2020 has seemingly been a great year for young up-and-coming artists. Natasha Elise is only 18, and she’s built up a following & fanbase. She’s already been noticed by NYLON magazine and has two visuals for her songs, Good Riddance and her latest work, Lights, Camera Action.
A true creative, Natasha Elise always knew she wanted to do music, and her connection to music is deeper than most. “I’ve been singing since I was a kid. I write all my songs now.”
Natasha Elise is an independent artist, meaning she has a lot of control creatively, but she also has to pay most of her expenses. “I enjoy being independent, I have more control of what I create and the creative direction,” Elise said. “It’s great, absolutely. Being independent, I was able to create a very organic fanbase.”
With the amount of work that she’s putting in, there’s no doubt that music labels would be interested in her. “I think with the right offer from the right label, I would sign.”
Working in the independent space, it gives her the freedom to create what she wants. She gets most of her inspiration from her own experiences, and it helps the fans relate to the music. “Everything I write and sing about are definitely things I’ve experienced, but I find that people come back to me and say how much they’re able to relate to it and have had experiences that evoke the same emotions.”
In developing new music, a lot of artists have a creative process. For Natasha, she loves feeling her emotions, but the real work gets done when she’s in the studio. “When I’m in the studio, things just happen organically.”
“I don’t ever want to put myself in a box. If I had to put myself in a genre, it would be R&B or pop. But I am definitely trying to evolve my sound. I think my audience will hear that evolution too.”
The industry is saturated with pop and R&B artists. Women sing about their experiences, breakups, and dealing with toxic relationships. Even at the young age of 18, Natasha Elise has been there. “I’m really disappointed at the lack of effort today. I think social media dictates a lot of what people think relationships should be,” she said. “I can say now, I know exactly what I want, and what I don’t want.”
With tracks like Good Riddance, she shows her ability to say goodbye to situations of the past. But don’t think this is her signature sound- she’s in a constant state of evolution. She has no plans of limiting her sound and her potential, and we can hear it in songs like Lights Camera Action. “I don’t ever want to put myself in a box. If I had to put myself in a genre, it would be R&B or pop,” says the rising star. “But I am definitely trying to evolve my sound. I think my audience will hear that evolution too.”
When asked about the creation of Lights, Camera Action, she said the song is about pursuing your dreams, and uplifting yourself when you hit mental roadblocks. “The song is really about pushing through [those mental blocks]. It helped me get out of that zone, and I hope it helps others too.”
A lot of people aspire for fame and fortune, but that’s not the case for Natasha Elise. “I wouldn’t say that I have an ultimate goal. If anything, my goal is to have continued growth.”
The 18-year-old already has big plans going forward for the rest of the year. With new music already in the works, she mentioned that she wants to keep everyone on their toes for what she has cooking up going forward. “I’d love to work with Lil Uzi or Post Malone.”
You can stream her latest video, Lights, Camera, Action below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgnTTPO9nSc
