The primary motivation behind the POPE (People Of Positive Energy) project with Natalie La Rose is to spread positive energy all across the globe, which is needed now more than ever before in these trying times. Natalie La Rose (real name) is an Amsterdam-raised and Los Angeles-based award-winning Dutch/Surinamese singer, songwriter and DJ. She exploded onto the international music scene with her hit single “Somebody”, feat. Jeremih. The song impacted the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching multi-Platinum status and generating over 500 million streams on Spotify and YouTube alone. Natalie’s follow-up single, “Around The World” (feat. Fetty Wap), earned her a nomination as MTV’s “Best Push Act” and further exemplified her unique diversity and worldwide reach.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Hello Natalie La Rose. What made you want to become a musician?
I’ve known from a very young age that I wanted to do music. It started with me always wanting to perform in the backyard for all our family and house guests at home at the age of 7, to sitting behind my piano and starting to write songs more seriously as a teenager. I was always inspired by the musicians that shaped me as a little girl like Destiny’s Child, Michael & Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and so on. I wanted to be like them and make people feel like those artists made me feel with their music and talents.
Who helped you most in your musical journey?
I think my biggest support have always been my parents. Without their encouragement and them giving me the freedom to dream big, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Even with them pushing me to keep doing piano lessons when I didn’t feel like it anymore, made a huge difference. I’m forever thankful for that.
Your latest release is 'Can't Get You Out Of My Bed'. Can you share with us the background of its creation and did any unusual things happen during its creation?
It was such a fun process creating this song and a cool collaboration between Europe and the US. The producer Lukas Loules who is also part of POPE (People Of Positive Energy), is from Germany. My co-writers are from the US and I’m from Amsterdam. I love that all these different influences and flavors that we brought to the table came together and that we collectively turned it into a sexy rhythmic pop song.
What social issues are you most passionate about?
I think one of the issues that we are confronted with more and more on a daily basis is racial injustice. I’m glad that with the presence of social media we can increasingly shine a light on the severity of the issue. But at the same time it’s also extremely disturbing that videos of unfair treatment based on race are circling around and have to be used as an example to show that we need change.
How do you stay up-to-date with the latest musical trends?
Aside from being an artist I’m also a DJ. So I actually research on a daily what the newest hottest songs out there are with help from the streaming services, Instagram and TikTok. But when I DJ I mainly play the music that I really love myself and not necessarily what the trends dictate.
Is there a hidden meaning in any of your music?
A lot of my breakup and love songs are about real relationships that I’ve been in. I guess the part that’s hidden about it, is even though I’m a private person, most of the stories in my songs are based on real experiences.
What’s an average day like for you?
Well first and foremost I’m a mom… a mom of 2 adorable French bulldogs! They require a lot of love and attention, so big part of my days go out to them. I also make sure that I do some type of workout everyday. And I either write or record music or update my DJ set list and practice my skills on the turntables on a daily.
Please discuss how you interact with and respond to fans.
I love interacting with my followers and fans. I usually try to reply in the comments section on my social media and answer dm’s as much as I can. I never shy away from a conversation, even when my followers express to me that they don’t like a song. I always love to hear why. Even though I can’t please everybody all the time, I definitely care about how my fans feel!
What advice would you have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Don’t be afraid to put out content, footage or music! A big hurdle for me has always been to wait for the perfect moment to release something. But guess what, there is no perfect moment. There’s no better moment than now, and we’ll never get the time back that we spend waiting.
What are your plans for the future?
My plans for the future are to release a lot more music and to perform more. I’m really enjoying the creative space that I’m in at the moment, so I’m having a lot of fun with writing music and collaborating with different musicians and artists!