen Photography:
https://www.davidjensen.co.uk/
