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Natacha Atlas
Background information
Born	March 20, 1964 (1964-03-20) (age 43)
Origin	Brussels, Belgium
Genre(s)	World music, Arabesque music
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Years active	1991–present
Label(s)	Nation Records (1993–1997), Mantra Records (1998–present)
Associated acts	Mandanga, Transglobal Underground
Website	www.natachaatlas.net

Natacha Atlas (born March 20, 1964) is a singer born in Belgium. She is known for her fusion of Arabic and North African music. She once termed her music "cha'abi moderne" (i.e., an updated form of Egyptians's pop music). It also includes many influences from styles like Arabesque music, drum 'n' bass, and reggae. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 79th day of the year (80th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Belgium_(civil). ... Nickname: Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: , Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 979 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Government  - Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area  - Region 162 km²  (62. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... World music is, most generally, all the music in the world. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Arabesk. ... A singer is a musician who uses their voice to produce music. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Nation Records is a record label set up by Aki Nawaz which released the first new take on world dance music, an album called Fuse. Featuring the earliest appearance by Talvin Singh as Mahatma T, the label went on to feature the early releases of Asian Dub Foundation, Joi, Transglobal... Mantra Records is a subsidiary of Beggars Banquet Records. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... is the 79th day of the year (80th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... A singer is a musician who uses their voice to produce music. ... Arabic music includes several genres and styles of music ranging from Arab classical to Arabic pop music and from secular to sacred music. ... North Africa has contributed much to popular music, especially Egyptian Arab classical and al-jil, Algerian raï and Moroccan chaabi. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Arabesk. ... Drum and bass (drum n bass, drumnbass, DnB, dnb) is an electronic music style. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Early life

People tend to disagree about the origins of Natacha Atlas's parents. She has denied claims that her father is a Sephardic Jew; she concedes to being "maybe 10 percent or something." She says the claim her father is Jewish is "one of those things where someone had a grudge against me and wanted to hurt me. My grand-grand-grandfather was Jewish. But Jews have always been part of Arab society, so it’s not so unusual for someone to find out that they have Jewish blood. At the end of the day, we really are so connected"(3). In the strictest sense, a Sephardi (ספרדי, Standard Hebrew Səfardi, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄ardî; plural Sephardim: ספרדים, Standard Hebrew Səfardim, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄ardîm) is a Jew original to the... Languages Arabic other minority languages Religions Predominantly Sunni Islam, as well as Shia Islam, Greek Orthodoxy, Greek Catholicism, Roman Catholicism, Alawite Islam, Druzism, Ibadi Islam, and Judaism Footnotes a Mainly in Antakya. ...

David Bennun of Melody Maker, in an article on Nation Records's website about Transglobal Underground, reports that Natacha is "A Sephardic Jew on her father's side". Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was (until its closure) the worlds oldest weekly music newspaper. ... Nation Records is a record label set up by Aki Nawaz which released the first new take on world dance music, an album called Fuse. Featuring the earliest appearance by Talvin Singh as Mahatma T, the label went on to feature the early releases of Asian Dub Foundation, Joi, Transglobal... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Her mother is said to be an English Muslim. Natacha herself is Muslim. Natacha referred to herself as a "human Gaza Strip" :" conflicts between my European and Arabic sides will continue — my genetic code almost inevitably made me a nomad" (1) Natacha grew up in a Moroccan neighbourhood of Brussels, where she was introduced to the art of raqs sharki (belly dance) and cha'abi (modern Moroccan pop music). There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Musicians of Amun, Tomb of Nakht, 18th Dyn, Western Thebes. ...

Natacha learned several languages : English, French, Spanish and Arabic and in the course of her career, and she uses all of them. After her parents separated she went to Northampton with her mother. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... Northampton is a large market town and a local government district in central England on the River Nene, and the county town of Northamptonshire, in the English East Midlands region. ...

Later on, she had two jobs – belly dancing on the one hand, and being the lead singer of a Belgian salsa band. In 1991, she recorded the track "Timbal" with Balearic Beat (¡Loca!). She also worked together with Jah Wobble, composing five tracks for the LP Rising above Bedlam. Thanks to Nation Records, which recorded ¡Loca!, Natacha met labelmates Transglobal Underground, who at the time had a Top 40 hit, "Templehead." Salsa music is a diverse and predominantly Spanish Caribbean genre that is popular across Latin America and among Latinos. ... See also: 1991 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1991 Record labels established in 1991 // 1991 was the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. ... Balearic Beat is a style of electronic dance music that emerged in the late 1980s and was popular into the mid-1990s. ... Jah Wobble (born John Wardle, Stepney 1958) is an English bass guitarist, singer, poet and composer. ...

Transglobal Underground

She became the lead singer and belly dancer of the very eclectic crew Transglobal Underground (TGU) who focuses on mixing Eastern and Western sounds as well as other styles. Count Dubulah of TGU says about former TGU head: “Nat is not an ordinary human being. She is a supremely talented weirdo. She’s a lovely person; she’s just got a few character traits that need kicking the shit out of. Like her temper. She came at me with a knife once.” (2) This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Solo career

Now TGU has a new lead singer, it also focuses on African sounds rather than the East. Nevertheless, TGU continue producing tracks for Natacha Atlas. Most of Natacha's albums have been produced by TGU. Natacha always focused on and continues to focus on her Eastern roots, as the titles of her albums imply: "Diaspora" (1995), "Halim" (1997) (in honour of Egyptian singer Abdel Halim Hafez), "Gedida" (1998) and "Ayeshteni" (2001). Abdel Halim Ismael Shabana (Arabic: عبدالحليم إسماعيل شبانة) commonly known as Abdel Halim Hafez (Arabic: عبد الحليم حافظ) (June 21, 1929 – March 30, 1977), was one of the most popular Egyptian singers and actors not only in Egypt but throughout the Middle East from the 1950s to the 1970s. ...

In 1999, she collaborated with David Arnold on the song "One Brief Moment". The single featured a cover version of the James Bond theme song from the film You Only Live Twice; two years earlier Atlas had collaborated with Arnold on the album Shaken and Stirred, recording the song "From Russia with Love" for the eponymous film (originally performed by Matt Monro). Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... David Arnold (born February 27, 1962 in Luton in Bedfordshire, England) is one of the most popular and successful young British composers[citation needed]. He is probably best known for the film scores to Stargate (1994), Independence Day (1996) and four James Bond films. ... In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ... Flemings image of James Bond; commissioned to aid the Daily Express comic strip artists. ... Ian Flemings You Only Live Twice is the fifth film in the EON Productions James Bond series, the fifth to star Sean Connery as British Secret Service agent Commander James Bond 007, and the sixth film to feature James Bond. ... Shaken and Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project is a compilation album of cover versions of James Bond movie themes organised and produced by David Arnold. ... For the video game, see From Russia with Love (video game). ... Matt Monro (December 1, 1932- February 7, 1985) was a ballad singer of the 1960s and one of great international postwar entertainers. ...

In an interview with French magazine "L'affiche", Natacha stated that she's very interested in her roots; and that's why she sings in Arabic, to find her identity and to reconnect with her roots. Nevertheless, she also likes modern music like salsa or reggae. ("Je m'interesse énormément à mes origines. C'est pour cela que je chante en arabe, pour trouver mon identité et me reconnecter avec mes racines. D'un autre côté, j'aime les musiques modernes: la Salsa, le Reggae...") (3) Her father is quite pleased about that, and – Natacha continues – he even claims that the Atlas Mountains gave their name to his family. ("(mon père) est fier de moi parce que je m'interesse à notre famille, d'où elle vient. Ce qui est mignon et marrant, c'est qu'il croit – ou du moins il rêve – que notre nom est lié à un ancien roi de Mauritanie. C'est celui qui d'une chaine de montagnes est c'est dejà ça!") Map showing the location of the Atlas Mountains (colored red) across North Africa The Atlas Mountains (Arabic: ‎) are a mountain range in northwest Africa extending about 2,400 km (1,500 miles) through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, and including The Rock of Gibraltar. ...

Due to French-language tracks – especially her adaptation of Françoise Hardy's "Mon amie la rose" – Natacha is now quite popular in France. In the U.K., on the other hand, she hasn't had her breakthrough yet. Natacha hopes that this will change with her new version of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put A Spell On You". She is not very happy about the way her music is perceived in the UK: "Someone from the NME rang us about a feature we're to do with them and said 'We don't want it to be about the multi-cultural angle'. In other words that fad is over. And I'm personally insulted... what other... angle is there for us? I get sick of it all." Françoise Hardy (born Françoise Madeleine Hardy, January 17, 1944 in Paris) is a French singer, actress and astrologer. ... UK redirects here. ... Screamin Jay Hawkins Jalacy Hawkins, best known as Screamin Jay Hawkins (July 18, 1929 – February 12, 2000) was an African-American singer famed for his wildly theatrical performances of songs like I Put a Spell on You and Constipation Blues. // Some sources believe that Hawkins is the long-lost brother... I Put a Spell on You is a song written by Screamin Jay Hawkins, whose recording was selected as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fames 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. ... Not to be confused with the Canadian music magazine Music Express The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a Popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. ...

In 2005, she contributed the song "Just Like A Dream" (from Something Dangerous) to the charity album Voyces United for UNHCR. Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Something Dangerous 2003 is the fifth album by Natacha Atlas. ... Voyces United for UNHCR is a charity album for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which protects and supports refugees at the request of a government or the United Nations and assists in their return or resettlement. ...

Natacha's song "Kidda" was featured in the 2005 video game Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories on Radio del Mundo.

She was originally billed to star in and provide for the soundtrack to the film Whatever Lola Wants, directed by Nabil Ayouch. Shooting delays mean that Natacha Atlas will only be involved in the film's soundtrack. Whatever Lola Wants is a popular song (sometimes rendered as Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets.) The music and words were written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross for the musical play Damn Yankees. ... Nabil Ayouch (Arabic: ‎) (b. ...

Her song "Gafsa" (Halim, 1997) was used as main soundtrack during the Korean film Bin-Jip (also know as 3-Iron) (2004) by Kim Ki-Duk. Gafsa (or Qafsah; Arabic: ‎) is a capital city of Gafsa Governorate. ... 3-Iron (or 빈집 (Bin-jip) meaning Empty Houses in Korean) is a 2004 Korean film from Kim Ki-duk, the director of the acclaimed Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Kim Ki-duk is a Korean film maker noted for his meditative, philosophical films. ...

She participated in the piece "Light of Life (Ibelin Reprise)" for the soundtrack of Ridley Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven"

In 2007, Natacha Atlas collaborated with Belinda Carlisle for Belinda's 7th album Voila. Natacha contributed additional vocals on songs "Ma Jeunesse Fout Le Camp," "La Vie En Rose," "Bonnie et Clyde" and "Des Ronds Dans L'Eau." Voila was released via Rykodisc in the U.K. on 5 February, 2007 and in the U.S. the following day. Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Belinda Carlisle, born Belinda Jo Carlisle (also known as Belinda Kurczeski); on August 17, 1958 in Hollywood, California, is the lead vocalist and a founding member of the all-female rock & roll band The Go-Gos and also a successful solo artist. ... Voila is the seventh proper solo album by Belinda Carlisle, released in February 2007. ... Rykodisc Records is an American record label, and subsidiary of Warner Music Group. ...

Discography

• Diaspora (1995)
• Halim (1997)
• Gedida (1999)
• Ayeshteni (2001)
• Foretold in the Language of Dreams (2002) - Natacha Atlas / Marc Eagleton Project
• Something Dangerous (2003)
• The Best of Natacha Atlas (2005)
• DVD Natacha Atlas - TGU (2005) - All her videoclips, some live tracks and an interview
• Mish Maoul (2006)

Diaspora 1995 was Natacha Atlas first solo album, following her work with Transglobal Underground. ... Halim 1997 was Natacha Atlas second solo album and named after the famous Egyptian singer, Abdel Halim Hafez. ... Gedida 1999 is Natacha Atlas third solo album. ... Ayeshteni 2001 is Natacha Atlas fourth solo album. ... Foretold in the Language of Dreams 2002 is an album by Natacha Atlas and Marc Eagleton. ... Something Dangerous 2003 is the fifth album by Natacha Atlas. ... The Best of Natacha Atlas is a compilation album covering Natacha Atlas work from her first album, Diaspora to her last, Something Dangerous. ... Mish Maoul (مش معقول an Egyptian expression meaning unbelievable)[1] is the sixth album by Belgian world music singer Natacha Atlas. ...

See also

• World music
• Arabesque-pop music

World music is, most generally, all the music in the world. ... History (Timeline and Samples) Genres: Alternative - Classical - Dance - Folk - Hip hop - Jazz - Military - Ottoman - Pop - Religious - Rock Music awards Kral - MÜ-YAP - MGD Charts Powerturk 40 - Kral 20 Annual festivals Istanbul International Music Festival - Istanbul International Jazz Festival - Ankara IMF - Izmir European Jazz Festival Media Bant magazine - Mix! - Adante - BlueJean...

External links and references

• Natacha Atlas: Official Website
• Natacha Atlas: Last.FM Group
• Mantra Recordings Natacha Atlas label website
• Beggars US Natacha Atlas label website
• Read a lengthy interview with Natacha Atlas on Fly
• TGU Transglobal Underground website
• Mish maoul Promo website for the new album