Ask her where she comes from and Nattalie Rize will tell you ‘all directions’. In line with her philosophy, she claims not to belong to any nation-state but to the ever-evolving community of conscious thinkers and creators anywhere and everywhere. Of mixed global heritage, with dominant Native American and Samoan roots, Nattali Rize has been known around the world for her work fronting epic roots band Blue King Brown as well as for her unwavering commitment to using her voice and music for the global struggle toward the realisation of full freedom and the movement of truth and justice over the systemic exploitation of the people and the planet.
Most recently Nattali collaborated with Julian Marley, son of the late great Bob Marley, on new deep reggae track, Natty Rides Again.
How did the collaboration with Julian Marley come about?
This collaboration came about through a mixture of our tour history together and the right time, right vibe situation.
We had done some shows together in Australia and happened to both be spending time in Kingston, Jamaica.
Julian was there doing some recording for his forthcoming album and I was there working on a couple of projects
including my Nattali Rize solo project. I put out the word that I wanted to do a collaboration with him, so we went around to 56 Hope Rd, which is Bob’s house, now the Bob Marley Museum, and we played him two riddims (instrumental tracks) that Carlo had written. We vibed and he liked the riddim, which is now Natty Rides Again.
How did you two connect musically?
Musically our connection was natural. Partly because we had toured and hung out together before then, so it was instantly a cruisy atmosphere.
Once we were in the studio together with the music playing it was very easy working together.
I have been a huge fan of Bob Marley since I was a kid, and working with Julian was a great experience. He’s an easygoing super-talented artist and I’m excited to be able to share this collaboration with the world.
As a side note, we actually went around to Bob’s house to take a couple of photos for the single cover shot, but what ended up happening was we filmed at least half of the footage for our video right then and there spontaneously; that’s one of the things I love about Julian and Jamaican artists – anything can happen and ‘now’ is always the right time to vibe, create and be inspired to create.
The music video turns out to be the most viewed video on European reggae community Reggaeville for 2016 so far, and is doing well in Europe and America. I thank Rebel Creative (Carlo Santone) and Jamaican film crew Samo Kush-I and El Puru for bringing together all the right elements for a unique and first of its kind.
Tell me about recording Natty Rides Again.
The night after we agreed on the riddim we were to use, we went into Tuff Gong Studios and put the track through the speakers. Very quickly Julian and I were inspired and started writing our parts on the spot together. We went into the live room, recorded our vocals, came back into the mix room, had a listen, added a couple little bits, and it was done.
Do you feel like Jamacia is home?
Yes definitely, Jamaica is one of my homes, as is Byron Shire, as is Cairns lately. Most importantly my home is where I stand and wherever the arms of the people that support, love and enliven The Music and The Mission are.
Home is not a physical or geographical place, it’s a feeling inside me that is reflected in my friends, my family, my fans and my mindset.
What are the guiding philosophies that shape your work and world vision?
Now is the time to not only embrace change but to manifest it. Inner transformation – as we can now clearly see that the real revolution is the evolution of consciousness. My words, my work, my present and future purpose is to quite simply be one of the many voices and frequency creators, evolving and using art (in my world sweet music and music culture), to help amplify and perpetuate the existing shift in consciousness toward higher vibration and a new teality, towards truth, full freedom, remembering, justice and real unity among all in these times, including our plants, animals, waters and skies… we are all connected and our web of energies can and will be used to not only bring down the current world system of deception but to also make it obsolete by simply creating new systems that actually work for the people and the planet. This is already happening in a number of places around the world. Babylon is falling, yes, but what’s more exciting is consciousness and humanity is Rizing!
What’s in store for your Mullum Civic Hall show?
Full-power frequency fyah! This new show is as tough and energetic as you might expect from me, but also I feel more and more like I am tuning in deeper to myself and my ability to express that not just more efficiently through my lyrics but also through our stage show, especially when I’m backed by a kick-arse band, which of course is a must with every one of my projects.
What is certain is that the energy in the area at any of my hometown shows is always electric and memorable! This is an ALL AGES show, because we like to Rize Together.
Friday at The Civic Hall, Mullumbimby, 7.30pm. Tickets & info: www.nattalirize.com. Physical tix: Mullum Book Shop, (kids under 13 free).
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