Music, News, Reviews, Underground, Up & Coming
Apr 29, 2012

NATALIE NYLON, TOPPING EUROPE’S DJ CHARTS

Natalie Nylon has found great success at the top of the European DJ Promotional chart with her debut album Out of Control. Her album, which dropped last month, is a fun and energetic compilation of songs perfect for a girl’s night out on the dance floor. After years of playing different musical instruments and being in many bands, Nylon decided it was time to put her heart and soul into a solo electro-pop album, and she did just that.

With inspiration from the likes of Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Madonna, Nylon found herself crossing over between rock and pop which turned into an explosion of sound meant to take over the dance scene. For a girl born and raised in a small town in Pennsylvania, she certainly knows what she wants. From her dreams of sharing the stage with the artists who inspire her, to someday headlining her very own tour, we talked to Natalie about all things music; and what it really took to get her album out there. You can find Natalie’s album on ITunes, as well as Spotify, Amazon, Google Music, Rhapsody, and more.

PPLA: HI! I just wanted to say congratulations on the release of your first full length album, that’s so exciting! How does it feel to finally have it all out there for people to listen to?

NATALIE: Amazing. Finally! It’s just a great feeling of completion because I’ve been working on this for about a year and a half now. It’s just really great to have it actually be done and to actually be at the next step.

PPLA: How did all of this come about for you? Tell me, how did music happen in your life?

NATALIE: I guess I started singing when I was in sixth grade. I started writing songs on my own, and then I got the lead part in Annie singing in front of the whole school. From there it was just singing, and then playing viola, and then playing bass, and then playing guitar, and then I wanted to play keyboards. I’ve been doing it my whole life but the past two years I’ve been dedicating solely to pop music.

PPLA: So how did a small-town girl decide to pick up and leave Pennsylvania?

NATALIE: (laughs) Um… it was just a dream of mine. I remember I put myself through college and when I finished, I really wasn’t having any luck finding a job. I always wanted to do music so I said, “you know what I’m just going to do something crazy.” I packed up all my bags and just drove to California on my own and everything just started from there. I got out there and I was in a band called The Midnight Shakes and we were on a Fuse TV show called Rock Bottom. When that band broke up, I started the Natalie Nylon project. It was kind of crazy how that all happened because I just threw myself out there and did it all on my own. It took a lot of guts!

PPLA: So, you said you’ve had a lot of different musical endeavors in your life. How was recording this album different than those other experiences?

NATALIE: I feel like the other experiences I was more or less writing with a band; writing with 4 or 5 different people. They would start with a guitar riff and then I would write to go with it, so it was more of a collaborated effort. This project is me. I start writing a song and then bring it to one of my producers. I basically just work with one other person, so it is much more of being in a studio, really focused and just writing with one other person which is much more intimate. I feel like I’ve been able to express myself more this way.

PPLA: When did you get to that point where you said, “you know what; I’m going to make an electro-pop album.”?

NATALIE: After being in a band my whole life, I just got to this point where I really wanted to do a solo project. I really liked to dance and living in LA where I could go out to the clubs and hit the scene every night was great. Just hearing all the different music at the clubs really made me want to start writing my own. I thought it would be really cool to write something like this; something people can dance to. I wanted to do something where people can actually go out and have fun, and just party! So that is really how that started.

PPLA: Just by listening to your album I hear a lot of similarities to Lady Gaga, maybe a little bit of Madonna, and although you definitely put your own twist on things, are those some of your inspirations?

NATALIE: Yes, definitely. I grew up listening to Madonna and Lady Gaga is amazing. I’m also on this big Jessie J kick right now. She is totally amazing; she has such a powerful and strong voice. And I’m also influenced by Katy Perry; I think all the greatness in her voice is really catchy and amazing too. But it also goes back to music like The Sounds which is really what got me into dance music; the cross over between rock and dance is what brought me into more of electro stuff.

PPLA: I know you’ve found a lot of success at the top of the European DJ Promotional charts, how do you think your music will translate onto the top of the charts in America?

NATALIE: That is a question I get asked quite often actually. You know, all you can do is hope for the best. I just hope that people in the States really get it. It really caught on quickly in Europe. You know, it was probably one of the fastest things to happen in my music career, but it’s been a little slower in the states. I just hope that it catches on somewhere and maybe it’s all a matter of publicity but you know, I’m hoping people like it and pick it up and start dancing!

PPLA: Speaking of publicity, how did you gain so much noteriety overseas to really get your album at the top of the charts there?

NATALIE: One of my first producers I worked with, Miko, he has such a strong following already. I wrote this song with Miko called “Let’s Go Dance” and since he has such a strong connection out there, they started playing it over in Europe. They just kind of picked up on that and were like “oh who is he singing with?” I think that is why it is doing so well in overseas.

PPLA: So where do you see your music heading in the future?

NATALIE: Well hopefully it just blows up and I tour the world! I would love to tour with some of those artists I mentioned earlier. One of my goals is to be even just a supporting act. I feel like touring is a huge part of getting yourself out there, and you know TV placement and movie placement, I would love to get my songs out there in movies and TV shows. Just getting up on the stage is a huge goal of mine.

PPLA: Just for fun, can you describe a day in your life for me?

NATALIE: Sure! So I wake up and I go get coffee, that’s my favorite thing; a vanilla latte. I usually run, kind of get that done… and then I’m in the studio all day! Even after releasing this first album, I was in the studio the next day starting to write music for my second album. So basically studio until six or seven o’clock, and then I come home, have dinner, and go for a walk with my dog. Then I just chill out, watch TV and go to bed! But ultimately my life has been in the studio. On my days off, I just love to stay outside if it’s a nice day. I love New York; it’s a huge big city so there is always something exciting going on. I really just enjoy hanging out with my friends and shopping! (Laughs)

PPLA: Where is the best place for your fans to find more information about you?

NATALIE: I have a website, NatalieNylon.com. I have a Facebook page, a MySpace page, and my yearbook is actually great because it lets my fans ask me questions directly! Any of those places you can find me; I’m there managing the pages. I love hearing from my fans and I love talking to everybody, so come say hi!!

We will certainly be listening for Natalie’s music the next time we do a night out!