Natik is an urban/pop artist originally from Cleveland, Ohio, but just recently moved to Nashville, TN to pursue his dreams of being a pop music icon. A multi-talented musical powerhouse, Natik produces, writes lyrics, and sings on every one of his songs to date. Natik’s blend of crisp harmonies and smoky, smooth verses carry his listeners on a trip through his stories. Natik was introduced to music at 6 years old with classical piano. He began his solo career in his sophomore year of high school under his actual name, Nathan Kim. Through his new moniker, Natik’s music began to shift towards a pop style with an electric undertone, incorporating elements of funk and jazz that he grew up around. Teaming up with hip-hop and rap artist Nemesis Andrew, the two collaborated to drop “Famous”. Nemesis Andrew is originally from the Washington, D.C area, but recently moved out to the heart of Nashville to further expand his musical endeavors. As a talented rap artist, he prides himself on his lyrical ability to tell a story and that has never been more evident than within “Famous”.
Natik’s vocals, as always, have a really attractive tone to them, to the point where it’s genuinely disappointing when the track comes to an end. Together, Natik and Nemesis Andrew’s melodies are consistently interesting and, behind the satisfying and contemporary production chops, is a very traditional arrangement of verses, hooks, and a more broken-down bridge section. There are also plenty of little vocal ad-libs, sometimes cut up and repeated for maximum catchiness. “Famous” hits so many sweet spots during its run time, it’s genuinely difficult not to keep hitting repeat as a reviewer. This makes me think real attention has been paid to the arrangement, there’s never a dull moment. From Natik’s smooth vocals to Nemesis Andrew’s hip-hop verse and right up to the end, new colors are used to draw us in sonically.
Check out “Famous” here and read more in our exclusive interview below!
Welcome back to BuzzMusic Natik! You give off a really confident aura through your music! Is this a skill you've developed over time or has it come naturally to you?
Happy to be here! It certainly feels like it comes naturally, however, I don’t believe that anyone is born with it. I definitely have my friends and family to blame since they’ve been so supportive of me throughout the years. Growing up (and even now), I’ve had a strong community that nurtured my confidence and talent. This is definitely the foundation of why I project confidence through my music. But at the moment, it’s easy to be confident when you’re believing what you’re saying. Being true to yourself and others is the key to having a confident aura in all facets of life.
“Famous” hit us to our very core with your vocal performance. Do you find it comes effortlessly to fill your voice with such passion?
It takes a lot of focus and tedious polishing for me to get the take that I want. That being said, each take is honest. To sing what’s on my mind, I have to be in touch with my emotions and what I want my listeners to feel. Over time, I’ve learned to do this naturally. It’s not really something I think about since I’m focusing on so many elements of my vocal performance.
Do you feel that your music is an accurate depiction of your life? Do you feel ultimately connected to your listeners through your music?
My music certainly reflects aspects of my life. Stories, experiences, phases, etc. These are all topics that I like to cover and share with my audience so they can understand who I am, relate to my experience, and connect to my words. With my production, vocals, lyrics, and instrumentation, I like to create a cohesive project that more importantly reflects my personality. I’m a huge believer in the importance of kindness and how that affects the people around us. I try to practice this kind of character every day in my life, because making others happy feels pretty damn good. I like to create fun songs that make people move and want to sing along. My lyrics are meant to inspire action, but the music itself is meant to inspire emotion. As far as I know, I've inspired both of those things in my listeners and I couldn't feel more connected with them.
How did the collaboration with Nemesis Andrew come about!?
Nemesis Andrew and I met on the first day of college at Belmont University and have been close friends throughout the years. The first night we hung out I quickly learned how talented he was. Somewhere throughout the night, I proposed we have a rap battle. Let’s just say I lost. I was astounded by his ability to freestyle. If you ever see him, ask him to do it for you and he’ll blow your mind. Ever since we’ve made plenty of music together, but wanted to wait for the right one to debut our collaboration together.
Thanks for taking the time to chat with us! What’s next for you artistically? Does your creativity manifest itself in other ways?
Thanks for having me! I’ve got a project in the works that should be coming in the next couple of months. It’ll include “Famous” and the last single “F.Y.L.T.”. In addition to that, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some amazing and talented artists/writers in Nashville. I’m very excited to be a part of some wonderful projects that you’ll be able to hear soon :)