Ultra Naté
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Ultra Naté (born November 2, 1968 in Havre de Grace, Maryland) is a popular American house music and sometimes Dance-pop musician who has achieved a respectable amount of success on the dance charts with singles such as "Is It Love," "Scandal," "How Long" and many more.
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[edit] Biography
Born in Havre de Grace, near Baltimore, Maryland)as Ultra Naté Wyche, Ultra Nate displayed her singing talent at an early age. She is best known in her home country for her classic 1990s dance crossover smash, "Free". She is also remembered in America for her team-up with Amber and Jocelyn Enriquez as Stars on 54 on a 1998 cover of "If You Could Read My Mind", which was also a mainstream American hit. It reached #52 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #3 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Though she has had club success in America, she has found the majority of her singles and, especially, album sales success in Europe.
Ultra Naté is noted for taking the opposite path to that which most musicians take. She began her recording career on a major label, Warner Brothers. Through them, the artist released her first two albums. Her debut album, the house classic 'Blue Notes in the Basement' (1991) was created along with the Basement Boys and it featured the singles "It's Over Now," "Deeper Love (Missing You)," "Is It Love," and the gospel-tinged "Rejoicing."
In 1993 the alternative dance/house 'One Woman's Insanity' was released to much critical praise and recognition by the dance community. Although it still featured the Basement Boys' production on several tracks, this time Ultra found herlself working with the likes of Nellee Hooper, and D-Influence. At a time when soulful house performers like Robin S and Crystal Waters were scoring cross-over top ten singles, it was believed that Ultra Naté would score a similar level of commercial success. Mainstream sales however were not achieved. Still, the performer's diva status was cemented by dance-floor classics like "How Long," "Show Me" (her first song to reach the top position on the U.S. Dance charts) and "Joy."
In 1995, Ultra Naté contributed the song "Party Girl (Turn Me Loose)" to the soundtrack to the similarly titled independent film starring Parker Posey. The single was commercially released by the King Street Sounds label and has become a hard to find collectors' item.
When Warner Brothers tried to push her in a more R&B, less house, direction, Ultra Naté left the major label and fled to the independent dance label, Strictly Rhythm. It was here that "Free", her biggest mainstream hit in America, was released in 1997. The song enjoyed heavy airplay throughout the rest of the millennium, not only in clubs, but on rhythmic and mainstream radio stations across the country. The song peaked at #75 on the Hot 100. It became a substantial hit in the UK, where it peaked at number four, helping its parent album 'Situation: Critical' reach number seventeen on the album charts.
It was with this album that Ultra Naté's greatest commercial success was achieved, particularly in Europe, where singles such as "Found A Cure" (#6 in the UK), and "New Kind of Medicine" (#14 UK) became immediate dance classics.
In 1998, a new single "Pressure" was released internationally. Taken from the soundtrack to the film 'The 24 Hour Woman', it contained three club mixes. The original, funkier version of the track was found on 'Situation: Critical" but listed as "Release The Pressure."
Her follow-up album 'Stranger Than Fiction,' which was released in 2001, featured the production work of respected artists such as Attica Blues, 4 Hero, and Mood II Swing. Four singles were released: "Desire," "Get It Up (The Feeling)," "Twisted," and "I Don't Understand It." By this point, Ultra Naté's level of mainstream chart success had diminished, with only "Desire" making it to the UK's Top 40.
More recently, Ultra contributed the song "Wonderful Place" to the AIDS benefit compilation 'Keep Hope Alive: A Lifebeat Benefit Compilation.' Additionally, in 2004, she released the singles "Feel Love," "Brass In Pocket," "Time Of Our Lives" (released as Ultra Devoted Featuring Ultra Nate & Gerry DeVeaux), and a new version of "Free" that features twelve new mixes. In 2005, she collaborated with respected DJ Gaudino and released the single "Bitter Sweet Melody". Later in the same year she found herself again on the charts, when her featured vocals on the Stonebridge single "Freak On" became a successful dance hit. She also performed on the British show Hit Me Baby One More Time.
Ultra is continuing to put the finishing touches on her forthcoming album 'Grime, Silk, and Thunder' which is due out in the Fall of 2006 via Tommy Boy Records. The first single to be featured is "Love's the Only Drug," which has become available through iTunes as of 08 August, 2006 and is currently climbing the American dance/club play charts.
[edit] Chart Performance
- 2006 Love's The Only Drug Hot Dance Music/Club Play 2
- 2004 Free (Oscar G./Trendriod/J. Sanchez/Corbett & Troia Mixes) Hot Dance Music/Club Play 23
- 2002 I Don't Understand It Hot Dance Music/Club Play 25
- 2001 Get It Up (The Feeling) Hot Dance Music/Club Play 1
- 2000 Desire Hot Dance Music/Club Play 1
- 1999 Pressure Hot Dance Music/Club Play 3
- 1998 Found A Cure Hot Dance Music/Club Play 1
- 1998 New Kind Of Medicine Hot Dance Music/Club Play 28
- 1997 Free Hot Dance Music/Club Play 1
- 1997 Free The Billboard Hot 100 75
- 1995 Party Girl (Turn Me Loose) Hot Dance Music/Club Play 6
- 1994 How Long Hot Dance Music/Club Play 2
- 1994 Show Me Hot Dance Music/Club Play 1
- 1993 Joy Hot Dance Music/Club Play 2
- 1992 Rejoicing(I ll Never Forget) Hot Dance Music/Club Play 7
- 1991 Is It Love? Hot Dance Music/Club Play 45
Ultra Naté has amassed five #1 hits on the Billboard club charts, between 1994 and 2001. They are as follows:
- "Show Me" (1994)
- "Free" (1997)
- "Found a Cure" (1998)
- "Desire" (2000)
- "Get It Up (The Feeling)" (2001)
[edit] Albums
- Blue Notes in the Basement
- One Woman's Insanity
- Situation: Critical
- Stranger Than Fiction
