| 31st | Top Belgians |
| Natacha Atlas | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | March 20, 1964 |
| Origin | Brussels, Belgium |
| Genres | World music, Arabesque music, Ethnic electronica |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | Nation Records (1993–1997), Mantra Records (1998–2006), Harmonia Mundi (2008–present) |
| Associated acts | Mandanga, Transglobal Underground, Jah Wobble |
Natacha Atlas (Arabic: نتاشا أطلس; born March 20, 1964) is a Belgian singer of Moroccan Jewish, English and Egyptian origin, known for her fusion of Arabic and Western electronic music, particularly hip-hop. She once termed her music "cha'abi moderne" (modern popular music). Her music has been influenced by many styles including Arabesque music, drum 'n' bass and reggae.
Contents |
Natasha Atlas was born in Belgium She immersed herself in Arabic culture, and learning from childhood the raqs sharqi – belly dance – techniques that she uses on stage today.
Atlas grew up in Laken, a part of Brussels, Belgium. After her parents separated, Atlas went to live in Northampton, England with her mother.[1]
Atlas returned to Belgium at age twenty four and began her career with two jobs as a belly dancer and the lead singer of a Belgian salsa band. In 1991, she recorded the track "Timbal" with Balearic Beat on the album ¡Loca!. Atlas also worked with Jah Wobble composing five tracks for the LP Rising above Bedlam. Through the recording of ¡Loca!, Atlas met British labelmates Transglobal Underground (TGU), who at the time had a Top 40 hit, "Templehead." She became the lead singer and belly dancer for the group, which focused on mixing Eastern and Western sounds as well as other styles.
Most of Atlas' albums have been produced by TGU. She continues to focus on her Middle Eastern roots, as the titles of her albums imply: Diaspora (1995), Halim (1997) (in honour of Egyptian singer Abdel Halim Hafez), Gedida (1998) and Ayeshteni (2001).
In 1999, Atlas collaborated with David Arnold on the song "One Brief Moment." The single featured a cover version of the James Bond theme song from the film You Only Live Twice. Two years earlier, Atlas had collaborated with Arnold on the album Shaken and Stirred, recording the song "From Russia with Love" for the eponymous film (originally performed by Matt Monro).
2000 saw her collaborate with Jean Michel Jarre for the track "C'est La Vie" on his album Metamorphoses. The track was released as a single.
Due to her French-language tracks, Atlas is now quite popular in France. In the U.K., on the other hand, she has not experienced the same amount of success. Atlas hoped that this will change with her version of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put A Spell On You".[citation needed] She is not very happy about the way her music is perceived in the UK: "Someone from the NME rang us about a feature we're to do with them and said 'We don't want it to be about the multi-cultural angle'. In other words that fad is over. And I'm personally insulted... what other... angle is there for us? I get sick of it all."[citation needed]
In 2005, Atlas contributed the song "Just Like A Dream" (from Something Dangerous) to the charity album Voyces United for UNHCR.
Her music has been used in a number of soundtracks. Her song "Kidda" was featured in the 2005 video game Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories on Radio del Mundo. Additionally, her song "Bathaddak" is one of the songs included in the 2007 Xbox 360 exclusive video game Project Gotham Racing 4.
Atlas was originally billed to star in and provide the soundtrack to the film Whatever Lola Wants, directed by Nabil Ayouch. However, shooting delays caused Atlas to only be involved in the film's soundtrack. Her song "Gafsa" (Halim, 1997) was used as the main soundtrack during the Korean film Bin-Jip (also known as 3-Iron) (2004) by Kim Ki-Duk. She participated in the piece "Light of Life (Ibelin Reprise)" for the soundtrack of Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven.
In 2007, Atlas collaborated with Belinda Carlisle for Belinda's seventh album Voila. She contributed additional vocals on songs "Ma Jeunesse Fout Le Camp," "La Vie En Rose", "Bonnie et Clyde" and "Des Ronds Dans L'Eau." Voila was released via Rykodisc in the U.K. on 5 February 2007 and in the U.S. the following day.
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 May 23, 2008 Atlas released a new album, Ana Hina.[2] In 2008, two of Atlas' songs, "Kidda" and "Ghanwa Bossanova", were used in Shamim Sarif's romantic comedy about two women, I Can't Think Straight
Atlas is currently finishing her new album, co-produced by Samy Bishai which will again explore the more classical world. It is expected to release in September 2010.
In 1999, Atlas married Syrian kanun player Abdullah Chhadeh.[3] The couple divorced in 2005.[4] Atlas is now in a relationship with British Egyptian violinist Samy Bishai.[5]
Atlas has said in the past that she identifies with Sufism,[4] but says that "these days I prefer to say that I'm Anglo-Middle Eastern and leave the religion out of it."[5] She is, however, open to other forms of spirituality because "it's important to be tolerant".[6]
In 2001, she was appointed by Mary Robinson as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Conference Against Racism.[7] Robinson chose Atlas because "she embodies the message that there is a strength in diversity. That our differences – be they ethnic, racial or religious – are a source of riches to be embraced rather than feared".[8]
Atlas, the lead singer in Transglobal Underground and solo artist, uses her multi-ethnic background when singing lyrics a hybrid of culture and the Arabic world. She personally calls herself a “human Gaza Strip,” reflecting her diverse Judaeo-Islamic background and thoughts relating to the Muslim and Jewish world.[1] For example, her lyrics say “Why are we fighting/When we’re all together/Let’s return to peace/Let’s make peace, we are brothers” (from her song “Laysh Nata’arak”).
In her music, Atlas makes many political statements regarding Islam and Judaism and often takes a middle ground approach advocating for peace and harmony. Moreover, she personally considers herself a Muslim and phrases from the Quran are intertwined in her lyrics. Even her fan website reflects Atlas’s personal identification with Egypt and the Arabic culture.
During an interview with Muslim Wake Up! Online magazine, Atlas talks about her identification with her European and Arabic roots by saying “There will always be two identities living within me: Arabic and European. When I was very young, I tried to ignore the Arabic side, my father’s side, because I saw it as foreign. But something happened in my late teens. I was at a nightclub in Brussels and I heard Arabic music, and I knew then that there was something inside of me that I wanted to go back to. So I ended up going to the other extreme. But as you mature, you realize that you have both inside you. That’s how God made me. These days I dream in two languages, and not a day goes by when I don’t end up using Arabic” [9]
|
||||||||||||||
  | natachaatlas.net - webmail http://webmail.ovh.net |
| | Beggars US - Natacha Atlas - Home | Beggars Group USA |
| | Mantra Recordings - Mantra Recordings - $artist.name |
| | "Sweeter Than Any Sweets" - Page Personnelle natlas |
| | NatachaAtlas.net - webmail http://webmail.ovh.net |
| | "youssefnabil.com" - Youssef Nabil's website |
| | Starfrosch Interview - Interview with Natacha Atlas - Part I | Starfrosch - Free MP3 Download |
| | Natacha Atlas: Official Website - http://www.natachaatlas.com |
|
|
Top topics
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search