Spotify Streaming Hero & Songwriter Natalie Jean Celebrates her Musician Father’s Legacy
First, Natalie and Nat King Cole. Next, Natalie and Guy Robert Jean?
Soulful singer/songwriter Natalie Jean, whose music has earned over 1 million streams on Spotify and who’s spearheading a music revolution for independent artists, has a dream like Natalie Cole had — to one day use technology to sing a duet with her recently departed, beloved father and famous Haitian artist, Guy R. Jean.
In 1992, through the magic of digital technology, songstress Natalie Cole did a virtual duet and performance, with her own deceased father, on the timeless tune “Unforgettable,” which Nat King originally recorded in 1951.
Well, Natalie Jean, who has been expanding her musical repertoire beyond Spiritual, Jazz, Pop, Hip Hop, and Christian music to also include Rap, Country, Dance, and Heavy Metal, has recorded a few songs that her father once did. So, there js potential down the road for some cross-fertilization…like the Coles did.
Natalie Jean was born into a music-oriented family. Her songwriting father recorded over 10 albums, doing mostly ballads, and singing in Creole, French, Spanish, and English. Her aunt Sandra Jean started the first all-female band called “Riske” in Haiti, and her cousin Moses Jean was a well-known music producer.
Consequently, Natalie jokes, “So, I guess it does run in the family, and explains my passion for my art and music.”
Indeed, that passion fuels this indie artist’s drive to knock down doors to decision-makers and onto radio airplay lists.
Raising what seems like a battle cry, she proclaims, “We independent artists need to start a revolution — we got to bust our way in. We got to stand up for our authenticity. Our music has to be seen and heard for what it is — we can’t just be doing crazy stuff on Social Media just to be taken notice of.”
Indeed, peeps are taking notice of Natalie including her recent and defiant song, “Blocked” with its hip social media message with lyrics like — “I hope you’re not shocked but you just got blocked” — is rising up the view charts, already gaining 1,000,000 views on Instagram, and 100,000 views on TikTok.
And it all started back at home in Washington, DC with her explaining, “My father used to sing to me all the time when I was little. He would sing the Haitian anthem to get me out of bed, so I could get ready to go to school. He would often sing some of the songs he wrote to me. Little did I know at the time that I would one day cover those songs on my album. One song I covered in French, ‘C’est Toi et Moi,’ earned me a Best Dance/European award, and was also listed in the top 10 in the Australian Songwriting Contest.”
Guy Robert, who recently and sadly passed, would be smiling at his daughter’s ongoing success, as Natalie continues her story: “There is another song in particular called ‘Nostalgie.’ I swore when I was older that I would sing that very song, and I did, and he loved my version of it. My father had a strong work ethic and music was his passion. My first performance was with my father, I had the honor of having played the guitar while I sang, ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’. It’s a memory that I’ll always treasure. Before he passed, he had hoped that we could have done a duet…but alas that never came to pass. But with technology these days, anything is possible, right?”
Yes, indeed.
Natalje Jean, who released her first CD “Obsession” in 2013, is now spearheading her aforementioned indie artist revolution by offering insights and advice picked up from the frontlines of the music business.
•Do be authentic — to thine own self be true, wrote Shakespeare
•Do love your own music — don’t let anyone ever change you
•Do sing from your soul — the energy that you put in, is what you will get back.
•Do be fearless — the music biz is tough
•Do sing about social issues — it’s okay to be real and to sing about issues like trolls and then blocking them on Social Media
•Do make sure you’re on major social platforms — creating original, unique but authentic content
Additionally, she makes an observation about the industry, suggesting, “It’s a lot harder to be in the entertainment business. Nowadays, a lot of labels look at your social media presence, before they will listen to your music. You have people becoming artists, not even having the ability to write, perform, or sing. But because they have the numbers, people will look at them first and this is just sad. So, for the true and authentic artist, I think that persistence is the key. When they don’t want to see you, you have to make them see you. So, don’t ever give up. Follow your dreams until the very end.”
That’s something that Natalie’s father, Guy Robert, would be proud of. To which she would respond, “Rest in Peace, Pops.”
Drop in on Natalie Jean’s website, and on her pages for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok. Read “Meet Natalie Jean,” and “Sound Advice” on BBN Times. Listen to Natalie’s awesome cover of her father’s Nostalgie, and her music on Spotify. Also, listen to Guy Robert Jean’s music.
