Na'sha
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| Na'Sha | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Natasha Watkins |
| Born | 1982 |
| Origin | Columbus, Ohio |
| Genre(s) | R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Label(s) | Ratti Records(2001–2003) Pure Records (2003–present) |
| Website | Na-Sha.com |
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Natasha Watkins a.k.a. Na'sha is an American R&B singer and songwriter. Born in 1982, she was raised in Columbus (Ohio), surrounded by a family of singers dancers and actors. She began writing poetry at 5 and discovered she had a powerful voice at 7.
Na'sha's notoriety began to spread, while attending Beechcroft High School in Columbus. She competed in a multitude of talent shows, placing first in nearly each one. Na'Sha became a local celebrity in the Columbus area, doing special guest spots for acts like Genuine, Gerald Levert, KC & JoJo and Bizzy Bone.
Her local manager, Oliver Rattliff, from Columbus' indie label Ratti Records, made Na'Sha recording her demo in Dayton (Ohio) at Titanium Music Productions. Her writing and recording sessions with producer Darren Noble resulted in a full demo, including straight R&B tracks "Crossover", "No Good", "Take My Breath", "Vengeance", "Hold You Down", "More Than A Million" and "Guess I Shoulda".
The demo caught the attention of A&R from major labels such as Arista, Epic or Elektra, but nothing really popped until her demo landed on the desk of an exec at Miami's label Pure Records. Na'Sha was signed to Pure Records in October 2003. She spent the following months recording her debut album, "My Story", with an array of hitmakers such as Scott Storch (Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Terror Squad), James Poyser (Common, Jill Scott, Leela James), Cool & Dre, Sting International (Shaggy), and Columbus-based R&G, with whom she's been recording since she was 16.
She had a brief experience at Interscope Records but things didn't just happen, so Pure Records looked instead for a distribution deal with major-label imprint Sony Red. This deal benefited NaSha's album release, hitting both States and Europe on September 2005.
Na'sha has also benefited from an association with Shaggy. After singing on one of his tracks, he returned the favor by contributing to "What U Waitin' For" on "My Story" and taking her with him on tour in England.
Na'sha's debut single "Fire", a track produced by Shaggy's team, garnered spins not only on local radio but also in most major markets across the United States and Europe. The following single "More Than A Million" had the help of Jay-Z on the remix. Na'sha's "My Story" quickly became a top independent album.
In 2006, "Ultimatum", Na'sha's collaboration to Shaggy's album, has been picked up as his new international release. The video for the single is Na'sha's first video. Still in 2006, Na'sha was featured on Petey Pablo's warm-up single "Give It Up", produced by Lil' Jon.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- 2005 - My Story
[edit] Singles
- 2005 - Fire
- 2005 - More Than A Million (ft. Jay-Z)
- 2006 - Ultimatum [Shaggy feat. Na'Sha]
- 2006 - Give It Up [Petey Pablo feat. Na'Sha]
- 2007 - Those Days [Shaggy feat. Na'Sha]
[edit] Links
Official Page [3]
Interview [4]
