There is definitely something that Nathy Peluso wants to get across, it's just not easily defined. There is a sense of drama, defiance and fearlessness in her videos, performance and other-worldly costumes, a pre-requisite of any urban artist of her generation. Though her music style reflects an earnest love of classic Hip Hop and Soul (Nathy began her career at 16 in the hotels of Alicante singing Frank Sinatra, Etta James and Nina Simone), she has distinct wit and style of her own.
Whatever it is, already with an album (Esmeralda 2017) under her belt, a fashion collection with Bershka, an album on the horizon, a book and, oh yes the millions of streams, word is getting about that 2020 is going to be the year for this Argentine-born, Spanish-raised singer
Nathy’s recent singles straddle the two extremes of her personality: in ‘Business Woman’ she is the empowered, glamour dominatrix, armoured with full theatrics and multiple costumes la Rosalia; in Buenos Aires, however, we find Nathy stripped back and vulnerable. Scenes of her clad in baggy sweatshirt, singing nostalgically from her bedroom in Madrid, are punctuated with clips from her childhood in Buenos Aires, before she moved to Spain at the age of 9.
It is this Nathy I find in our Zoom chat, looking effortlessly stylish in a baggy outfit typical of her racheta look. And she has that instant charm, ease, and friendliness of a chica del barrio (Saavedra, Buenos Aires, in her case) that is so characteristically Porteña.
“With Buenos Aires, I wanted to connect with a more intimate side of myself. The nostalgia, the melancholy, all seen through a day in quarantine. But I also wanted to exhibit other musical styles that I like. I’ve always identified with rap because it tells the truth. The passion hit me straight like an arrow. Hip hop was always inevitable for me. But at the same time, I was shaped by so many genres as a child, from Soul to Bossa Nova, Jazz to Salsa, and now, as an adult, I try to project what made me in everything I do.”
Nathy continues…
“But what’s most important for me, is to use my voice, to hear it deeply in every song and to have fun! I’m an adult, a woman, and the things I talk about reflect my development. Music is a process of discovery and as I grow the things I’m putting out there are definitely more complex.”
Speaking of complex, I mention the dual personas in her videos (all apparently devised by her) and the difference between her bad-ass, highly stylised image in Business Woman and the natural woman in Buenos Aires and mention that in the former she reminds me of a kind of Argentine Missy Elliot. This makes her laugh a lot.
“For me, it’s super important to think about videos. They complement my music, all your songs, lyrics and clothes form a concept. I want to bring something new and tell a story through my videos, tell my history. The characters I create in music videos all have their own histories, their own dramas and look; their fashion is a tool for me.”
Even in the intimacy of our chat, Nathy exhudes the confidence of someone hungry for success. You can catch glimpses of this precocity in the footage of Nathy as a child in her Buenos Aires video; as if the child knew that she would one day go places. Of course confidence and insecurity are a double-edged sword in this cut-throat business, and you wonder what grounds her. The fact that she recorded in Buenos Aires and chose the band of Spinetta, one of the greatest Argentine singer-songwriters of the 80s, but not the best known outside Argentine, says something about her. She knows what she wants.
“Buenos Aires is like a portal into my life, it transports you to different places within my character and is definitely more private. I wanted to work with the band of Spinetta, because he has that sound of Argentina, it was a very emotive and magical experience for me.”
From the comic “Gimme Some Pizza” to her brass band, glossy release “Copa Glasé” and more recently the experimental rap of “Natikillah”, she embodies the brave irreverence so characteristic of the Argentine sound. Its clear that she wants more. Already working with the names of Rels B and Big Menu, Nathy has her sights set high.
“The truth is, when I dream, I dream very big. If you ask me the one person that I would love to work with is Stevie Wonder, that’s all I’m asking. Please!”
In the meantime, with the success of world festivals under her belt, a book, a clothing collection, millions of streams, what is next for Nathy Peluso?
“Honestly, for me, my music is party. When I discover different sounds and instruments, I want to share it with everyone. I want to tour wherever I can, dancing with the world and sharing my songs. But for now, quarantine has taught me the art of patience and I think it’s made us all part of something, and how can that be a bad thing?”
Charismatic, unafraid and brave, this is a girl on a mission and evidently only the start as she keeps exploring and experimenting with her sound, giving everyone little insights into the vibrant, colourful world of Nathy Peluso.
Buenos Aires and Business Woman are out now on all streaming platforms.
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