Charisma And Confidence

Well! Here we go again! Yes another featured artist in Weekly Music Commentary, and another entertainer on the rise. Most of you who have followed this blog possibly were introduced to a new artist, some who have found their way to a successful music career. Along the way I am proud of various weekly features, but some aspects have been noticed by readers and brought to my attention. One thing of interest is the fact that I have featured many female artists. I never really noticed that fact until a reader paid me a complement for giving female artists a platform across musical genre lines. As I took an inventory of past posts, I realized that the reader was correct. However, after knowledge of giving such overwhelming opportunities to rising female artists, would I change and consciously try to feature more male artists? No. It’s not that I feature more female artists over men, I found that I just offer equality. The formula for Weekly Music Commentary will not change, unless female artists stop entering the music industry. I doubt that will happen any time soon.

As I said before, this week I chose another singer seemingly ready to make a leap into the limelight. The story of her rise is quite unique, but compelling nonetheless. This week I am featuring singer, songwriter, rapper and dancer Natalie La Rose.

Natalie La Rose was born on July 12, 1988, in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. In 2013, she signed a recording contract with American musician Flo Rida’s International Music Group imprint and Republic Records. How does a young entertainer from Amsterdam get to recording with Flo Rida in the US? Those are the facts that make her story interesting. It involves two important aspects of Natalie’s personality; charisma and confidence.

At the age of 20, Natalie moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue her dreams of becoming a singer and dancer. In a March 2015 interview with Gulf Times, she explained: “I didn’t feel like I was getting anywhere in the Netherlands. I’d always had this belief that America was the place to be for me.” In 2010, she got her first opportunity when she was signed to a deal with Blackground Records, while distributed by Interscope Records as part of the musical duo Amsterdam with Sigourney Korper. “The group didn’t work out, and no music was released,” she sighs. “It just wasn’t the right time.” Natalie would soon get the opportunity to show the talent she knew she possessed.

Natalie La Rose’s talent is not something that was just discovered by chance. The young entertainer worked hard to gain skill. Before moving to the US, Natalie graduated in 2008 at the Lucia Marthas Dance Academy in Amsterdam, where she had studied singing and dancing. In 2009, La Rose appeared in the Dutch musical version of High School Musical, playing the role Taylor Mckessie. I got a chance to listen in on a couple of recent radio interview with Natalie. She spoke about her training in singing and dancing and how it prepared her for the musical career of today, and her future endeavors. As I listened further I took notice of her personality. She is not a brash person, and somewhat reserved. Natalie La Rose is confident and that also comes to the forefront in her interviews. In fact, that confidence is what lead to the greatest opportunity of her career to date. In 2011 while attending an ESPY Awards after party, she walked up to Flo Rida and told him they were going to work together. The intrigued multi-platinum international superstar invited her to the studio the next day. Over the course of two years to follow, she performed alongside Flo across the globe at sold out shows. 2013 saw her officially ink a deal with his International Music Group (I.M.G.) label, formally solidifying their partnership.

Now the music has naturally followed. La Rose speaks of Flo Rida as a big part of her start in recording music. She said, “We have such a great chemistry, and he’s given me an incredible launch pad for me and my songs.” Her début single for I.M.G./Republic Records “Somebody” [featuring Jeremih] will undoubtedly get the dance floor moving. After spending a great deal of time working together, Natalie and Flo Rida came up with music that really fit her voice and helped her show her talent as a dancer. “I’m very inspired by pop and rhythm,” she goes on. “There’s a soulfulness and great groove though. Since I’m a dancer, it’s important for my music to have a nice beat.” The song updates the melody from Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” for a new millennium. It is contagious, and a perfect beginning for Natalie La Rose. “It’s a fun and funky song,” remarks Natalie. “It’s feel-good, and it reminds me of summertime. I love to be around people, have a great time, and dance. That’s what it stands for. While we were recording Jeremih happened to be in Miami for a Big Dreams for Kids Back to School Event and Flo invited him to the studio to sing on it. He nailed it on the first take!”

For any aspiring artists out there, it is important to have talent, a good team behind you, and of course charisma and confidence. Of course, how charisma and confidence play out might be different depending on an individual’s personality.  For Natalie La Rose, charisma and confidence are leading her to big success.