ULTRA NATÉ

NIGHTLIFE ROYALTY COMING THROUGH

Shot by Gerson Lopes

Words by Kelly Plourde

Any dance club enthusiast can attest that the best moment of the night is when your hear your favorite song start to play, making the little hairs on the back of your neck raise up and if you weren’t on the dance floor already, you raced there and let out everything you’d been holding inside all week. Ultra Naté’s song “Free” was one of those songs for me. The tune’s underlying melancholy turned exaltation made me feel I had control in my life, and hearing that song made everything ok for that moment. As it turns out, I wasn’t alone, and the popularity of that song has remained steadfast, growing and becoming an anthem for the LGBTQIA+ community over the last 25+ years. Her entire discography is like a love letter to dance music, the kind that moves your soul.

Naté has never missed a beat in her long and lauded career, earning the respect and admiration of so many across the globe, remaining as vibrant and fresh on the scene now as she was when her first single “It’s Over Now” was released in the UK by the Basement Boys three decades ago. Always bringing the same amazing energy to her sets and a joie de vivre to every party, she has inspired not only fellow Gen-Xers, but her music has transcended the gap and has continued to strike chords in the hearts of millennials and Gen Z alike as she continues to headline events like “Back to the 90s Festival” in Birmingham, this July with artists like Sonique, n.trance, and Dave Pearce. She credits, in part, her success and sustainability to her mutability as an artist and as a person.

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Ultra Naté has worked with some of the best in the business, from Michelle Williams to Lenny Kravitz; she’s held residencies in Ibiza, and won countless awards for her solo and collaborative work. She has touched so many lives, yet remains humble in the face of so much adoration, as with the likes of powerhouse Paris Hilton, who was similarly inspired by “Free” during some of the most difficult times in her life and got in touch with Naté to ask her to host a podcast that Paris executive produced and created, aptly named: “The History of the World’s Greatest Nightclubs”. The podcast, released on July 13, 2023 on iHeartRadio (and anywhere you stream your podcasts) is a project near and dear to both of their hearts, discussing the music that binds us, the history of the places that brought the music to the masses, and the people who influenced the dance club scene.

Ultra eloquently shared with me how she felt so connected and honored to have an opportunity to work with Paris Hilton on such an important storytelling about a global scene that is such a big part of her. She went on to say, “The History of the World’s Greatest Nightclubs” is such a tailormade opportunity for me in a way that is very spiritual for me. There was so much detail in the research by the folks behind the scenes for this project to make sure all people including people of color and people from the LGBTQIA+ community were properly credited for creating the scenes and genres that were born in nightlife and how it shaped culture and fashion and the Icons that came out of these scenes. We reveal how all these layers are interrelated and how important this culture is universally.”

TELL US THREE ALBUMS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT.

-Prince “Purple Rain”

-Maxwell’s “Urban Hang Suite”

-Chaka Khan - “What cha’ Gonna Do For Me?”, the extended version.

“Chaka brings the funk and I think that’s a lot of what’s lost in dance culture right now.”

A HUGE & SPECIAL THANKS TO MORE FOLKS yo͞o SHo͝od nō

THE CREDITS:

Starring: Ultra Naté @UltraNateMusic

Photographer: Gerson Lopes, @GersonLopes_Photographer

Executive Production: crowdMGMT, @crowdMGMT

Words: Kelly Plordue, @Kelly_In_CT

Fashion Curator & Stylist: Hanna Isaksson, @Hannai_Me

Makeup Artist: Mark Quirimit, @MarkQuirimit

Hair Stylist: Brandon H Thompson, @Brandon_YourStylist

Graphics: Maddy Hendricks & crowdMGMT, @Maddy.Hen, @crowdMGMT

Ultra Naté MGMT: Bill Coleman & Andre “Pepe” Skordos, @PeaceBisquit, @DJAngeloPepe

FASHION CREDITS:

Wardrobe: LAROXX, @LaRoxx

Jewelry: Alexis BIttar, @AlexisBittar

“I never get bored because I’m always between all the worlds; I’m just as comfortable in a raw, underground space with a red light and a feeling as I am at a super club with a thousand people and the most amazing light show.”TELL US TWO LIES AND A TRUTH FOR YOUR FANS!GUESS THE TRUTH FROM HERE:-I am from England. Born in Havre de Grace, MD. “My first single broke onto the UK charts, actually!”- I am 5’10’ tall. “But I have 6’5 energy.”- I was part of a teen dance troupe named “The Sexy Illusions.”TRUTH UNCOVERED TRUTH: I was part of a teen dance troupe named “The Sexy Illusions.”TELL US THREE ITEMS THAT ARE ALWAYS IN YOUR BAG OR ON YOUR PERSON. ALTAR’D STATE SLING BAG- A good Lip Gloss, and I love Pat Mcgrath’s Lust Gloss!- MAC 24-hour Liquidlast Liner. "I love this eyeliner the most in the whole world, it's the best."- “I need my Zeelool Readers because reading is fundamental!”TELL US THREE ARTISTS YOU’VE WORKED WITH AND WOULD LOVE TO AGAIN.- Lenny Kravitz “I'm an undercover rock kid. I actually wrote “Free” as a rock song”- Nile Rodgers “He’s an absolute ICON”- The third spot is a split between Peter Tong, with whom she worked on an orchestral version on “Free” together and also ICONA POP saying “They (ICONA POP) are geniuses and beautiful women, I love working with women in music!”TELL US THREE ARTISTS YOU’D LIKE TO WORK WITH THAT YOU HAVEN’T YET. -Trevor Horn- “Working with him, that would be the mountaintop”-Missy Elliot - "She’s dope and always has been.”-Pharrell Williams - "He's a phenomenal producer and innovator with an incredible sensibility, for dance, pop and hip-hop!"WHAT ARE YOUR THREE GUILTY PLEASURES TO WATCH?-“I binged watched Queen Charlotte in one day.”-“I’m a Huge Transformers fan, like I will watch those movies over and over, like it’s the first time.”-“I’m a Political news junkie. ”