WORLD MUSIC ACT
Natacha Atlas
Since Winning the EMMA Award
Natacha Atlas is a Belgian-Egyptian Singer who went on to collaborate with American singer Belinda Carlisle on Carlisle’s seventh album Voilà, which was released in February 2007. Natacha contributed additional vocals on songs such as “La Vie en rose”, “Bonnie et Clyde” and “Des ronds dans l’eau.” The 2007 film Brick Lane features four songs with vocals by Atlas: “Adam’s Lullaby,” “Running Through the Night,” “Love Blossoms,” and “Rite of Passage.”
On 23rd May 2008, Natacha released her next album, Ana Hina, which was well received by critics. In the same year, two of her songs, “Kidda” and “Ghanwa Bossanova,” were used in Shamim Sarif’s romantic comedy I Can’t Think Straight. In September 2010, Natacha released the album Mounqaliba, which explored classical instrumentation, jazz, and traditional Arabic styles. It was inspired by the poems of Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore and co-produced by Samy Bishai.
In May 2013, Natacha released Expressions: Live in Toulouse, an album showcasing her voice using largely orchestral arrangements augmented by Middle Eastern percussion. Natacha moved into the jazz genre with her 2015 album Myriad Road, which was produced by French Lebanese musician Ibrahim Maalouf, and 2019’s Strange Days.
Background (Before 2004)
Natacha Atlas is known for her fusion of Arabic and Western music. She once described her music as “chaabi moderne” (modern folk music). Born in Schaerbeek, Brussels-Capital, Belgium, Natacha’s father is of Egyptian descent and is deeply interested in Sufi mysticism and the Gurdjieff philosophy of the Fourth Way. Natacha’s mother is British and was raised as a Christian before adopting Buddhism in the 1970s. At age 24, Natacha returned to Belgium and began her career with two jobs, belly dancing and being the lead singer of a Belgian salsa band. In April 1989, Natacha made her recording debut as a guest vocalist on Balearic beat-band ¡Loca!’s “Encantador” (Nation Records).
In 1991, Natacha co-wrote and recorded the ¡Loca! single “Timbal.” Through recording with ¡Loca!, she met Nation-labelmates Transglobal Underground, a British ethnic electronica band with a Middle Eastern/South Asian focus. At the time, they had a top 40 hit, “Templehead,” and Atlas became their lead singer and belly dancer. That same year, she collaborated with Bauhaus/Love and Rockets/Tones on Tail guitarist and vocalist Daniel Ash on his debut solo album Coming Down. Natacha also contributed extensive vocals and worked on keyboards and bass guitar. Most of Natacha’s earlier albums, including Diaspora, Halim, Gedida, and Ayeshteni, were produced by Tim Whelan and Hamilton Lee from Transglobal Underground. In 2001, Mary Robinson appointed Natacha as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Conference Against Racism.
