Her name is: Natalise

Her bag is: Pop/Electro/Hip Hop

She sounds like: Gwen Stefani, Berlin, Aqua. (Yes, Aqua, remember them?)

Download these songs: China Doll, China Doll ElectroHouse Mix, Lemonade, Love Drunk Bells

“If you want a shot at my fortune cookie, you’d better act a little less like a rookie,” Natalise purrs on her song China Doll, which pokes fun at Asian stereotypes and sound bites like the famous “me love you long time” line from Full Metal Jacket. Having watched the video for China Doll, we can tell you that a fortune cookie has never looked so, um, sexual.

There’s a lot more to Natalise than meets the eye, and it didn’t take long for Savvy to recognise this girl’s intelligence and business, um, savvy. She’s smart enough to know that being dead sexy makes for marketing gold, even if it isn’t a calculated sexuality. For comic relief she offers up her alter ego Elleee Tan, who is decidedly more funny than sexy.

Savvy caught up with Natalise for a chat…

Savvy: For those too lazy to listen, describe the single you’re handing out copies of here in Miami.

Natalise: I don’t like to categorise myself because it doesn’t fit to a T, but some people have compared my music to Gwen Stefani and Avril Lavigne.

Savvy: It’s catchy. You’re not actually from China, right?

Natalise: I’m originally from San Francisco, but I’ve been in LA for about a year. I released two albums independently in San Francisco, Forever Now and I Came to Play. I’ve grown artistically since moving to LA because there’s so much going on that it forces you to put yourself in that zone.

Savvy: You have a new album that you’re promoting here in Miami, right?

Natalise: My third album isn’t out yet, but this single China Doll is a preview of it. This new project is very pop, edgy, and out of the box. To give you a better mental picture of the sound, when I was writing and recording all of the music for it, I locked myself in a room and continually listened to Prince, Madonna, Queen, and Blondie - just kind of funky, raw, and in your face.

Savvy: We can hear those influences in China Doll, which has nothing to do with the David Bowie's China Girl. How is your tribute to Chinese girls different, other than having a lighter, more fun tone?

Natalise: I grew up with the background of singing opera, but I love pop music, so I have a lot of vocals in the back that are really operatic in the pop version. What can I say? I’m a fan of Freddie Mercury.

Savvy: Opera? Really?

Natalise: I started piano lessons at age three and sang in the church choir. I studied opera at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and performed in operas and musical theater starting when I was twelve. I think it gave me a very broad based education of music. When I first got into it, I thought, ‘This is just so weird’, but I just went with it. Doing that gave me a wide feel for music in general because from then on I was way more open.

Savvy: What made you want to be a professional musician? Are you a financial masochist?

Natalise: (Laughs) Financial masochist, huh? Yes I suppose I am somewhat of a masochist. Let’s just say I get off on conquering challenges. The truth is - I’ve always just loved music and writing. It moves me. I felt like I wanted to be a part of it. There’s nothing else I want to do.

Savvy: What are you most proud of so far?

Natalise: After my first album, I started my own label called Stars823 Records. That was a difficult task at the time. I was 19. I wanted to do my own thing. I wanted to do things the way that I wanted to do them. If I wanted to record today, I wanted to be able to control that. It propelled my growth, which led me to move to LA. I’m proud that I started my own successful independent record label and had a hit song played on San Francisco’s Wild 94.9. Now I am a partner in a new indie label called Triple Play Records, on which my next album will be released.

Savvy: There are so many musicians competing for airplay. How do you rise above the crowd and get noticed?

Natalise: On the surface level, I think I stick out because I’m Asian. There’s not many of us.

(Laughs)

Natalise: I try to be not only an artist, but someone who understands the business. I graduated from Stanford in three years with high honours. I studied journalism. So I can read and write. That’s important.

Savvy: This is true, literacy should not be underestimated or I would be out of a job.

(Laughs)

Natalise: Yes of course! But to answer your question, I stand out because I offer something as an artist that many can’t – I have opinions and I’m bold; I stand for something that is real and fresh, but I still know how to have fun and laugh about things. Love me or hate me, you will remember me and know where I stand.

Savvy: What inspires your songwriting?

Natalise: It really stems from my personal life, things I think about or see. It’s hard for me to write about things I haven’t experienced. If someone tells me to write something, I just go blank, but if I am going through something, I can write a song in 15 minutes.

Savvy: So... you just need some guy to treat you badly so you can write songs like Lemonade where you find out on the Internet that your boyfriend cheats.

(Laughs)

Natalise: Yeah, exaaaaaaactly.

Savvy: You’re very stylish. Just wondering how much of this is you and how much is a stylist telling you what to wear?

Natalise: The couple of times my previous managers or a photographer have gotten a stylist for me, I’ve been totally at odds -- but not in a bad way. They say, “This would look great on you” and I’ll say, “But I would never wear that.” Like the shirt I’m wearing now. It’s a big t-shirt and I cut it. I like to put things together because I know my tastes, what looks good on me and what I like.

Savvy: Do you dress like this when you go buy groceries then?

Natalise: Definitely. It’s more fun that way.

Savvy: We always hear the funniest stories in these articles. What’s your touring tale that you share with friends?

Natalise: The second time I performed at a club, I was sick so I had a cough drop in my mouth. The announcer called my name and my dancers and I were so rushed to get on stage, then I realised when I was about to sing this song that I still had the cough drop in my mouth. So we’re facing away from the audience and we turn around. I reach into my mouth and try to flick it to the back of the stage before I turn around, but cough drops are kind of sticky. It wouldn’t come off. For the first verse, I was singing and dancing, trying to flick off this cough drop that’s sticking to my right hand. I have no idea where that cough drop eventually landed.

Savvy: One of your fans is probably reading this and thinking, “That’s where that cough drop in my hair came from!”

(Laughs)

Savvy: Are you big enough yet that your fans go out of their way to catch your live act?

Natalise: I have fans who are really, really dedicated and take the bus from San Francisco to LA to see me perform. They’re like 15-20…young and adventurous. That’s cool they do that. It’s awesome.

Savvy: Wrapping this up, is there anything you want to make sure and get across?

Natalise: I definitely want to promote my video. The new album will be released in the next couple of months. And I want everyone to join me on my new site NATALISE at Natalise.ning.com

Savvy: Thanks for your time and best of luck.

_______

On the Web:

http://www.myspace.com/natalise

http://www.youtube.com/natalisetv

http://www.natalise.ning.com