Anna Nathanson

Louise Golbey singing ‘American Boy’

Anna Nathanson — Sun, 08 May 2011 22:27:34 +0000

Hey people,

Here is a video I took recently of UK songstress Louise Golbey covering ‘American Boy’ by Estelle at Cargo, London.

Enjoy!

Anna x

Some tunes & videos I like

Anna Nathanson — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 23:03:47 +0000

Whoa I feel like I haven’t blogged in ages, been so busy. So just thought I’d blog some music bits I’ve been feeling recently. Mixtapes I’ve been enjoying come courtesy of the Weeknd (“House of Balloons”) and Frank Ocean of Odd Future (“Nostalgia, Ultra”), This is hands down my favourite song at the moment:

Last Tuesday I saw Ed Sheeran live again at the Barfly in Camden, he’s definitely set for massive things, and Atlantic have announced that they are releasing his song “The A Team” as the first official single. Here’s the video again:

One of my idols Mary J Blige is bringing out a new album soon, so excited! I first heard this track on CJ Beatz’ show back in January, but I was a bit confused as I then heard a less good version with Dirty Money on it, which was on the “Last Train” album. But luckily that never got released, making way for Mary to come with this as the first street single off the new album. I think the video’s absolutely amazing…

Newly signed to Mercury, we just added this track from Dot Rotten to the 1Xtra playlist this week, Normal Human Being. Love what they’ve done with the video, very different…

Also liking Abel Miller who featured on K-Koke’s “Nobody But Us”. Expecting big things from this guy. Here’s his soulful A64:

And lastly, you gotta rate Wiley’s new video for “Numbers in Action”…

Jordan Saflor in the studio

Anna Nathanson — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 13:42:50 +0000

One of my closest friends Jordan Saflor has just brought out this amazing video of him recording in the studio- love how it’s shot and his voice sounds banging, I’m so truly proud of him! Looking forward to his next gig, his first in South London! To find out more, visit Jordan’s site

Marsha Ambrosius interview, MTV

Anna Nathanson — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 22:04:37 +0000

Hailing from Liverpool, Marsha Ambrosius has succeeded in conquering America as a hugely successful R&B/soul singer after making the move over ten years ago. With six Grammy nominations under her belt, the ex-Floetry member has worked with the cream of the urban music scene, including Nas, Alicia Keys and Michael Jackson – who she not only sang with but also penned lyrics for. With the release of her long-awaited debut solo album this month, the singer, songwriter and producer speaks to Anna Nathanson for The Wrap Up about her journey so far…

The Wrap Up: Hi Marsha! You’ve been in America for a long time now, but do you still feel British?

Marsha Ambrosius: I work in America and have a visa, but I still have a British passport and I’m very much a Scouser. I try and come home as much as possible; for holidays, birthdays; just whenever I can.

TWU: Do you think you would’ve been as successful if you’d stayed in the UK?

Marsha Ambrosius: I had a free trip to America and that’s how that worked out. I wasn’t necessarily attempting to make a career or make a mark in the States. It really was because my friend was playing Basketball in New Jersey and had a taped cassette of mine performing at the Jazz Café. It just so happened that I met the right people at the right time. I was just taking advantage of the opportunity. So I couldn’t tell you whether if I’d stayed in England it would have worked out. I don’t think Michael Jackson would have heard my song as I wouldn’t have been in the studio that day, so there are all these little things to take into consideration, but I was just rolling with it and have been ever since.

TWU: What do you think about the recent growth of the UK urban music scene?

Marsha Ambrosius: I still think it’s very, very small in comparison to where I thought it would’ve been by now. I think that in the UK, there can only ever be one successful R&B singer or one successful rapper, but in America, there are countless R&B singers and rappers. I think there are many talented people out there doing their thing, but it’s a size difference and you have to be out there proving points, doing what you do that much harder to make your mark in the UK. I’m thankful that it’s building a little bit, slowly but surely.

TWU: Do you think American audiences are more receptive to more traditional forms of R&B and soul?

Marsha Ambrosius: You have to roll with whatever’s current in England and that’s why I think that a lot of UK R&B acts tend to lean towards a dance, electro-pop or an R&B/pop type sound, instead of just being soulful. It just is what it is. I managed to break out in America making music that I was passionate about.

TWU: There seems to be more white commercially successful UK soul singers in recent times, such as Adele and Amy Winehouse. Why do you think this is?

Marsha Ambrosius: I have no idea. At the end of the day, talent is talent and it should be recognised. It’s colourless and if I hear it and it sounds good, then that’s undeniable. But like I said, in terms of urban music in the UK, it’s hard to get your foot in the door, but you have to keep kicking it down.

TWU: Did you ever check out the remake of ‘Say Yes’ by Ill Blu and Shanique?

Marsha Ambrosius: I haven’t, but I heard about it! It’s lovely; it’s such a complement for a song that’s ten years old to me, to come back the way it did and for people to put it out in a different format.

TWU: Do you still speak to ex-Floetry member Natalie?

Marsha Ambrosius: No, I haven’t spoken to her since she left the group in 2007.

TWU: So you don’t know what she’s up to and whether she’s still making music?

Marsha Ambrosius: No. It’s not that we outgrew each other, but more like we realised who we were, and that we’re two completely different people.

TWU: You worked with Michael Jackson and wrote his hit single, ‘Butterflies’. What impact did his death have on you?

Marsha Ambrosius: The same that it had on the world, but I could say that I got to know him outside of just being the icon and the legend that everyone else got to see; I spent time with him. It’s still quite surreal, but I’m thankful that I got to do what was on the end of my ‘to do’ list at the beginning of my career. To have someone as famous as that working with someone he hadn’t heard of before and be that humble, it was just amazing. He taught me a lot about the industry and how to achieve longevity.

TWU: You’ve worked with many other artists, but what other major highlights stick out for you?

Marsha Ambrosius: There have just been too many people to name. For example, Justin Timberlake winning a Grammy for Best Male Vocal for ‘Cry My A River’, with my vocals all over the song. Working with people like Alicia Keys, Jill Scott, The Game, Busta Rhymes; I could name-drop for days but when I look at my Wikipedia I still can’t believe that I’ve worked with all of those people.

TWU: Your recent video for ‘Far Away’ has a very hard-hitting anti-bullying message, particularly against homophobic bullying. Was it hard making the video, considering that it was based on real-life experiences?

Marsha Ambrosius: It was a real-life experience in that I was a friend of someone who couldn’t break out of their depression. It was hard making it, but I’m just thankful that I can get that story told and have it benefit other people.

TWU: Do you think it’s harder for black gay people, in particular men, and what are your thoughts on the concept of ‘down-low brothers’ in hip-hop?

Marsha Ambrosius: In terms of ‘down-low brothers’ in hip-hop, I think it’s something that people should talk about, I mean, it’s 2011. If you can’t be honest and upfront about who you are, then you’re taking a backwards step. With the ‘Far Away’ video I did it exactly how I wanted it, straight to the point. It’s difficult anyway, but to add on being black and gay, it probably is harder.

TWU: How would you describe the vibe of your new album, ‘Late Nights And Early Mornings’?

Marsha Ambrosius: Well, it’s really sensual but sincere all at the same time. It takes you on a journey and it’s almost like a classical piece of music taking you through nearly every genre, but with a ‘Marsha Ambrosius twist’ to it. It’s very soulful, seductive and honest. If I were to name my favourite track, I’d be naming the entire album! You can’t listen to one song without hearing the other, so it’s one of those albums that you just have to listen to from start to finish.

Marsha Ambrosius: ‘Late Nights And Early Morning’ – is out now

Stay up to date with Marsha Ambrosius on Twitter – www.twitter.com/MarshaAmbrosius

www.marshaambrosiusonline.com

Words: Anna Nathanson (@AnnaNathanson)

Jessie J’s Confidence Tips (BBC Slink)

Anna Nathanson — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 20:50:24 +0000

Interview by: Anna Nathanson

Photography (Jessie J): Stephan Gregoire

http://www.bbc.co.uk/slink/real-life/features/jessie-j-confidence-tips

One of the strongest women in pop shares her tips for feeling confident…

Believe that confidence is important

Whether you’re a singer, a mother, at school; one thing I’ve always said is that I’ve always wanted to base my confidence on purity. Confidence should come from you and shouldn’t ever have to be intoxicated with anything to make you feel like you can be confident, i.e. alcohol or drugs. Without confidence you can’t live life, you have to have confidence, so I think it’s really important.

Believe in yourself

If I walked on stage apologising and saying “OK, I’m going to sing; I don’t know if it’s going to be good or not”, people would be like; “Wait a minute, if she doesn’t believe in herself, why should we believe in her?” I’ve been around for six years, I’ve had to go into meetings with some of the richest, most egotistical people and go; “I want you to believe in me”. My family and friends have always said; “believe in yourself, because if you don’t, nobody else will believe in you.”

Don’t get embarrassed

I’ve learnt to let that go. A lot of people get so embarrassed, and there is a lot of pride and ego that you have to let go of. I did a photo shoot and had lipstick on my teeth and nobody told me! I’m not going to get embarrassed because I have lipstick on my teeth. It’s important to be able to laugh at yourself and not take yourself too seriously and just say “I look like an idiot” because everybody does sometimes.

Avoid labels

I’ve always said that I’ll never label my music, and I’ll never label my sexuality. I think people feel that you have to put yourself in a box to feel comfortable. If I meet a girl and I’m happy with that person, then it’s a girl. If it’s a guy, it’s a guy. There’ll always be people who hate what you do, but you just have to go; “If it makes me happy then I’m not going to apologise for it”. Love who you love, do what you do, you only get one life, never apologise for something that makes you happy, and write songs about it, write poems about it. Be you.

Being loud does not equal confidence

I think that anyone who feels that they have to fill every silence, that’s actually a massive sign of insecurity. And even though I can talk for England, I can also (goes quiet for a few seconds)…do an awkward silence (laughs).

Count your blessings

I have a heart problem and I had a minor stroke but I think it’s a blessing in disguise that I can’t abuse my body the way some people do. I remember when I won the Critics Choice Award and people were like; “You don’t drink so how are you going to celebrate?” and I think it’s really sad that people associate getting drunk with having fun. That’s not how I roll. I think it’s really important for people to know that that’s not the only way to have fun.

If you need help – get help

I was bullied at school. Not horrifically but enough to write “Who’s Laughing Now?” which is on my album. I think my advice would be to tell somebody that you trust straight away. You should never go through it alone, as it’s horrible. My dad always used to say to me that people who bully, there’s a reason for it and it’s actually because they’re the insecure ones. It says more about them than it ever will about you, and that’s something that I think a lot of young people don’t realise, is that a bully is a bully for a reason. They’re not bullying you because of you; they’re bullying you because of how they are. It breaks my heart; I get messages all the time from people being bullied and I just hope that my music is helping them as that’s all I can give.

Week just gone

Anna Nathanson — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 18:02:48 +0000

This week a legend passed away, none other than Nate Dogg, on Wednesday 16 March. I was shocked when I found out that morning, and obviously when I got into work, made sure there were Nate classics such as Regulate, Oh No and Area Codes programmed in all shows. I have so many childhood memories of tracks like that, his signature vocals on some of rap’s most recognisable tracks making them the tunes that they were. Here is one of my faves, from Dre’s 2001 album:

Raekwon from the Wu Tang clan was over in the UK on Friday, so I arranged for him to come in to the studio with Westwood before his gig that night. Raekwon and I became friends a couple of years ago after I interviewed him for britishhiphop and since then we’ve always kept in touch. When he was in the studio, I popped down to say hello and this is what him and Westwood said, made me laugh

Raekwon and Westwood

After that, I went down to the HMV Forum, Kentish Town with Kerry D from the Westwood team to see the show, which was awesome! We had a great view and the vibe was amazing, really chilled out and he did loads of tracks, both new and old, including brand new bangers from the latest album Shaolin VS Wu-Tang, which he gave me a copy of on Friday. Here’s a video from the night:

On Monday I got some last minute tickets to see Bruno Mars at Koko in Camden, so I went down with my friend Jordan and colleagues Sarah and Carla. It was a great night and he’s probably got another hit on his hands with next single The Lazy Song, which, along with his other tracks from the Doo-Wops & Hooligans album, went down a storm on the night.

Other than that, my Jessie J interview has just been posted online at BBC Slink!

Jessie J interview on BBC Slink

And earlier this week my friend English Frank came in to do a Fire In The Booth with Charlie Sloth. Super spitter Frank is making major waves on the UK rap scene with his online videos and I’m really looking forward to hearing his next album, it’s been too long!

Oh yeah, I forgot to post this before, an image of the Music Week article on the 1Xtra playlist:

Anyway, here are some videos/songs I’ve been liking recently…Jamie Woon’s new video to Lady Luck went up this week, and Look At Me Now by Chris Brown, which we moved up to the A-List on 1Xtra this week is still one of my tunes of the year:

Have a blessed week!

Anna x

Record of the Day

Anna Nathanson — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 23:55:07 +0000

Got a mention on Record of the Day’s website after they picked one of the tracks I recommended!

It was the song “Yeah Right” by Amy Winehouse’ God Daughter Dionne Bromfield.

Here’s the link:

Record of the Day

Also got a name check last year when I recommended Jessie J:

Jessie J on RotD

I’m so grateful I get to work in the music industry and do things like this

Secret Gig: Louise Golbey and Ed Sheeran

Anna Nathanson — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 22:26:32 +0000

On Wednesday night I went to see Ed Sheeran and Louise Golbey performing at a secret gig in Camden. The venue was tiny, maybe holding about 50 people, with tables laid out where people were eating dinner. It was tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the main road and the atmosphere was very intimate. It was quite a rare and special night, for two highly rated artists, one signed and one tipped for big things, to be performing to such a small crowd. I first saw Louise live in 2009 and immediately gravitated to her unique blend of British soul, and Ronnie Herel has been a big supporter and I’ve been hearing her a lot on his show. I have also been really impressed with her music videos, especially for an unsigned artist. This week Louise made her debut on 1Xtra day time, being played on Trevor Nelson’s show and it was nice to celebrate all her successes over a glass of champers on the night. Louise performed about seven soulful songs, including the smooth ‘Mr Potential’ and fan favourite ‘Sparkle’. Here’s a video (which I filmed on my phone so excuse the quality- I didn’t know about the gig until the day which is why I didn’t come more prepared!)

Ed Sheeran was also incredible, and it’s not hard to see why he’s captured the admiration of not only fans and industry bods, but has become an unlikely star on the UK grime scene. The 20-year-old guitar playing ginger-haired acoustic folk singer first came to the public attention through a performance he did on SBTV, and has since signed to Atlantic Records and was one of 1Xtra’s Hot 4 2011’s. Ed clearly puts a lot of emotion and soul into his music, which is evident not only in his lyrics but also his heartfelt performances. He played several new tracks that had not been performed before, including a poignant song about a lost unborn baby, where he sings of a “small bump”, which he explained to the audience that this was one of his most personal songs. He also performed some of his better-known material such as ‘A Team’ and ‘You Need Me’, which he left until the end and even incorporated a new bit which he’d recently added to the track. Here are some videos (again not the best quality- gutted)

Anna x

Interviewing Jessie J

Anna Nathanson — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 22:01:44 +0000

On Wednesday I went to the Purple PR offices with photographer to the stars Stephan Gregoire to interview the phenomenal Jessie J, who this week released her album. She was very cool to chat to and Stephan took some brilliant shots, so look out for the interview coming soon on BBC Slink.

Anna x

1Xtra Press Night

Anna Nathanson — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 21:38:51 +0000

Have had an eventful start to the month and an amazing week, which started with 1Xtra being featured in Music Week, after their News Editor Ben came to our playlist meeting the week before. On Monday night it was down to the Notting Hill Arts Club for the 1Xtra Press Night. I was in charge of ‘artist liaison’, making sure that all the acts and presenters were on stage at the right time, which was a little hectic but good fun. There was a great turn out, with lots of industry people coming down to see Ed Sheeran, Yasmin, Skepta, Lethal B, Aggro Santos and Maverick Sabre perform. This was of course followed by a night of networking with Tim Westwood spinning the tunes, and it was fab to catch up with so many people, some that I’ve known for years and others who I’ve only recently met. Here is one of many blogs on the night:

Number One Spot

And here are some pics taken by Denise Collins:

[Gallery not found]

Anna x