The Chi-town R&B/Soul Singer/Songwriter, Vocalist, and Multi-Instrumentalist Natalie Oliveri release her deep and passionate single, "Sunday Love." With performances in Tokyo, Paris, New York, Amsterdam, and London, Natalie Oliveri has shared her blissful and soulful music with vast international audiences. Not to mention sharing the stage with Gloria Estefan, Estelle, and many others, her music career has indeed hit the ground running.
Her latest single, "Sunday Love," allows listeners to drift into a daydream with her melodic and angelic vocals. Natalie Oliveri sets an irresistible tone within this song, primarily through her sultry lyricism and supporting mellow and groovy instrumentals.
"Sunday Love" opens with a dazzling and sparkling sensation through mesmerizing production effects. As Oliveri begins to grace us with her intriguing vocals, she starts telling a story of being submerged within someone's presence and living in the moment. As the track continues, the soulful drum patterns and supporting keys provide the ultimate R&B atmosphere exuding passion and heart. Natalie Oliveri beautifully serenades the listener with her airy vocals, and without hesitation, she swiftly jumps into a stimulating Spanish delivery that adds this intense dynamic aspect to the heavenly track. Ending the song with dreamy R&B instrumentals through mellow basslines, ambient keys, and serene electric guitar, we're completely captivated by the song's entire vibe.
Natalie Oliveri gives listeners this boundless sensation of love and affection with her latest single "Sunday Love," and provides an excellent portrayal of heartfelt emotions through her vivid and descriptive lyricism.
We love the vivid and poetic lyrics you've written for your single, "Sunday Love." What inspired your lyrical message, and why did you want to create such a heartfelt ballad?
To be honest, I was listening back to one of my favorite Mariah Carey albums "Daydream" and came across "Underneath the stars"... it became the engine to my lyrics from that point on. I grew up on Retro Soul music and have been wanting to write a love ballad in that genre for a while! I was thinking about how beautiful it feels when you meet someone and you find something special in them. You want to help them find the best version of themselves and literally spend every day of the week with that person! ha.
Regarding the instrumentals within "Sunday Love," what was your recording process like? Why did you choose to keep the instrumentals so organic and natural, rather than heavy electronic elements?
I worked on this one with my friend Justin DeGuzman ( Deeper Manila Records). He sent me the drum loop idea. I fell in love with the groove and initial 4 bar chord changes. From there I re-structured it, added some keys, and an additional bridge with percussion in the mix ( Spanish part). I then asked some amazing musician friends Marcus Machado ( guitar) and cartoon (bassist/producer) to add some tinges to make it sound more retro and raw. My voice is super chill so I like keeping tracks organic and spacey so that I can work with harmonies and sweet mellow parts. My intention is to make the listener go to a dreamy peaceful state. Smell the flowers, look at the sky, fall in love, etc.... lol.
You took us by surprise within "Sunday Love" when you began singing in fluent Spanish. Do you usually spice up your tracks with a Spanish verse? Have you created songs that are solely in the Spanish language?
Yes! Glad you enjoyed that part. It was my favorite section to arrange/produce. I am half Colombian and grew up playing Colombian percussion instruments. I had a Tambora (Colombian Percussion Cumbia instrument) nearby when I was writing the song and had the inspiration to create the Spanish bridge breakdown with it. So much fun adding a Cumbia rhythm within an R&b groove! Yes! I run a small music catalog company called Melody to Beats. Have written Spanish music in the past. One of my tracks called "Vuela" was actually in a novela on Telemundo! ️. Releasing all of my music in the coming months on "Melody to Beats" ( via Spotify and all digital platforms) I love writing in all genres of music and since I am fluent I write in Spanish any chance I can get.
We've noticed that you've collaborated with many distinguished acts and artists. What's your favorite part of the collaborative process, and could you give our readers some advice regarding what to expect going into a professional collaboration?
Absolutely. I actually enjoy the collaboration process with different producers and musicians rather than solely writing from scratch which I used to do for a living. Topline writing has been so fulfilling over the last 8 years. I've been asked to be a featured vocalist and hook writer on some really cool projects and albums alongside some of my favorite producers and artists including Talib Kweli, Georgia Muldrow, FKA Jazz, Eneeks, Gloria Estefan, Casey Benjamin, Freddie Joachim, Onra and the list goes on! Its all been word of mouth and just getting good feedback from other music colleagues that I admire and grow with. Being professional, knowing your worth and humbleness is key. As far as advice, I try to be as clear as possible with communication and understanding of the track or project we are on. Also being appreciative of other people's time and talent. Bpm, references, sending stems accordingly, and being on top of things with deadlines. Respecting each other and compensating when you know someone is spending a good amount of time on a project and vice versa. It absolutely is a living for me but if the music is really good and I believe in the project when there is no compensation, I am open to collaborating as long as we split writer percentages accordingly. As a songwriter its important to have an understanding of production and recording tools, plugins, song structures, themes. Initially, it also comes down to experience and learning from previous mistakes. It makes you better as you go.
What has been keeping you inspired in 2020?
MUSIC. What a gift it is to the world. Especially during this time. It's similar to reading a book where you can sometimes escape to another place or memory whenever you want. I hear a Colombian track and I pretend I'm in the streets of Medellin. I hear "Square Biz" by Teena Marie and I go back to being in New York on a Friday night Soul in The Horn Event (Shout out to Natasha Diggs and Dj Prosper for running the best dance nights in NYC!). I hear "Ribbon in The Sky" Stevie Wonder and it takes me to a time when I fell in love with music as a child and when I had my first crush. 2020 has been eye-opening, raw, and real. I think as humans, we have been accustomed to having distractions in our lives. This year we have been able to look at ourselves in the mirror and realize that we could do so much more and do better for the world and for each other. We've had to sit with our reality like never before and I think in a strange way it has been a blessing to some. At least in the sense of being and doing better. It has allowed me to prioritize, be grateful for what I do have, and value family and friendships in a more profound way. I have become more inspired in that sense and don't take things for granted as I used to. It has given me time to write more music and practice gratitude like never before.