Natanya Is Taking It

How do you know when you’ve made it as a musician? Hit songs, awards, and even cosigns from bigger artists can all be telltale signs. For Natanya, the London-born singer, she’s received reposts from some of her childhood idols. Tyler, The Creator, SZA, and Doechii have all shared her music — in her viral single, “On Ur Time,” she sings “Solana’s on my speakers / and the tears won’t dry.” While she loves the recognition, it’s only the beginning for Natanya, as she tells NYLON: “I want to redirect the attitude about me even more. I want people to understand me on a deeper level.”

The impression she’s made so far has already seen her monthly listeners on Spotify more than double. Her lilting, buttery voice recalls Aaliyah, Janet Jackson, Amy Winehouse (a formative artist in her childhood), and Destiny’s Child all at once, and the beats she produces range from bedroom pop to full R&B homages (Janet and Aaliyah come to mind again) and indie-rock smooth jams. Growing up in London with a dad in a church band and a Trinidadian-Indian mom who played calypso music in the house, she touched almost all forms of music available to her. She studied classical piano from the age of 4, watched wrestling and became obsessed with the bombastic entrance songs, and of course, is a child of the Internet, soaking up music on YouTube and Roblox. Her references speak to the post-globalized digital world, specifically the melting pot of East-meets-West that is London, and her ability to tap into so many disparate energies at once yet create a novel sound is what sets her apart.

Her first few songs and introductory EP, Sorrow At Sunrise, sound like exactly what they are: a girl making beats with a laptop and the hope of etching out her own corner in the music universe. But with the two-part EP that is now her first full-length project, Feline’s Return, she has what many emerging artists only dream of: a body of work that not only arrives as something new, but has a league of fans rabid for more. Her fan base already has a name, The Felines, which she tells NYLON comes from her love of a cat-eye. Her upward-tilting eyes have a coquettish, feline, and ineffably unique look to them, and her pin-up, cutesy vibe does not betray the intelligence and camp in her delivery: Everything comes with a knowing wink, not unlike a black cat that tips over a glass of milk only to relish in the act.

Before she goes on what she calls a “mini-break” to dial in for the rest of 2026, Natanya is releasing a video for “Ur Fool,” the cool, guitar-led duet with her peer, Unflirt, that encapsulates her direct, piercing lyrics, which she says are almost often “the first words that usually come out of my mouth… they punch a lot”: “I’ll be your fool / even though it’s not easy / you know that you need me.” NYLON got a first look at the behind-the-scenes pictures from the shoot, which she called a “cute hang,” and dialed in with the artist to talk about her formative years in jazz school, what SZA song makes her cry, and her determination to make everyone sit up straight and know her name in 2026.

When was the first moment when you switched from studying music and seeing it to wanting to make your own?

I never had a switch flick in my brain. I was always unconsciously making things. Even when I got Fisher Price toys, I would always make loops and learn the “instrument.” When I was a teenager, I transitioned to jazz because one of the girls at the top of my school was incredible at piano — she ended up going to Berklee — and she told me about this academy that was happening on Saturdays, so I followed her, did my audition on the spot, and studied that for a while. I always had these melodic ideas in my mind and I would go on the computers after school, hang back in the music suite, and try to make these loops because I wanted to get the ideas out.

We were always surrounded by the ability to create at jazz school. We would do a cappella groups and split the whole class up into these mini stems. When I did one, my teacher told me after the warmup finished, “Natanya, you have such a penchant for arrangement. It's one of your strong suits and you should never forget it.” The moment when I really woke up and my frontal lobe started to develop was at the end of university, which wasn't that long ago. I started to process, like, “OK, if I want to do this, I have to give it my best shot.” 2025 was the real moment of saying “there's no time like the present.” A lot of people come in with a laser-sharp focus saying, “I know I'm going to get this,” and even though I do speak positively about myself and I manifest a lot, I never started to create music with this idea of garnering fame or accolades. I’ve just had so much fun doing it for so long.

You've talked about Amy Winehouse and Tyler, The Creator, as inspirations. He reposted one of your songs, “Sofa Joy,” which was amazing to see. What were some of the things you learned from their artistry?

For Amy, she was more of a sedative and a comfort. I related to her identity as a black sheep wherever she went. I would always be that loud girl in school that was friends with everyone. I was always writing songs here and there, but it was like, “She's just a bit too much for us.” I liked the fact that Amy was this woman that was too much. She was releasing music when I was born, but jazz trained and able to communicate that to the masses in a way that made them fall in love with her. We’re from the same area of London, we went to the same park as teenagers. I felt really, really connected to her story if I'm honest. That was what motivated me to get on the piano and start writing songs, because I realized that everything I was learning on Saturday was what Amy was once learning on her Saturdays at NYJO. If she could turn that into Frank, then I could turn that into my own music.

Tyler encouraged me to lean into camp in my production. I took a lot from his playbook. My first beat was such a copy of early Kali Uchis demos. I think he was incredible, especially back then finding him post-Cherry Bomb. I thought he was the coolest thing on Planet Earth. Teenage me was encouraged to be weird in the music. Outside of that, when I get to my artistry, I remember being a serious fan of Tyler, running fan pages, doing streaming parties to try and get “Flower Boy” to number one. I used to be so excited and engaged for his Easter egg rollouts that I guess, now if you’re a fan of Natanya, in a way, there is some of that spirit there.

I'm so happy people are starting to wake up to the music you're putting out, because not only is the production amazing, but I love your lyrics and your directness. Specifically, this morning I was listening to “Jezebel.” I love that it's a letter to yourself. Tell me about making that song and what you wanted to say to yourself.

The first half of the song was made in 2023. I was going through a lot of difficulty because I come from an academic background, and it's discouraged for people to go off and do something like this. I also remember being the only person that looked like myself in the places I grew up, so there was always tension. When I first started with Sorrow At Sunrise, I felt like I couldn't do anything right. It hurt me, because at the time I couldn't see the potential my friends were seeing. I thought of it as, “I'm hanging out with my friends, doing my thing, and this is the other hobby I have behind the scenes,” but they were like, “Natanya, you don't realize your power.”

I was really dejected one day after an argument, and when I got to the piano, [Jezebel] was the first word that came out of my mouth. I grew up in church; I always heard about Jezebels in English Lit when I did my degree, and that was a word that was thrown around to talk about women that were being villainized. And I felt villainized. The second half, I wrote in the shower in 2025. Funnily enough, I was taking a shower in the water of my dreams. I wanted to talk about how sometimes your destiny is tangible. It's there and it's in front of you, you can see it, but because of what other people feel about you or what they lose from you going for it, you push it away and you don't let it wash all over you. “Take a shower in the water of your dreams” is almost like, “Accept it, let it overwhelm you and let whatever's going to happen, happen.” It's also this double entendre to refer to how once you do take a shower in the water of your dreams, life changes forever. You will never be the same person to the people that know you. It does wash you clean of your past, because what this job demands of you takes away some of your other identity. I've struggled with that too.

There’s a before and after aspect. A lot of things are going to change for you in the best way.

There are days when I wish I could hang out with everyone and be the friend that's here for a drink and not complain about things that feel a bit “first-world problems,” but that is the reality of my life now, and I chose it because I wanted this.

I've seen some of my favorite artists share your songs, especially “On Ur Time.” SZA gave you a shoutout. What does it mean for you to be seen like this by your peers without a debut album out?

It's so exciting. I can remember each and every moment when I first picked up their songs and I fell in love with them as a child. I remember the first time I heard “Consideration” off ANTI. It was one of the only albums I could get with whatever streaming service my pocket money got me at the time. I heard SZA’s voice and I was like, “Who's that girl?” I became obsessed with her, and I listened to her Z EP. I remember with Ravyn [Lenae], listening to Crush when I was stuck inside because I was grounded a lot when I was a teenager. There were moments where I used to look at these people and imagine that I could one day be acknowledged by them, or just be mentored by them. To see them pay attention has been incredible. There's another side of it, which is, as you said, I don't have my debut album out yet, and I feel a real determination to give people as much of a taste of me as possible and let them know exactly who they're dealing with before that moment comes. Because the moment when my debut album comes out, I would love for people to receive it and be like, “We were waiting for this, Natanya, thank you so much.”

In “On Ur Time," you say, “Solana's on my speakers and my tears won’t dry.” What SZA song makes you cry the most?

I used to listen to “Awkward” a lot because I think it's the dark horse of Ctrl. It analyzes relationships from such an interesting perspective. It's not just like, “You broke up with me. I'm sad.” It's like, “We tried to do something because I wanted you to prove to me that you were interested and now I know you're interested, but you won't speak to me.” I've dealt with that so many times. It's the most frustrating thing about being a girl. So that song was my poison of choice.

I can hear some of the ways SZA talks about relationships in “Sofa Joy.” You've made it your own, but you've tapped into this pantheon of women who are in these nuanced relationships. How do you craft songs? Is it melody then lyrics, or the other way around?

It's always situational. It has to do with the story I'm currently living. With “Sofa Joy,” at the time, KP genuinely did want to date me, but he wasn't being honest. I was really frustrated. I had a lot of time spent at home since I was supposed to be finishing third year, but I was also working on what would end up being “On Ur Time” and Feline’s Return. I was missing lectures and hanging out by myself. I used to play around and I came up with the chords for “Sofa Joy” within five minutes. The first words that usually come out of my mouth… punch a lot, because it's usually what I want to say. I always have interesting openings to my songs because it's the most childlike version of my sentiment. So it's like, “KP, I think you want to date me.”

There's an intelligence behind the songs that allows you to be campy with the delivery. Why the name Felines for your fan base?

Oh my goodness, Kevin, thank you for that question. I get to explain it now. Ever since I was young, people told me I have a really catty eye, and I love eyeliner. It represents the way I like to see myself. You know when you make something cool and it makes you feel sexy and you sit there proud of yourself? Whenever I make a great demo, I dance around my room to it, and I'm always playing into this character of a seductress. I felt like that's the best name for my alter ego because I'm nerdy, introverted, and I overthink. When I'm not that, I’m Feline. I wanted to project that identity into the world. If Natanya doesn't yet feel like she's able to return, at least Feline can first, and then she can come out when it's safe. I’m happy my fans took over the Feline thing.

I see you as this black cat, slinking around and inhabiting these different characters. Even with the visualizers, you have an evil, knowing wink in your eye.

I love fake coquettish-ness. I think it's because I am quite an ambitious woman, and I've always pushed myself to enter rooms where I'm not supposed to be. I love people speaking to me like I'm stupid. It makes me so happy. It turns me on. It's representative of who I become in those situations. Anytime someone tells me no or treats me like I don't know anything, I've always smiled and looked at them, then gone and done what I said I was going to do. Feline is so that. She slinks around, she's happy to be here, she's a good hang, but she's also a hard worker and serious about her sh*t and her art. She's going to do that in the shadows and come out when it's time. It's a brilliant description of everything that I represent.

You filmed a video for “Ur Fool” with Unflirt, which I'm excited to see. Tell me about filming and adding that to your music video catalog.

It was a nice, cute hang between me and an artist I really respect, Unflirt. We both at the time had boyfriends — she still has one — but we were arguing with them in the session and it was the best time. “Ur Fool” is all about not wanting the guy to leave and hoping he forgives you. The video itself is a cute interaction between me and someone else. The Feline world has always been Natanya on her own, and I wanted to give my fans a chance to place me in the real world and put me in context. The cosigns have been great, and it's nice to see everyone be excited, but what about one of my peers? It's a nice way for me to say thank you and a mini goodbye to my fans before I go off and make the next thing.

I know you love movies and books. What are your current media obsessions?

Oh my God. Marty Supreme. I watched it three times. It's my new comfort film. I also finished I Love LA in one sitting, and I was so sad there wasn't a season two. That was my world for a second. I was actually physically reacting to the twists and turns, and by the very end of the season, I was gobsmacked.

People were hating on it, and I was like, “We've all said at least one line from that show.”

That's the funny thing. It calls everybody out. From my short time going to LA here and there, I could recognize some things and I'm British. I was like, “Jesus Christ.” I really also love Hacks. It made me cry recently. I also finished that in two sittings.

What do you want from 2026? This time next year, what do you want to have under your belt?

This year, I want to redirect the attitude about me even more. I want people to understand me on a deeper level, not just on a superficial, “Oh my God, she's so cute” level. I want them to say, “OK, maybe Natanya could do something cool with music. Maybe she does have something going on in her head that we need to stop and drop our bags and listen to. Maybe I do need to find out a little bit more about her. Maybe I'm obsessed with her.” That's what I want to create.

By the end of 2026, my only dream is that that happens. Off the back of that, we do an incredible headline tour, but it's all down to the music and the music videos and me doing my job. I'm trying hard to focus. You're going to see a lot more of me as an executive producer than you did before. I'm learning production from every angle now, and putting my foot down and asserting myself to a level I haven't before. I'm excited to see how people react to me doing something they didn't expect me to do.