Emerging from the Nashville music scene, singer-songwriter Natasha Blaine’s groovy sound fuses elements of neo-soul, pop, and R&B. Originally from a suburb of Seattle, WA, she became mesmerized with singing at a very young age, especially drawn to jazz singers like Ella Fitzgerald. She started singing at every opportunity she could, beginning to accompany herself on guitar before age ten. This obsession with music blossomed into a passion that eventually landed her in Music City at the age of 20.
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With little songwriting experience when she arrived in Nashville, Natasha quickly fell in love with the craft, heavily involving herself in the writers’ round circuit, writing songs between college classes, and playing shows with her band at night.
Deciding to make her passion for music a professional career in the music business Blaine and her band’s signature sound draws inspiration from their jazz backgrounds as well as artists like D’Angelo, Amy Winehouse, and Jill Scott on tour nationally in addition to playing all over Nashville.
We sat down with Natasha, while she was enjoying a little downtime to talk about her journey as she and the band get ready to get back on the road for more tour dates and to release lots of new music.
Spotlight on Business: Tell us a little about yourself. What do you like to do when you are not performing or writing songs?
Natasha Blaine: I love being active. I love weightlifting and being outside, besides that, spending time with my dog, Luther, and hanging out with my boyfriend, Karl, who also plays drums in my band.
Spotlight on Business: We understand that from a young age, you started singing. What made you want to sing at such a young age?
Natasha Blaine: I was painfully shy as a kid, and singing was the only thing that made my shyness go away. When I was singing, it felt like I could finally breathe. So, when I was really young I would sing constantly. I even remember my kindergarten teacher telling me that I was humming too much in school while we were in class.
Spotlight on Business: What or who inspired your passion for music? What draws you to the jazz, soul, and R&B genres?
Natasha Blaine: I loved singing with my grandmother. She’s a really big jazz fan and always had Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan playing in the kitchen when I was at her house. So, I grew up listening to a lot of jazz with her. She definitely was the person who kind of instigated my singing career. She came to my mom when I was around six and told her to get me enrolled in some voice lessons to learn a bit more about singing, and she did. And I never looked back.
Spotlight on Business: What draws you to the jazz, soul, and R&B genres?
Natasha Blaine: I’ve always been drawn to the timelessness of jazz, but It was not until college that I started listening to R&B and neo-soul heavily. I remember I discovered Erykah Badu’s album Baduizm in college and I was listening to it on repeat. I was like, “Where has this been all my life?” That album truly inspired me to get into my own artistry.
Spotlight on Business: Listening to your music, it comes from a place of someone who has been through some stuff, and you are so young. When did you start writing your own songs and where does the inspiration for your songs come from?
Natasha Blaine: I didn’t start writing music seriously until I was 19. I dabbled in it a little bit when I was younger, but I didn’t truly start trying to become a songwriter until I was 19. I believe my most authentic songs come from somewhere deep inside of me. And the process of getting the words, and kind of packaging them neatly into a specific song helps me process a lot of ups and downs in my life.
So, it does really come from life experiences and emotions, and sometimes it feels like my songs kind of write themselves. It’s like the song already exists, but I’m just putting the pieces together and assembling it.
Spotlight on Business: When did you discover that you might want to make a career out of music?
Natasha Blaine: That was right around the same time as I started writing music. I was living in Seattle at the time, and I was going to school in Seattle for college. I just felt this pull to try and be an artist, because if I didn’t try, I would always wonder what would have happened if I did. There’s nothing else I’ve ever wanted to do.
Spotlight on Business: What made you decide to leave Seattle for Nashville to focus on pursuing your music career?
Natasha Blaine: I was studying English, in Seattle and had no idea what I wanted to do if it wasn’t music, so I decided to apply to transfer to a school in Nashville as an excuse to move here. I got in, and I was surprised. I mean, it was a hard school to get into, and when I moved here [Nashville], I knew nothing about pursuing a music career, I knew nothing about writing songs, getting and playing shows, or anything, but I was eager to learn. I had just turned 20.
Spotlight on Business: Can you tell us about your journey, how did you know it was the time to make the jump and what was it like?
Natasha Blaine: I felt like there was nothing I loved as much as music. I was involved in music a little bit in Seattle, but I felt like I needed to get out of my hometown and make a serious jump into music in Nashville. But mostly it was just the thought of “it’s really now or never.” If I hadn’t, and I ignored my desire to pursue music, I could have had a happy life, but I would have always wondered what would have happened if I had given it a shot.
Spotlight on Business: What is the biggest lesson you have learned along the way in your professional journey so far? What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way in your music career?
Natasha Blaine: I feel like the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that the only way to ensure failure is to not try. And I know that kind of ties back to what I was saying before, but it’s really true with music, because putting music out there is very scary. I’m not going to lie about that. My music is a huge part of me, and the Internet can be a cruel place, but I know that inaction and not putting music out due to insecurity is the biggest way to predict failure. I just have to do it.
Spotlight on Business: What has been your biggest surprise in your professional journey so far?
Natasha Blaine: This might sound obvious, but my biggest surprise is that a music career is really hard to sustain. Everybody told me that when I started, but sometimes you kind of have to go through it yourself just to see how hard it is. Because it doesn’t really matter how good you are at guitar, it doesn’t matter how great of a writer you are, or how talented a singer you are, there are so many uncontrollable factors.
Spotlight on Business: What has been your biggest challenge in your professional journey so far?
Natasha Blaine: I think the sustainability thing is a big part of it, but I think my biggest challenge is probably all the rejection you have to face in this industry. I mean, it’s an industry of rejection. You get rejected from playlists, from shows, from venues. It’s just part of the game. And it can be disheartening sometimes. But I have learned to move on from it and embrace the next opportunity.
Spotlight on Business: Was there ever a moment you contemplated throwing in the towel? If so, what made you want to keep moving forward?
Natasha Blaine: Oh yes, I’ve had so many quarter-life crisis days. I think one of the really difficult parts of the industry right now is just how easy it is to compare yourself to other artists because of social media. Like, if I look at another artist who has more Instagram followers than me and had a video go viral or something like that, it’s really easy to compare myself to that. And when I’m having a hard day, that can be something that makes me want to go on LinkedIn and find a 9 to 5 job for sure.
Spotlight on Business: What advice do you have for young females going into the music and entertainment industry?
Natasha Blaine: My biggest piece of advice would be to get out there and meet other artists starting out in the industry. This is a big who-you-know business, so you need to put yourself out there, go to events, like songwriter rounds, and find people who inspire you. Because those are the people that you’re going to grow alongside, that you are going to learn from and cheer on when they succeed. And they will cheer you on when you succeed. I’m really lucky that I’ve found that. That would definitely be my biggest piece of advice.
Spotlight on Business: What has been your favourite part of being a singer-songwriter?
Natasha Blaine: Performing is hands-down my favourite part of the job. My music, live with my band, is like tapping into this unfathomable power that’s just so much greater than myself. And I love that feeling, that palpable energy in a room when live music is really moving the people, it gives me the chills. There’s just nothing like that feeling.
Spotlight on Business: What genres of music do you like? What artists do you listen to?
Natasha Blaine: I listen to so many different types of music. Like, it goes all across the board. But I’ll tell you what I’m really into right now: I’m really into indie rock. I’ve been listening to this group Wet Leg a lot recently. And I also love Raye, who is an R&B artist. I’m obsessed with Charlie XCX’s recent album too.
Spotlight on Business: If you had the chance to do a duet with another artist, who would it be and why?
Natasha Blaine: This is such a tough question because there are so many that come to mind. But I’d probably choose Tom Misch. He’s a British soul artist, and he’s also an amazing guitarist. He’s incredible. I think his music is very interesting. His production is always creative, and I’m really into the melodies he comes up with. Like, I aspire to be able to play music and create music like he does.
Spotlight on Business: Where can music fans find more about you and your music and upcoming shows?
Natasha Blaine: You can follow me on Instagram, [at]NatashaBlaine or TikTok at Natasha Blaine. You can also find me on Facebook, YouTube, as well as anywhere you stream music, just at Natasha Blaine. Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music, and any of the big streaming services.
Spotlight on Business: As we finish up, is there anything that you would like to tell our readers or to say to your fans?
Natasha Blaine: I’ve got some new music coming out this year, which I’m really, really excited about. This stuff is very authentic to me, and I’m excited to release it. There are also more tour dates that I haven’t announced yet, but if you follow me on my socials or check out my website, natashablaine.com you will find more information there.
by Amanda Stellisano,