Natalie

Basketball's influence on pop success is unusual among vocalists, yet the NBA effectively launched sultry Natalie from what would otherwise have been a routine office role. While traveling between her Clear Lake, TX, home and classes, she absorbed the music of Jadakiss, Usher, Gwen Stefani, and Beyoncé. Although she longed to sing professionally, the absence of industry contacts led her to major in criminal justice. On impulse she responded to an audition notice for Houston Rockets cheerleaders, earned a spot on the squad, and soon received invitations to perform with various Houston rap and R&B acts. During the same period she refined her songwriting and began incorporating rap verses into her stage sets. On her second appearance she caught the eye of Charles Chavez, founder of Latium Entertainment and the architect behind the careers of Frankie J., Baby Bash, and Chamillionaire. Chavez introduced her to producers Happy Perez and Play N Skillz. Their collaboration produced several strong tracks, yet the ballad “Goin’ Crazy” was selected as the single. The heartfelt recording began dominating request lines at R&B and pop stations in March 2005. Universal promptly offered a contract and issued her debut album that May. Her follow-up project, Everything New, arrived the following year.